Contra la corriente: Los intelectuales germanófilos argentinos frente a la Primera Guerra Mundial

Abstract

During the First World War, Argentinean public opinion experienced a marked polarization, especially after 1917, with the intensification of German submarine war and United States’ entry into the conflict. Society was divided in two contrary currents, which arrogated the exclusive representation of the nation: “aliadophiles” and “germanophiles”, words that acquired a derogatory connotation. This paper deals with the point of view of Germany’s admirers, clearly minority among the elites. Through the perspective of four intellectuals (Ernesto Quesada, Juan P. Ramos, Alfredo Colmo, and Ernesto Vergara Biedma), it analyzes the evolution of their ideas during the war, from the vindication of German culture until the defense of Argentina neutrality. It also considers their confluence with other neutralist sectors of public opinion, which extended their social scope.