Abstract

Many people hold the assumption that the Argentine government supported fascism in world war two, especially with the amnesty given to Nazi war criminals at the end. However, most do not realize that Argentina also accepted the highest number of Jewish refugees from Europe out of any nation. This duality of purpose can be confusing, but it starts to become clearer when one researches the history of Argentina. There has been much written about the Jewish frontier companies and German military influence. The government of Peron and his ties to Europe has also been interesting to read about.  The country is one of European immigrants and influence. Both Christian Germans and Jews have had an effect on the culture and politics of Argentina for a long period of time. The relationships that led to amnesty for German war criminals grew out of Germany’s help in modernizing the Argentine military at the turn of the century. Beyond that most of the Nazis accepted were those who the govt thought could be of use, the same program that America and Britain used at the time. Far from being an evil colony of the Third Reich, my research on Argentina shows it to be a nation trying to absorb and synthesize the many cultures that have come with their own ideas and loyalties.