Argentina in World War II
Encyclopedia
Argentina
stayed neutral
during most of World War II, despite internal disputes and pressure of the United States to join the Allies
. Argentina broke relations with the Axis powers on January 26, 1944, and declared war on March 27, 1945.
was the president of Argentina at the beginning of WWII, in 1939. The country was in a period of political conservatism and economic crisis known as the Infamous Decade
. The Concordancia
was accused of electoral fraud and corruption. The Radical Civic Union
was divided between FORJA, a line supporting the deposed radical president Hipólito Yrigoyen
, and the official leadership of Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear
, close to the Concordancia. The Socialist Party and the Progresist Democracy were conservative as well. The Communist party was initially close to the unions, but gave priority to advance the Russian interests.
The Argentine army was highly Germanophile
; this influence grew since 1904 and predates both world wars. It did not involve a rejection of democracy but an admiration of German military history
. This, combined with an intense Argentine nationalism
, influenced the main stance of the army towards the war: to stay neutral
. The reasons for specific military peoples ranged from Argentine military tradition (Argentina was neutral during World War I
and the War of the Pacific
), the perception of the war as a conflict between foreign countries with no Argentine interests at stake, to Anglophobia
or rejection of foreign attempts to force Argentina into joining the war. Only a handful of military took the Germanophilia to an actual support of Adolf Hitler.
The war resulted in a small boost to the Argentine economy, as trade with Britain was reduced. This began a process of import substitution industrialization, which had some antecedents with the earlier impact of the Great Depression
. This industrialization began a process of internal migration as well, with people living in the countryside or in small villages moving to the urban centers.
maintained the neutrality. Ortiz, who was ill of diabetes
, was unable to serve as president, but did not resign; the stance of Argentina in the war generated disputes between them, with Castillo prevailing over Ortiz. The FORJA supported the neutrality, and considered it a chance to get rid of British meddling into the Argentine economy. Some Trotskyists promoted the fight against Nazism as an early step of an international class struggle
. The army and some nationalists supported the industrialization, and promoted the neutrality as a way to oppose Britain. Finally, the newspaper "El Pampero", financed by the German embassy, supported Hitler.
As for the reasons of Castillo to stay neutral, there are several interpretations. One interpretation focus in the Argentine tradition of neutrality. Others saw Castillo as a nationalist, without influences from the power structures in Buenos Aires (as he was from Catamarca), so he could defy the pressure to join the allies with the support of the army. A similar perspective considers instead that Castillo simply had no power to go against the wishes of the army, and if declared war he would be deposed by a military coup. A third interpretation considers that only the United States wanted Argentina to declare war, whereas Britain was benefited with Argentine neutrality because the country was able to supply them with livestock. This interpretation, however, fails to acknowledge the constant requests to declare war from Anglophile factions. Most likely, it was a combination of the desires of the British diplomacy and the Argentine army, which prevailed over the pro-war factions.
The socialist deputy Enrique Dickmann created in the National Congress a commission to investigate a Nazi attempt to seize the Patagonia
, and then conquer the rest of the country. The conservative deputy Videla Dorna claimed that the real risk was a similar Communist invasion, and FORJA criticised that a Nazi invasion was only a potential risk, whereas British dominance of the Argentine economy was real.
A diplomatic mission by Lord Willingdom arranged commercial treaties, so Argentina would send thousands of cattle to Britain for free, decorated with the Argentine colours and with the phrase "good luck" written on them. Alvear, El Pampero and FORJA criticised this; Arturo Jauretche
pointed that there were Argentine provinces suffering malnutrition.
and the subsequent United States declaration of war upon Japan. The United States wanted every Latin American country to join the Allies, in order to generate a continent-wide resistance. The Argentine resistance to do so motivated an embargo
and blockade
against Argentina. Castillo declared the state of emergency
in Argentina after the japanese attack to the United States.
would run for the presidency a second time, but after his unexpected death in 1943 Castillo had to seek another candidate to propose. As a result, he supported Robustiano Patrón Costas
to run for the presidency. The army was not willing to support the electoral fraud that would be employed to secure Costas' victory, neither to continue the conservative policies. They also feared that Costas might attempt to break the neutrality kept so far. A group of generals then created a secret organization, the United Officers' Group
(GOU), in order to oust Castillo from power. Juan Perón
was part of this group, but did not support a rushed coup, asking instead to make it once they had a plan to make the reforms needed. The coup would have been made close to the elections, if the electoral fraud was confirmed, but it was actioned earlier, after rumors of the possible replacement of the minister of war, Pedro Pablo Ramírez
.
