Background
- The rise of fascism in Europe and Japanese expansion in Asia during the 1930s challenged the international order and tested the political unity of the Americas.
- The United States, emerging from the Great Depression, sought to redefine its relationship with Latin America through diplomacy rather than intervention.
- The aim was to maintain hemispheric solidarity, prevent Axis influence in the Western Hemisphere, and prepare for possible global conflict.
Definition
Hemispheric solidarity
- Hemispheric solidarity is the concept of unity and collective action among the nations of the Western Hemisphere
Inter-American Diplomacy
- The U.S. and Latin American nations held a series of Pan-American Conferences to coordinate responses to world crises.
| Conference | Key Agreements / Actions | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Montevideo (1933) | U.S. accepted non-intervention in Latin American affairs. | start of Roosevelt’s Good Neighbor Policy. |
| Buenos Aires (1936) | Nations agreed to consult collectively if hemispheric peace was threatened. | Laid groundwork for collective security and regional cooperation. |
| Lima (1938) | States reaffirmed hemispheric defense as European tensions grew; condemned aggression. | Showed growing awareness of global threats and inter-American unity. |
| Havana (1940) | Declared that European colonies in the Americas would be jointly protected if attacked. | Strengthened continental defense after France’s fall; deepened U.S.–Latin American collaboration. |
Cooperation and Neutrality
- At the outbreak of WWII (1939), most American nations adopted neutrality to protect trade and avoid entanglement.
- The United States passed the Neutrality Acts (1935–1939), initially restricting arms sales to belligerents, later adjusted to support Britain and France under the Cash and Carry principle.
- Latin American reactions varied:
- Mexico and Brazil supported Allied positions early, aligning economically and diplomatically with the U.S.
- Argentina remained neutral until 1945 due to internal divisions and pro-Axis sympathies within its military elite.
- Smaller nations such as Chile, Peru, and Colombia declared neutrality before eventually aligning with the Allies under U.S. pressure.
- Wartime cooperation led to economic agreements, intelligence sharing, and military training programs coordinated by Washington.
Case study
The U.S. Neutrality Acts (1935–1939)
Background
- After World War I, many Americans supported isolationism, believing U.S. involvement in European conflicts had been a mistake.
- The Great Depression reinforced domestic focus and skepticism toward foreign entanglements.
- Congress passed a series of Neutrality Acts to prevent the U.S. from being drawn into another war, reflecting strong non-interventionist sentiment.
Key Provisions
- Neutrality Act of 1935:
- Banned the sale of arms and munitions to all belligerent nations.
- Citizens traveling on ships of warring countries did so at their own risk.
- Aimed to avoid incidents like the Lusitania sinking from WWI.
- Neutrality Act of 1936:
- Extended the arms embargo.
- Prohibited loans and credits to belligerent nations.
- Reflected the belief that economic ties had drawn the U.S. into WWI.
- Neutrality Act of 1937:
- Applied restrictions to civil wars, aimed at Spain’s conflict.
- Introduced the “cash and carry” clause allowing non-military goods to be sold if paid for in cash and transported by the buyer’s ships.
- Neutrality Act of 1939:
- Revised policy after the outbreak of WWII.
- Allowed arms sales to Britain and France under cash and carry, marking a shift toward support for the Allies.
Impact and Significance
- Initially, the Acts reflected public desire to avoid war and Congress’s dominance over foreign policy.
- The restrictions limited Roosevelt’s ability to aid democratic nations threatened by fascism.
- As aggression by Germany, Italy, and Japan grew, the Acts became obstacles to U.S. preparedness.
- The 1939 revision signaled a transition from isolationism to interventionism, paving the way for Lend-Lease (1941) and eventual U.S. entry into WWII.
- The Neutrality Acts highlight the tension between idealism and pragmatism in American foreign policy during the 1930s.
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Good Neighbor Policy
- Announced in 1933, the Good Neighbor Policy aimed to replace military intervention with diplomatic respect and economic partnership.
- Key features:
- Withdrawal of U.S. troops from Haiti (1934) and Nicaragua (1933).
- Repeal of the Platt Amendment (1934), restoring Cuban sovereignty.
- Increased cultural diplomacy through trade fairs, film, and education exchanges to build goodwill.
- Application:
- The policy improved U.S. relations with Latin America after decades of resentment over earlier interventions.
- During WWII, Roosevelt used it to secure hemispheric cooperation against Axis influence, providing military aid through the Lend-Lease Program.
- Effects:
- Strengthened diplomatic legitimacy of the U.S. across the region.
- Encouraged Latin American participation in inter-American defense and wartime production.
- However, economic dependency deepened, as wartime cooperation favored U.S. industrial and financial dominance.
Definition
Good Neighbor Policy
- The Good Neighbor Policy was a foreign policy initiative of President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945) aimed at improving relations between the United States and Latin American countries.
Exam technique
- Organize essays chronologically: Good Neighbor beginnings → Diplomatic conferences → Wartime cooperation.
- Use specific conferences and dates (Montevideo 1933, Lima 1938, Havana 1940) to demonstrate precision.
- Highlight continuity and change: from non-intervention to hemispheric unity under U.S. leadership.
- Mention key vocabulary: non-interventionism, collective security, Lend-Lease, Good Neighbor diplomacy.
Common Mistake
- Describing the Good Neighbor Policy as purely altruistic; it also served U.S. strategic interests.
- Ignoring Latin American agency. Nations were not passive recipients of U.S. policy.
- Overlooking internal divisions (e.g., Argentina’s neutrality) within the hemisphere.
Self review
- Examine how inter-American diplomacy evolved in response to global tensions between 1933 and 1945.
- Assess the success of the Good Neighbor Policy in promoting hemispheric cooperation.
- To what extent did neutrality and cooperation reflect national interests rather than shared ideals?
