Starting from George Bush to GOP Congressmen, people believe that the Capitol Hill assault on Wednesday was “Banana Republic” territory. The former President condemned the move on the part of his fellow Republicans as an insane move that made the entire nation look like a banana republic on the brink of a transition of power.
This is how transition of power happens in a politically unstable country, some of his references suggested. Calling the violence in the Capitol Hill an “insurrection” Bush stated that this is not how election results are disputed in a democratic republic like America.
“Banana Republic” Claims Capitol Hill Violence Was Akin To The Third-World
Despite the riot and violence that happened, the House Representatives came together in the evening to discuss the final take on the Electoral College’s decision on the Presidential Elections result. With troops of the National Guards and the Metropolitan and Capitol Police surrounding the representatives, the Banana Republic, to some of the officials, looked like somewhere in the “third-world”.
This became the source point of many people now looking into the long-standing tradition of the Democratic West asserting the fact that such chaotic scenes are more common in the Global South.
However, this would be an incomplete picture without understanding the longer history behind the comment made on Washington violence. Not more than a century ago, these chaotic scenes were the order of the day in the West with coups, Holocausts and resorting to extreme forms of violence.
This claim can be substantiated by a list of events like the 1920s- 30s chaos leading up to the World War followed by the Holocaust. The Palmer Raids, Bonus March, War of 1812, Civil Warm Revolutionary War, Pullman Strike and so on also add to the list where events like the Capitol Hill violence will not seem alien to the country.
