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.
