History Fact Finder | War and Conflict: Twentieth Century - Were Any Countries Besides Switzerland Neutral During World War Ii?

Were any countries besides Switzerland neutral during World War II?

Besides Switzerland, a number of countries stated an official position of neutrality (not taking sides) during World War II (1939–45). Switzerland was joined by Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Turkey, and Argentina. Postwar findings suggest that, with the exception of Argentina, the neutrality of these countries was not an absolute policy. For instance, a report released in 1998 by U.S. undersecretary of state Stuart Eizenstat indicated that the Swiss had converted Nazi (abbreviation for National Socialist German Workers' Party) gold stolen from the Jews and other victims of the Nazis to Swiss francs and that Germany had used that money to buy minerals from Spain, Portugal, Sweden, and Turkey. The report continued, claiming that Sweden had allowed 250,000 Nazi troops to cross its country in order to reach neighboring Finland, where the Germans...

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:

eNotes Pass