SECTION 14C:
“STRICT NEUTRAL” BLOCK: Selective Notes (part 2)
- Afghanistan
Afghanistan maintained its neutrality throughout WWII.
Disputable map situation:
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Argentina
Argentina in WWII had an appreciable Axis inclination – partly because of its large German population, partly because of its traditional rivalry with Great Britain, and partly because it was ruled by a succession of nationalist and military governments. Balanced against these factors were internal policy disagreements as well as pressure from the US to join the Allied side. As a result, Argentina remained nominally neutral for most of the war. It joined the Allies in 1945.
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Bolivia
Bolivia joined the Allies in April 1943. It was the only country to declare war in that year.
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Chile
Chile, a country with close trading ties with Germany, initially chose to remain neutral (in contrast with many South American countries which, although technically neutral, tilted slightly towards the Allied side early in the war). Chile only started to distance itself from the Axis powers in 1943, when it broke diplomatic relations with them.
Disputable map situation:
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Colombia
Colombia broke diplomatic relations with the Axis powers after the attack on Pearl Harbor, provided the Allies with oil, and in November 1943 declared a “status of belligerency” against Germany after a German submarine sank a Colombian ship. It was appreciably tilted towards the Allied side.
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Ecuador
Ecuador was one of several South American nations to join the Allies very late in the war, in 1945. Ecuador let the U.S. use Baltra Island for a naval base. It was somewhat tilted towards the Allied side.
Disputable map situation:
- Liberia
Liberia remained technically neutral until January 1944, when it declared war on Germany, but in practice it offered a great deal of aid to the Allies from an early date. It served as an important transit point for Allied troops and supplies, and it became a valuable supplier of rubber when the Allies were cut off from other sources by the Japanese occupation of Southeast Asia. It was appreciably tilted towards the Allied side.
Disputable map situation:
- Paraguay
Paraguay had a large German community and an authoritarian government which was sympathetic to the Axis powers early in the war. It considered joining the war on the Axis side, but the US kept it neutral by providing it with aid and military hardware in 1942. It only declared war against the Axis in 1945. It had an appreciable Axis inclination.