It is unknown whenever Costas would have maintained neutrality or not. As he was proposed by Castillo, who stayed neutral, Costas may had been neutral as well. Some weak declarations of support to Britain and his ties with pro-allied factions may suggest instead that he would have declared war if he became president.
The military coup that deposed Castillo took place on June 4, 1943. It is considered the end of the Infamous Decade
and the starting point of the Revolution of '43
. Arturo Rawson
took the power as de facto
president. The nature of the coup was confusing during its first days: the German embassy thought it was a pro-allied coup and burned their documentation, while the US embassy thought it was a pro-nazi coup.
Rawson met a delegate from the British embassy on June 5, and promised that in three days he would break relations with the Axis powers and declare war against them. This enraged the GOU, as did his choices for his cabinet. A new coup took place, replacing Rawson with Pedro Pablo Ramírez
. Thus Rawson ruled for just three days, the shortest period for a non-interim president in Argentina.
and Edelmiro Julián Farrell
, from the ministry of war, fostered relations with the unions.
The Communist party managed local politics in line with the diplomatic alignments of the Soviet Union. As a result, they supported neutrality and opposed the British influence in Argentina during the early stages of the war, in line with the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union. The launching of the German invasion of the Soviet Union
, and the subsequent Soviet entry to the war on the Allied side, changed this. With the Soviet Union allied with Britain, they became pro-war, and did not support further labour strikes against British factories located in Argentina. This reduced the workers' support for the Communist party, and they began to support Perón and the new government instead.
As a result, the Communist party opposed the government, rejecting it as pro-Nazi. Perón refuted the communist complaints, saying that "The excuses they seek are very well known. They say that we are 'nazis', I declare we are as far from nazism as from any other foreign ideology. We are only Argentines and want, above all, the common good for Argentines. We do not want any more [electoral] fraud, nor more lies. We do not want that those who do not work live from those who do".
The government had diplomatic discussions with Cordell Hull
, Secretary of State of the United States. Argentina requested planes, fuel, ships and military hardware. Storni argued that, although Argentna did not join the war, it was closer to the allies, sending them food, and so far the Axis powers had not taken action against the country to justify a declaration of war. Hull replied that Argentina was the only Latin American country not to have broken relations with the Axis, that Argentine food was sold at very lucrative prices, and that the military hardware was destined for countries already at war, some of which faced more severe fuel shortages than Argentina. Storni, the Argentine chancellor, resigned after this rejection.
The United States took further measures to increase pressure on Argentina. All Argentine companies suspected of having ties with the Axis powers were blacklisted, and the supply of newsprint was limited to pro-allied newspapers. There were also boycotts. American exports of electronic appliances, chemical substances and oil production infrastructure were halted. The properties of 44 Argentine companies were seized, and scheduled loans were halted. Hull wanted to weaken the Argentine government, or force its resignation. Torn between diplomatic and economic pressure as opposed to an open declaration of war against Argentina, he opted for the former way, to avoid disrupting the supply of food to Britain. Nevertheless, he also saw the situation as a chance for the US to have a greater influence over Argentina than Britain.
The United States also threatened to accuse Argentina of being involved with the coup of Gualberto Villarroel
in Bolivia, and a plot to receive weapons from Germany, after the allied refusal, to face the possible threat of either the United States itself or Brazil acting on their behalf. However, it would be unlikely that Germany would provide such weapons, given their fragile situation as of 1944. Ramírez called a new meting of the GOU, and it was agreed to break diplomatic relations with the Axis powers (albeit without yet a declaration of war) on January 26, 1944.
