Reuters Staff: July 2014 was the latest crisis in Latin America’s No. 3 economy, which has suffered a series of economic and political meltdowns going back to the 1930s. In the early 20th century, the South American country was one of the world’s richest, thanks to its production of beef, wheat and other farm goods, plus an educated workforce made up mostly of European immigrants and their descendants. But constant crises, often attributable to government mismanagement and fluctuating commodities prices, have plunged millions into poverty and put the country off-limits to all but the most daring investors.
