Argentina during World War II

Argentina during World War II
A newspaper announcing Argentina's severing of diplomatic relations with the Axis powers on 26 January 1944.
LocationArgentina
Date1939–1945
EventsBattle of the River Plate
– 13 December 1939
Operation Bolivar begins
– May 1940
Revolution of '43
– 4 June 1943
Hellmuth Incident
– 4 November 1943
Severing of relations
– 26 January 1944
Declaration of war
– 27 March 1945
U-530 Incident
– 10 July 1945

The history of Argentina during World War II was a complex period that began in 1939, after the outbreak of the war in Europe, and ended in 1945 with the surrender of the Empire of Japan.

Before the start of World War II in 1939, Argentina had maintained a long tradition of neutrality regarding European wars, which had been upheld and defended by all major political parties since the 19th century. One of the main reasons for this policy was related to Argentina's economic position as one of the world's leading exporters of foodstuffs and agricultural products, to Europe in general and to the United Kingdom in particular. Relations between Britain and Argentina had been strong since the mid-19th century, due to the large volume of trade between both countries, the major presence of British investments particularly in railroads and banking, as well as British immigration,[1] and the policy of neutrality had ensured the food supply of Britain during World War I against the German U-boat campaign.[2][3] At the same time, British influence over the Argentine economy was resented by nationalistic groups,[4] while German and Italian influence in Argentina was strong and growing mainly due to increased interwar trade and investment, and the presence of numerous immigrants from both countries, which, together with the refusal to break relations with the Axis as the war progressed, furthered the belief that the Argentine government was sympathetic to the German cause.[5] Because of strong divisions and internal disputes between members of the Argentine military,[3] Argentina remained neutral for most of World War II, despite pressure from the United States to join the Allies.[6] However, Argentina eventually gave in to the Allies' pressure, broke relations with the Axis powers on 26 January 1944,[7] and declared war on 27 March 1945.[8]

  1. ^ Porter, Andrew, ed. (1999). The Oxford History of the British Empire: The nineteenth century. Oxford University Press. pp. 146–155. ISBN 978-0-19-820565-4.
  2. ^ Allén Lascano, Luís C. (1977). Argentina y la gran guerra, Cuaderno 12. «La Soberanía», Todo es Historia, Buenos Aires, pags. 71–113
  3. ^ a b "Estudios Interdisciplinarios de América Latina y el Caribe". eialonline.org. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  4. ^ Senkam, Leonardo (1995). El nacionalismo y el campo liberal argentinos ante el neutralismo: 1939–1943, Estudios Interdisciplinarios de América Latina y el Caribe, Vol. 6 Nº 1, ene-jun 1995, Universidad de Tel Aviv
  5. ^ Leonard, Thomas M; John F. Bratzel (2007). Latin America During World War II. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-7425-3741-5.
  6. ^ Galasso, 117–252
  7. ^ Galasso, pp. 194–196
  8. ^ Galasso, pp. 248–251