The break in relations generated unrest within the military, and Ramírez considered removing the influential Farrell and Perón from the government. However, their faction discovered Ramírez's plan. They broke up the GOU, to avoid letting the military loyal to Ramírez know they were aware of his plot, and then initiated a coup against him. Edelmiro Julián Farrell
became then the new president of Argentina, on February 24.
The United States denied recognition to Farrell, as he would keep the neutralist policy. Farrell confirmed it on March 2, and the United States broke relations with Argentina two days later. Winston Churchill
complained about the harsh policy of the United States against Argentina, pointing out that Argentine supplies were vital to the British, and that by removing their diplomatic presence from the country they would even force Argentina to seek German protection. British diplomacy sought to guarantee the supply of Argentine food by signing a treaty covering it, while US diplomatic policy sought to prevent such a treaty. Hull ordered the confiscation of Argentine goods, cessation of foreign trade with her, avoidance of any of US ships landing at Argentine ports, and he denounced Argentina as the "nazi headquarters in the occidental hemisphere".
By this time, the United States considered the option of supporting Brazil in an attack against Argentina, rather than attacking Argentina themselves. The Brazilian ambassador in Washington pointed out that Buenos Aires could be completely destroyed by the Brazilian air force. This would have allowed Argentina to be dominated without the open intervention of the United States, who would support Brazil by providing ships and bombs.
in August 1944, which would lead to the complete liberation of France, gave new hopes to the pro-allies factions in Argentina, who saw it as an omen of the possible fall of the Argentine government, and calls for new elections. The demonstrations in support of Paris soon turned into demonstrations against the government, leading to incidents with the police.
It was rumored that some Argentine politicians in Uruguay would create a government in exile
, but the project never worked. Franklin D. Roosevelt
supported Hull's claims about Argentina, saying similar things against the country. He also cited Churchill when he stated that history would judge all nations for their role in the war, both belligerents and neutrals.
By early 1945, World War II was nearing its end. The Soviets had liberated Warsaw, they were closing on the German border. Berlin itself was under attack; allied victory was inevitable. Perón, the strong man of the Argentine government, foresaw that the Allies would dominate international politics for decades, and although Argentina had successfully resisted the pressure to force her to join the war, remaining neutral until the war's end would force the country into isolationism
at best or, worse, face military attack. Negotiations were eased by the departure of Hull as Secretary of State, replaced by Edward Stettinius, Jr.
. The demands to Argentina were: the calling of elections, declaration of war to the Axis powers, eradication of any Nazi presence in the country, and complete cooperation with international organizations. Perón agreed: German organizations were curtailed, pro-nazi manifestations were banned, and German goods were seized. The Argentine merchant navy was instructed to ignore the German blockade.
Those measures eased relations with the United States. When the Allies advanced into Frankfurt, Argentina finally formalized the negotiations. On March 27, with the decree 6945, Argentina declared war on Japan, and on Germany as an ally of Japan. FORJA distanced itself from the government because of this, but Arturo Jauretche
would understand the reasons year later. Jauretche reasoned that the United States opposed Argentina because of its perceived nazism by refusing to declare war, while neutrality was based instead in the Argentine interests; interests that were no longer at stake with a declaration of war at a point when the country would not actually join the conflict. Jauretche admitted that Perón's pragmatism was better for the country than his own idealistic perspective of keeping a neutral stance to the end of the war.
A few days later, on April 10, Britain, France, the United States and the other Latin American countries restored diplomatic relations with Argentina. Still, the diplomatic hostility against Argentina from the United States resurfaced after the unexpected death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was succeeded by Harry S. Truman
. The ambassador Spruille Braden
would organize opposition to the government of Farrell and Perón.
The final Nazi defeat
in the European Theatre of World War II
took place a month later, greeted with demonstrations of joy in Buenos Aires. Similar demonstrations took place in August, after the surrender of Japan
, bringing World War II to its final end. Farrell gave up the state of emergency, declared by Castillo after the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
stayed neutral
Neutrality (international relations)
A neutral power in a particular war is a sovereign state which declares itself to be neutral towards the belligerents. A non-belligerent state does not need to be neutral. The rights and duties of a neutral power are defined in Sections 5 and 13 of the Hague Convention of 1907...
during most of World War II, despite internal disputes and pressure of the United States to join the Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
. Argentina broke relations with the Axis powers on January 26, 1944, and declared war on March 27, 1945.
