Sizonenko A. I. Latin America and World War I

Abstract: This article focuses on Latin American countries of the World War I period, and their relations with Russia at that time. The Latin American evaluation of the Russian army’s role is also a subject of scrutiny. 2014 is the 100- th anniversary of the beginning of WW I, and this is a good reason to rethink this war, to discover its new facets and pages. This is particularly true in case of seldom studied topics of Latin America in this global conflict. This is closely relevant to Latin America’s views on Russia’s participation, given that this area is almost touched in both, Russian and Latin American research. The methodological basis of this research consists of the systematic, structural and functional, cultural and civilization-based, comparative and historical approaches, as well as methods of analysis, synthesis, modeling. Largely poor coverage of the WW I policies of this region’s countries is defined by their stance in this period. Major countries like Argentine, Chili, Columbia, Mexico, Venezuela and Paraguay remained neutral, while Peru, Bolivia, Uruguay and Ecuador, formally severing ties with Germany, never declared war on it. Only in 1917 Brazil, Cuba and several central American republics declared war on the Axis countries, however only Brazil had major contributions, and it occurred by the end of WW I.

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