The
history of
Argentina during World War II is a complex period of time beginning in 1939, following the outbreak of war in
Europe, and ending in 1945 with the surrender of
Japan.
German influence in
Argentina was strong, mainly due to the presence of a large number of German immigrants, and Argentina's traditional rivalry with
Great Britain furthered the belief that the Argentine government was sympathetic to the German cause. Because of the close ties between Germany and Argentina, the latter stayed
neutral for most of
World War II, despite internal disputes and pressure from the
United States to join the
Allies. However, Argentina eventually gave in to the Allies' pressure, broke relations with the
Axis powers on January 26, 1944, and declared war on March 27, 1945.