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The eruption of World War I caught the Latin American republics unprepared. This was especially the case when the War was not quickly resolved. Govenments did react to the War, but it was done in a largely national or ad hoc basis. There was one instance of regional cooperation during the neutral phase. The United States organized the First Pan American Financial Conference (May 1915). The financial ministers of the American republics met in Washington. This conference was organized by Treasury Secretary William G. McAdoo who saw advantages as a result of the economic and financial dislocations in Latin America because of the War and resulting commercial dislocations. He believed that the United States could replace European countries as trading partners.
The acts agreed to included a range of commercial, financial, and transport issues. It wa an historic event. It marked a turning point in Latin American affairs. It recogized a transition from economic dependence on Europ and shift to the United States. The governments of the American republics declared their neutrality. This was more complicated than it sounds. The countries of Latin America were largely producers of food and raw material, critical materials for the beligerant powers. And each of the beligerant powers with navies endevored to prevent Latin American shipments from reacching the ports of its adversaries. Here Brutain with its powerful Royal Navy aided by the French were the best situated and from the onset of the War institututed an effective naval blockade on Germany and the other Central Powers. The German Navy could not do the same, but introduced surface raides and more importantly U-boats to precent supplies from reaching Britain. This was a new form of commerce war. Thus the issue of neutral rights becamne a major issue.
The eruption of World War I caught the Latin American republics unprepared. This was especially the case when the War was not quickly resolved. There had been a few wars in Europe during the mid- and late-19th century. Most lasted only a few weeks and were quickly resolved. More importantly the British Royal Navy maintained control of seas. No nation after Trafalgur (1805) could challenge the Royal Navy. And the British except for the Crimean War did not involve itself in the European Wars. This meant that trade between Europe and Latin America had not been interupted since independence. What was different about World War I was not only the length of the War, but tge fact that Imperial Germany for the first time since Trafalgur offered a challenge to British naval supremecy.
Govenments did react to the War, but it was done in a largely national or ad hoc basis. The American republics as well as the United States wanted no part of the War. The governments of the American republics declared their neutrality.
There was one instance of regional cooperation during the neutral phase. The United States organized the First Pan American Financial Conference (May 1915). The financial ministers of the American republics met in Washington. This conference was organized by Treasury Secretary William G. McAdoo who saw advantages as a result of the economic and financial dislocations in Latin America because of the War and resulting commercial dislocations. He believed that the United States could replace European countries as trading partners.
The acts agreed to included a range of commercial, financial, and transport issues. It wa an historic event. It marked a turning point in Latin American affairs. It recogized a transition from economic dependence on Europ and shift to the United States.
Neutrality was more complicated than it sounds. The countries of Latin America were largely producers of food and raw material, critical materials for the beligerant powers. Thus the World War I naval war despite a few fleet engagemets was largely a commerce war. And each of the beligerant powers with navies endevored to prevent Latin American shipments from reacching the ports of its adversaries. Here Britain with its powerful Royal Navy aided by the French were the best situated and from the onset of the War institututed an effective naval blockade on Germany and the other Central Powers. The German Navy could not do the same, but introduced surface raides and more importantly U-boats to precent supplies from reaching Britain. This was a new form of commerce war. Thus the issue of neutral rights becamne a major issue.
While vast battles were fought on both the Eastern and Western Front, it was at sea as Winston Churchil explained that the War could be won or lost in a single day. The German surface fleet, the pride of the Kaiser, which had played such an important role in turning the British against the Germans played only a minor role in the War. There were a number of small engagements including German shelling of fishing villages. The only major engagement was Jutland (1916). The German fleet performed well, but unable to overcome the numerical superiority of the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet. The small U-boat fleet, however, proved a major challenge to the British. Early in the War, U-boats sunk three British cruisers, astounding the public both in England and Germany. The Germans backed down unconditional submarine warfare when America protested the sinking of the Lusitania. The sinking of the Lusitania combined with the invasion of neurtal Belgium helped create the image of Germans in the American mind as modern day Huns. Making another effort to win the War, Germany in 1917 reimplemented unrestricted submarine warfare (March 1917), bringing America into the War (April 1917). The U-boat fleet succeeded in sinking 5,000 ships. That was an amazing 25 percent of the Allied merchant fleet. The Allies attempted to determine how to sink U-boats and developed the depth charge. It was, however, the introduction of the convoy system that defeated the U-boat. The World War I U-boat was really a surfacre vessel that could sumbmerge. Against esorted convoys, it had little chance of success. In the end the German Navy only served to bring Britain and America into the War, ensuring Germany's defeat. An embittered German naval office, Karl Donnietz, confined in a British POW camp in 1918 was already planning Germany's strategy in the next war. Under the terms of the Versailles Treaty, the Germans could had to surrender their fleet. The German High Seas Fleet sailed for Scappa Flow in 1919, but many of the officers scuteled their vessels rather than handing them over to the British.