First years
Roberto María OrtizRoberto María Ortiz
Jaime Gerardo Roberto Marcelino María Ortiz Lizardi was President of Argentina from February 20, 1938 to June 27, 1942....
was the president of Argentina at the beginning of WWII, in 1939. The country was in a period of political conservatism and economic crisis known as the Infamous Decade
Infamous Decade
The Infamous Decade in Argentina is the name given to the period of time that started in 1930 with the coup d'état against President Hipólito Yrigoyen by José Félix Uriburu...
. The Concordancia
Concordancia (Argentina)
The Concordancia was a political alliance in Argentina. Three Presidents belonging to the Concordance were in power from 1931 to 1943, a period known in Argentina as the "Infamous Decade."...
was accused of electoral fraud and corruption. The Radical Civic Union
Radical Civic Union
The Radical Civic Union is a political party in Argentina. The party's positions on issues range from liberal to social democratic. The UCR is a member of the Socialist International. Founded in 1891 by radical liberals, it is the oldest political party active in Argentina...
was divided between FORJA, a line supporting the deposed radical president Hipólito Yrigoyen
Hipólito Yrigoyen
Juan Hipólito del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Irigoyen Alem was twice President of Argentina . His activism became the prime impetus behind the obtainment of universal suffrage in Argentina in 1912...
, and the official leadership of Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear
Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear
Máximo Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear Pacheco , better known as Marcelo T. de Alvear was an Argentine politician and President of Argentina from October 12, 1922 to October 12, 1928.-Biography:...
, close to the Concordancia. The Socialist Party and the Progresist Democracy were conservative as well. The Communist party was initially close to the unions, but gave priority to advance the Russian interests.
The Argentine army was highly Germanophile
Germanophile
A Germanophile is a person who is fond of German culture, German people, and Germany in general, exhibiting as it were German nationalism in spite of not being an ethnic German or a German citizen. Its opposite is Germanophobia...
; this influence grew since 1904 and predates both world wars. It did not involve a rejection of democracy but an admiration of German military history
Military history of Germany
While German-speaking people have a long history, Germany as a nation-state dates only from 1871. Earlier periods are subject to definition debates. The Franks, for instance, were a union of Germanic tribes; nevertheless, some of the Franks later identified themselves as Dutch, Flemish, French...
. This, combined with an intense Argentine nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
, influenced the main stance of the army towards the war: to stay neutral
Neutrality (international relations)
A neutral power in a particular war is a sovereign state which declares itself to be neutral towards the belligerents. A non-belligerent state does not need to be neutral. The rights and duties of a neutral power are defined in Sections 5 and 13 of the Hague Convention of 1907...
. The reasons for specific military peoples ranged from Argentine military tradition (Argentina was neutral during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and the War of the Pacific
War of the Pacific
The War of the Pacific took place in western South America from 1879 through 1883. Chile fought against Bolivia and Peru. Despite cooperation among the three nations in the war against Spain, disputes soon arose over the mineral-rich Peruvian provinces of Tarapaca, Tacna, and Arica, and the...
), the perception of the war as a conflict between foreign countries with no Argentine interests at stake, to Anglophobia
Anglophobia
Anglophobia means hatred or fear of England or the English people. The term is sometimes used more loosely for general Anti-British sentiment...
or rejection of foreign attempts to force Argentina into joining the war. Only a handful of military took the Germanophilia to an actual support of Adolf Hitler.
The war resulted in a small boost to the Argentine economy, as trade with Britain was reduced. This began a process of import substitution industrialization, which had some antecedents with the earlier impact of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. This industrialization began a process of internal migration as well, with people living in the countryside or in small villages moving to the urban centers.
