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Ecuador and World War I: One Nation’s Experience on the Periphery of the Great War and During its Aftermath, 1914-1924



Author(s)

Jane M. Rausch

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DOI:10.17265/2328-2134/2015.05.003

In the horrific conflict of 1914-1918 known as World War I, Latin American nations were peripheral players but they were not immune from its effects. This essay reviews the conflict’s impact on Ecuador—a Latin American nation that after declaring neutrality in 1914, broke relations with Germany on December 7, 1917 but refrained from any involvement in the actual fighting. Following a brief review of the existing historiography of this period, the study examines Ecuador’s geographic, political, economic and social situation in 1914; its involvement in the war as a neutral between 1914 and April 6, 1917; and the developments that occurred after its decision to break relations with Germany in December 1917 until the armistice on November 11, 1918. Finally it suggests how the consequences of Ecuador’s stance in the months after the restoration of peace contributed to the end of the Liberal Era in 1924.

World War I, Ecuador, cacao, diplomatic relations

Rausch, J. M. (2015). Ecuador and World War I: One nation’s experience on the periphery of the Great War and during its aftermath, 1914-1924. International Relations and Diplomacy, 3(5), 341-356.