Cabels had been layed across the Atlantic (1850s). These soon became the primary conduit for important, time sensitive communications between countries. The British largely controlled cabel communication. This is the reason that the Zimmermann Telegram (a cabel from German Foreign Minister Zimmerman offering Mexico the American Southwest if it would declare war on the United States) became public knowledge. Radio (wireless) was
just apparing, but it was cabel that was the primary method of communication. The Grmans and others usung the cabels encrypted important messages. One of the measures taken by the Latin American countries to ensure neutrality was to prohibit coded messages.
Neutral rights were one of the issues addressed in the Hague Convention which entered into force just before the outbreak of World War I (1910). The Hague Convention (V) Respecting the Rights and Duties of Neutral Powers and Persons in Case of War on Land. The Convention dealt primay with land matters, but there was one key privision: Chapter ! Art. 7. "A neutral Power is not called upon to prevent the export or transport, on behalf of one or other of the belligerents, of arms, munitions of war, or, in general, of anything which can be of use to an army or a fleet." There was a separate section on naval war: The Hague Convention (XIII) Respecting the Rights and Duties of Neutral Powers in Naval War, Among other measures, the warships of beligerants were allowed to anchor in neutral ports for up to 24 hours. Beyond that they were subject to seizure. If the neutral state permitted longer stays that would open them to charges of not maintaing their neutrality. The provisions were based on the 19th century historical experience. There was no mention of submarines are recognition of new issues that submarine warfare would raise.
Despite the fact that the American Republics (including the United States) declared their neutrality, the beligerant powers (especially Britain and Germany) charged that their were a variety of violations of neutral status. Early in the War, the German Pacific squadron tried to return to Germany. In doing so they sailed along the coast of South America. Two engagements resulted. The Germans prevaided ar Coronel (off Chile) and the British anialated the Germans off the Falklands. Meanwhile the British and French protested that Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile were assisting the German fleet in several ways. This included taking on coal, using wireless, and ovestaying the 24 hour limits. The charges proved to be widely exagerated. Allied diplomat asked the United States to use its influence to achieve stricter neutral behavior. Secretary of State Bryan who was a strident opponent of the War, investigated the charges and concluded that the Latin American states were honoring their neutral status. The Allies especially concerned with America accepted Bryan's findings. As the War progressed,there were countless other charges. Germany charged that Argentina was allowing British ships to carry Argentine horses to France, Britain charged that Cuba and Chile were allowing German ships to provision in Havana and Valparaiso. Germany complained that President Wilson had closed the Panama Canal to belligerents, an action that worked against Germany. In the debate over neutrality, the Royal Navy and its command of the Sea meant that neutrality worked against Germany. The Bitish effectively blockaded German ports. This men that neutrals could not trade with Germany. As the Latin American countries were dependant on foreign markets, they had no real option, but to trade with other neutrals or with the Allies. Thus the rules of neutrality worked against the Germans.
Both the Allies and the Central Powers took actions against neutral shipping. The primary countries involved were Britain and Germany.
Germany was a heavily industrialized country, but it wa a country sependant on foreign trade for both food to feed its industrial workes and to supply its factories with raw materials. Thus the British quickly implemented a naval blpockade of German ports. Britain also imposed a Black List which prohibited trade with any company that was doing business with Germany or funded by Germans. Not only was trade prohibited, but the Royal Navy was authorized ro seize the goods of a company at sea if that company was sending gods to Germany or if the company was German-controlled. An important factor was that the British with command of the Seas could carry out its blockade of German ports and restruictions on neutral shipping without siking the ships or killing the passangers and crew. Thus while the Black List was sharply criticised, it did not inspire the same passions as the German actions would cause.
Britain had the same weakness as Germany. It needed to import food and raw materials. For a century the Royal Navy's supremecy had meant that no country could threaten Btitain's sea life lines. Imperial Germany had built a powerful navy, but it was not large enough to break out of the British blockade. The Germans Naby did have a new weapon which gave them the opportunity to interdict British merchant shipping despite the strength of the RoyaL Navy. How the Germans wold treat neutral shipping became a key issue. The Germans with U-boats could not institute a blockade in the traditional sence. International prose rules exposed the U-boat to a host of dangers. Rather the Germans began sinking ships, often without warning, leaning to substatial loss of life. The sinking of the Luistania almost brought America into the War (1915). This was prevented when the Kaiser agreed to limit the operations of U-boats. Sinkings of Latin Amercan shipping caused anti-German outbursts in several countries. Finally after the Kaiser decided to reinstiture unrestricted sunmarine warfare. the neutral United States entered the War (1917). They were immediately followed by 10 Latin American countries who either broke relations or declared war.
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