Growing divisions
The reactions and stances towards the war became more complex as the conflict advanced. The main political parties, newspapers and intellectuals supported the Allies, but the vicepresident Ramón CastilloRamón Castillo
Ramón S. Castillo Barrionuevo was a conservative Argentine politician who served as President of Argentina from June 27, 1942 to June 4, 1943...
maintained the neutrality. Ortiz, who was ill of diabetes
Diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced...
, was unable to serve as president, but did not resign; the stance of Argentina in the war generated disputes between them, with Castillo prevailing over Ortiz. The FORJA supported the neutrality, and considered it a chance to get rid of British meddling into the Argentine economy. Some Trotskyists promoted the fight against Nazism as an early step of an international class struggle
Class struggle
Class struggle is the active expression of a class conflict looked at from any kind of socialist perspective. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote "The [written] history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle"....
. The army and some nationalists supported the industrialization, and promoted the neutrality as a way to oppose Britain. Finally, the newspaper "El Pampero", financed by the German embassy, supported Hitler.
As for the reasons of Castillo to stay neutral, there are several interpretations. One interpretation focus in the Argentine tradition of neutrality. Others saw Castillo as a nationalist, without influences from the power structures in Buenos Aires (as he was from Catamarca), so he could defy the pressure to join the allies with the support of the army. A similar perspective considers instead that Castillo simply had no power to go against the wishes of the army, and if declared war he would be deposed by a military coup. A third interpretation considers that only the United States wanted Argentina to declare war, whereas Britain was benefited with Argentine neutrality because the country was able to supply them with livestock. This interpretation, however, fails to acknowledge the constant requests to declare war from Anglophile factions. Most likely, it was a combination of the desires of the British diplomacy and the Argentine army, which prevailed over the pro-war factions.
The socialist deputy Enrique Dickmann created in the National Congress a commission to investigate a Nazi attempt to seize the Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
, and then conquer the rest of the country. The conservative deputy Videla Dorna claimed that the real risk was a similar Communist invasion, and FORJA criticised that a Nazi invasion was only a potential risk, whereas British dominance of the Argentine economy was real.
A diplomatic mission by Lord Willingdom arranged commercial treaties, so Argentina would send thousands of cattle to Britain for free, decorated with the Argentine colours and with the phrase "good luck" written on them. Alvear, El Pampero and FORJA criticised this; Arturo Jauretche
Arturo Jauretche
Arturo Martín Jauretche was an Argentine writer, politician, and philosopher.-Early years:...
pointed that there were Argentine provinces suffering malnutrition.
Pearl Harbor
The situation changed dramatically after the Japanese attack on Pearl HarborAttack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
and the subsequent United States declaration of war upon Japan. The United States wanted every Latin American country to join the Allies, in order to generate a continent-wide resistance. The Argentine resistance to do so motivated an embargo
Embargo
An embargo is the partial or complete prohibition of commerce and trade with a particular country, in order to isolate it. Embargoes are considered strong diplomatic measures imposed in an effort, by the imposing country, to elicit a given national-interest result from the country on which it is...
and blockade
Blockade
A blockade is an effort to cut off food, supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally. A blockade should not be confused with an embargo or sanctions, which are legal barriers to trade, and is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually...
against Argentina. Castillo declared the state of emergency
State of emergency
A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
in Argentina after the japanese attack to the United States.
Military plots
Castillo's term was due to end in 1944. Initially, it was arranged that Agustín Pedro JustoAgustín Pedro Justo
General Agustín Pedro Justo Rolón was President of Argentina from February 20, 1932, to February 20, 1938...
would run for the presidency a second time, but after his unexpected death in 1943 Castillo had to seek another candidate to propose. As a result, he supported Robustiano Patrón Costas
Robustiano Patrón Costas
Robustiano Patrón Costas was a conservative Argentine politician and businessman who served as interim President of the nation and governor of his native province. He led the National Democratic Party....
to run for the presidency. The army was not willing to support the electoral fraud that would be employed to secure Costas' victory, neither to continue the conservative policies. They also feared that Costas might attempt to break the neutrality kept so far. A group of generals then created a secret organization, the United Officers' Group
United Officers' Group
The United Officers' Group or GOU was a secret society within the Argentine Army which staged a coup d'état in 1943 to overthrow President Ramón Castillo, thus ending the Infamous Decade and forming a military junta which lasted until 1945...
