Nazism in Mexico

History

When Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany in 1933, thousands of Jews began to fear persecution due to the antisemitic rhetoric of the Third Reich and the popularity of Hitler's famous book, Mein Kampf. Thus, German Jews emigrated to Mexico via ships bound to Port of Veracruz. The port authority began accepting Jewish refugees as early as 1937, albeit unofficially, due to the controversial nature of the Jewish question and the rising antisemitism in the politics of Caribbean countries.

However, it was during this period in the 1930s that Nazism began to gain followers in the country. The most notable example was the Revolutionary Mexicanist Action (ARM), colloquially known as the "Gold Shirts," which played an important role in Nazi propaganda and sought the deportation of the Jewish people and called for a boycott of their businesses. Although it was known that the organization had the support of the Mexican bourgeoisie, little was known that the Nazi Party itself also financed them.

In 1936, one night the Gold Shirts raided Jewish businesses, destroying them and attacking their owners. The protests in response were immediate, highlighting those of the US embassy, the Mexican Communist Party and the International Red Aid. The general public described the event as a pogrom.

The year 1942 would mark a turning point in Mexican history. On May 13, the government issued a declaration of war against Germany, Italy, and Japan through the Congress of the Union after two oil tankers were sunk by Nazi submarines. From then on, Mexican sympathy for the Axis countries gradually waned; the country sent 300 soldiers from 201st Fighter Squadron to the Philippines to liberate the country from Japanese occupation, and many more volunteered for Allied troops to fight the Germans and Italians in Europe.