Discussing naval power and maritime defense during the first postwar period: The Argentine Navy and the lessons of the Great War (1918-1924)

DESIDERATO, AGUSTÍN DANIEL

Atenas

Conferencia; Turning Points: Interpreting The Past, Explaining The Present And Imagining The Future; 2020

London Centre for Interdisciplinary Research

Although Argentina maintained strict neutrality during the First World War, the conflict did not remain indifferent among the officers of the Argentine Navy. They published and discussed some of the strategies, tactics and weapons used in the war. One of the main lessons was considering naval power as a critical aspect of a nation´s security. In this sense, during the first postwar period, several modernization projects began to be discussed, along with the State´s role in matters of maritime defense. This work aims to analyze some of those debates, exploring the lessons and legacies of the First World War in the Argentine Navy during the postwar.