(GOU), in order to oust Castillo from power. Juan Perón
Juan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer, and politician. Perón was three times elected as President of Argentina though he only managed to serve one full term, after serving in several government positions, including the Secretary of Labor and the Vice Presidency...
was part of this group, but did not support a rushed coup, asking instead to make it once they had a plan to make the reforms needed. The coup would have been made close to the elections, if the electoral fraud was confirmed, but it was actioned earlier, after rumors of the possible replacement of the minister of war, Pedro Pablo Ramírez
Pedro Pablo Ramírez
General Pedro Pablo Ramírez was de facto President of Argentina from June 7, 1943 to February 24, 1944. He was the founder and leader of the Guardia Nacional, Argentina's Fascist militia....
.
It is unknown whenever Costas would have maintained neutrality or not. As he was proposed by Castillo, who stayed neutral, Costas may had been neutral as well. Some weak declarations of support to Britain and his ties with pro-allied factions may suggest instead that he would have declared war if he became president.
The military coup that deposed Castillo took place on June 4, 1943. It is considered the end of the Infamous Decade
Infamous Decade
The Infamous Decade in Argentina is the name given to the period of time that started in 1930 with the coup d'état against President Hipólito Yrigoyen by José Félix Uriburu...
and the starting point of the Revolution of '43
Revolution of '43
The 1943 Argentine coup d'état was a Coup d'état on June 4, 1943 which ended the government of Ramón Castillo, who had been fraudulently elected to office, as part of the period known as the Infamous Decade...
. Arturo Rawson
Arturo Rawson
Arturo Rawson was the President of Argentina from June 4, 1943 to June 7, 1943.-Biography:Born in Santiago del Estero, Rawson attended Argentina’s Military College, which he graduated from in 1907 and subsequently taught at for a time. Rawson rose through the ranks of the Argentine Army and was...
took the power as de facto
De facto government doctrine
The de facto government doctrine is an Argentine case law related to the validity of the actions of de facto governments. It allowed the government actions taken during those times to stay valid after the de facto government had ended...
president. The nature of the coup was confusing during its first days: the German embassy thought it was a pro-allied coup and burned their documentation, while the US embassy thought it was a pro-nazi coup.
Rawson met a delegate from the British embassy on June 5, and promised that in three days he would break relations with the Axis powers and declare war against them. This enraged the GOU, as did his choices for his cabinet. A new coup took place, replacing Rawson with Pedro Pablo Ramírez
Pedro Pablo Ramírez
General Pedro Pablo Ramírez was de facto President of Argentina from June 7, 1943 to February 24, 1944. He was the founder and leader of the Guardia Nacional, Argentina's Fascist militia....
. Thus Rawson ruled for just three days, the shortest period for a non-interim president in Argentina.
Revolution of '43
The new government proceeded with both progressive and reactionary policies. It set maximum prices for popular products, reduced rents, annuled the priviledges of the Chadopyff factory, made hospitals free, etc; but it also intervened unions, closed the communist newspaper La Hora, and imposed religious education at schools. Juan PerónJuan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer, and politician. Perón was three times elected as President of Argentina though he only managed to serve one full term, after serving in several government positions, including the Secretary of Labor and the Vice Presidency...
and Edelmiro Julián Farrell
Edelmiro Julián Farrell
General Edelmiro Julián Farrell Plaul was an Argentine military officer of Irish descent. He was the de facto president of Argentina between 1944 and 1946....
, from the ministry of war, fostered relations with the unions.
The Communist party managed local politics in line with the diplomatic alignments of the Soviet Union. As a result, they supported neutrality and opposed the British influence in Argentina during the early stages of the war, in line with the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union. The launching of the German invasion of the Soviet Union
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
, and the subsequent Soviet entry to the war on the Allied side, changed this. With the Soviet Union allied with Britain, they became pro-war, and did not support further labour strikes against British factories located in Argentina. This reduced the workers' support for the Communist party, and they began to support Perón and the new government instead.
