Status Updates From The History of Argentina (P...

Nazi victories in Europe denied Argentina free access to the continent. Submarine patrols reduced ocean traffic and interfered with exports to Britain. At the same time, the United States aggressively pushed for hemispheric solidarity against the fascist powers.

The recovery of farming in North America saturated the world’s grain markets and drove prices to new lows, and then the outbreak of World War II created a shipping shortage. Argentina faced a new economic crisis that combined the effects of World War I and the Great Depression: scarce imports, reduced grain shipments, and low prices for Argentine grains.

Observers in Argentina and abroad hailed the 1933 interventions at major successes. Argentina’s economy recovered, and its rural industries expanded. The Great Depression, however, set in motion important changes in Argentina. The economic crisis made rural producers change the way they operated. As a result, opportunities for work in the countryside fell.

Fortunately for Argentina, conditions abroad brought needed relief. The “Dust Bowl” brought an unprecedented crisis to agricultural industries in the United States. Drought conditions in Canada and Australia, beginning in 1934, cut grain production in those countries at the same time. As a result, with falling production and reduced stocks in storage, prices for grain moved upward better 1934 and 1938.

Argentina traditionally maintained neutrality during times of war. During World War I (1914-1918), Argentina refused to ally with Great Britain, which at the time was its key economic partner. During World War II, the government remained neutral until it joined the Allied Powers in 1945.

Citizens 18 years and older are required to vote. Recent elections have been marked by a large percentage of blank ballots turned in by voters who voted for none of the listed candidates.