If you've ever owed money to a bank, you'll know it's not a pleasant experience. Depending on whether they think you're good for the money, the bank will either screw you in the short term or milk you dry over the longer haul.
Banks are in the business of making money and generally they'll stop at nothing to get their way.
These banks hold the lion's share of the debt currently owed by the 'Third World'. This debt first accumulated in the '70s when poorer countries borrowed in order to develop their economies. But when the world recession hit in the '80s huge numbers of countries found they couldn't repay their loans - this was when the IMF and WB first stepped in. To understand why the so called 'debt crisis' has happened we need to look back at why the WB and IMF were set up. This relates to when the world economy collapsed for the first time 70 years ago - an event often called The Great Depression.