This volume, published by the Fundación MAPFRE of Spain, is part of the collection Europa y América, intended to analyze the contributions of non-Iberian nations to the Americas. It is divided into three major sections: a brief description of the activities of Germans in colonial Hispanic America, their experience in North America, and their presence in Ibero-America during the national era. The latter section includes chapters on all of the South American nations, one on Mexico, one devoted to Central America, and another to the Caribbean. Given this topic’s magnitude, and the fact that the author limited her research to secondary sources available in Spanish libraries, coverage of the German experience in the Americas is only general in nature, and the author deliberately eschews interpretation. The United States, Argentina, Brazil, and Chile were those nations that most attracted German immigrants during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and, not unnaturally, receive the author’s greatest attention.
German presence in the United States is a well-known story, and the author handles it adequately. Less known, and more intriguing, is this group’s impact on Latin America. Even before independence, explorers, geographers, and naturalists such as Alexander von Humboldt had awakened interest in this vast area. German mercenaries played a role in the wars of independence, and soon afterward German merchants (often from Hamburg and other North German ports) made their presence felt. By the 1840s associations had formed to promote immigration to agricultural colonies in the New World, particularly the United States, Chile, Brazil, and later Paraguay. Some succeeded, though many failed. Nevertheless, the colonization experience, particularly in the tropics, is a fascinating tale. At the same time, the author notes, the concentration of Germans in their own agricultural colonies, combined with the marked differences between Teutonic and Latin cultures, greatly retarded the migrants’ integration into the national communities of Latin America.
While discussion of nineteenth-century German immigration is generally focused on explorers, merchants, and agriculturists, the twentieth century receives a different treatment. During World War I, the British placed German-owned firms in Latin America on their “Black List,” an event that led to greater unity among German merchants and the emergence of organizations to protect their interests. Immigration from Germany continued, however, particularly during the difficult economic times following World War I. But different groups now appeared, notably German-speaking Mennonites from Eastern Europe and German Jews fleeing the Nazis. The author offers a good discussion of the impact of National Socialism on Germans in the Americas, particularly those in Argentina and Brazil, before concluding with a brief discussion of the postwar era.
Although a reader will find no surprises in this narrative work, in all it is a good survey for anyone desiring a quick overview of the German presence and experience in the New World. The book contains an adequate index and a brief bibliography of the major works on this topic.