As a result, the Communist party opposed the government, rejecting it as pro-Nazi. Perón refuted the communist complaints, saying that "The excuses they seek are very well known. They say that we are 'nazis', I declare we are as far from nazism as from any other foreign ideology. We are only Argentines and want, above all, the common good for Argentines. We do not want any more [electoral] fraud, nor more lies. We do not want that those who do not work live from those who do".
The government had diplomatic discussions with Cordell Hull
Cordell Hull
Cordell Hull was an American politician from the U.S. state of Tennessee. He is best known as the longest-serving Secretary of State, holding the position for 11 years in the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during much of World War II...
, Secretary of State of the United States. Argentina requested planes, fuel, ships and military hardware. Storni argued that, although Argentna did not join the war, it was closer to the allies, sending them food, and so far the Axis powers had not taken action against the country to justify a declaration of war. Hull replied that Argentina was the only Latin American country not to have broken relations with the Axis, that Argentine food was sold at very lucrative prices, and that the military hardware was destined for countries already at war, some of which faced more severe fuel shortages than Argentina. Storni, the Argentine chancellor, resigned after this rejection.
The United States took further measures to increase pressure on Argentina. All Argentine companies suspected of having ties with the Axis powers were blacklisted, and the supply of newsprint was limited to pro-allied newspapers. There were also boycotts. American exports of electronic appliances, chemical substances and oil production infrastructure were halted. The properties of 44 Argentine companies were seized, and scheduled loans were halted. Hull wanted to weaken the Argentine government, or force its resignation. Torn between diplomatic and economic pressure as opposed to an open declaration of war against Argentina, he opted for the former way, to avoid disrupting the supply of food to Britain. Nevertheless, he also saw the situation as a chance for the US to have a greater influence over Argentina than Britain.
The United States also threatened to accuse Argentina of being involved with the coup of Gualberto Villarroel
Gualberto Villarroel
Gualberto Villarroel López was the head of state of Bolivia from December 20, 1943 to July 21, 1946. A reformist, he is nonetheless remembered for his alleged fascist sympathies, and is sometimes compared with Argentina's Juan Domingo Perón...
in Bolivia, and a plot to receive weapons from Germany, after the allied refusal, to face the possible threat of either the United States itself or Brazil acting on their behalf. However, it would be unlikely that Germany would provide such weapons, given their fragile situation as of 1944. Ramírez called a new meting of the GOU, and it was agreed to break diplomatic relations with the Axis powers (albeit without yet a declaration of war) on January 26, 1944.
The break in relations generated unrest within the military, and Ramírez considered removing the influential Farrell and Perón from the government. However, their faction discovered Ramírez's plan. They broke up the GOU, to avoid letting the military loyal to Ramírez know they were aware of his plot, and then initiated a coup against him. Edelmiro Julián Farrell
Edelmiro Julián Farrell
General Edelmiro Julián Farrell Plaul was an Argentine military officer of Irish descent. He was the de facto president of Argentina between 1944 and 1946....
became then the new president of Argentina, on February 24.
The United States denied recognition to Farrell, as he would keep the neutralist policy. Farrell confirmed it on March 2, and the United States broke relations with Argentina two days later. Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
complained about the harsh policy of the United States against Argentina, pointing out that Argentine supplies were vital to the British, and that by removing their diplomatic presence from the country they would even force Argentina to seek German protection. British diplomacy sought to guarantee the supply of Argentine food by signing a treaty covering it, while US diplomatic policy sought to prevent such a treaty. Hull ordered the confiscation of Argentine goods, cessation of foreign trade with her, avoidance of any of US ships landing at Argentine ports, and he denounced Argentina as the "nazi headquarters in the occidental hemisphere".
By this time, the United States considered the option of supporting Brazil in an attack against Argentina, rather than attacking Argentina themselves. The Brazilian ambassador in Washington pointed out that Buenos Aires could be completely destroyed by the Brazilian air force. This would have allowed Argentina to be dominated without the open intervention of the United States, who would support Brazil by providing ships and bombs.
End of the war
The Liberation of ParisLiberation of Paris
The Liberation of Paris took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the surrender of the occupying German garrison on August 25th. It could be regarded by some as the last battle in the Battle for Normandy, though that really ended with the crushing of the Wehrmacht forces between the...
in August 1944, which would lead to the complete liberation of France, gave new hopes to the pro-allies factions in Argentina, who saw it as an omen of the possible fall of the Argentine government, and calls for new elections. The demonstrations in support of Paris soon turned into demonstrations against the government, leading to incidents with the police.
It was rumored that some Argentine politicians in Uruguay would create a government in exile
Government in exile
A government in exile is a political group that claims to be a country's legitimate government, but for various reasons is unable to exercise its legal power, and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile usually operate under the assumption that they will one day return to their...
, but the project never worked. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
supported Hull's claims about Argentina, saying similar things against the country. He also cited Churchill when he stated that history would judge all nations for their role in the war, both belligerents and neutrals.
By early 1945, World War II was nearing its end. The Soviets had liberated Warsaw, they were closing on the German border. Berlin itself was under attack; allied victory was inevitable. Perón, the strong man of the Argentine government, foresaw that the Allies would dominate international politics for decades, and although Argentina had successfully resisted the pressure to force her to join the war, remaining neutral until the war's end would force the country into isolationism
Isolationism
Isolationism is the policy or doctrine of isolating one's country from the affairs of other nations by declining to enter into alliances, foreign economic commitments, international agreements, etc., seeking to devote the entire efforts of one's country to its own advancement and remain at peace by...
at best or, worse, face military attack. Negotiations were eased by the departure of Hull as Secretary of State, replaced by Edward Stettinius, Jr.
Edward Stettinius, Jr.
Edward Reilly Stettinius, Jr. was United States Secretary of State under Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, serving from 1944 to 1945....
. The demands to Argentina were: the calling of elections, declaration of war to the Axis powers, eradication of any Nazi presence in the country, and complete cooperation with international organizations. Perón agreed: German organizations were curtailed, pro-nazi manifestations were banned, and German goods were seized. The Argentine merchant navy was instructed to ignore the German blockade.
Those measures eased relations with the United States. When the Allies advanced into Frankfurt, Argentina finally formalized the negotiations. On March 27, with the decree 6945, Argentina declared war on Japan, and on Germany as an ally of Japan. FORJA distanced itself from the government because of this, but Arturo Jauretche
Arturo Jauretche
Arturo Martín Jauretche was an Argentine writer, politician, and philosopher.-Early years:...
would understand the reasons year later. Jauretche reasoned that the United States opposed Argentina because of its perceived nazism by refusing to declare war, while neutrality was based instead in the Argentine interests; interests that were no longer at stake with a declaration of war at a point when the country would not actually join the conflict. Jauretche admitted that Perón's pragmatism was better for the country than his own idealistic perspective of keeping a neutral stance to the end of the war.
A few days later, on April 10, Britain, France, the United States and the other Latin American countries restored diplomatic relations with Argentina. Still, the diplomatic hostility against Argentina from the United States resurfaced after the unexpected death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was succeeded by Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
. The ambassador Spruille Braden
Spruille Braden
Spruille Braden was an American diplomat, businessman, lobbyist, and member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He served as the ambassador of various Latin American countries, and as Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs...
would organize opposition to the government of Farrell and Perón.
The final Nazi defeat
End of World War II in Europe
The final battles of the European Theatre of World War II as well as the German surrender to the Western Allies and the Soviet Union took place in late April and early May 1945.-Timeline of surrenders and deaths:...
in the European Theatre of World War II
European Theatre of World War II
The European Theatre of World War II was a huge area of heavy fighting across Europe from Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939 until the end of the war with the German unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945...
took place a month later, greeted with demonstrations of joy in Buenos Aires. Similar demonstrations took place in August, after the surrender of Japan
Victory over Japan Day
Victory over Japan Day is a name chosen for the day on which the Surrender of Japan occurred, effectively ending World War II, and subsequent anniversaries of that event...
, bringing World War II to its final end. Farrell gave up the state of emergency, declared by Castillo after the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor