Portugal na Segunda Guerra Mundial: neutralidade e comércio estratégico de conservas de peixe, 1939-1945

Abstract

Between 1939 and 1945, canned fish occupied the first place in the Portuguese exports. This fact, not always recognized, allows us to revisit the issue of Portuguese neutrality during the war and highlights the relevance of foreign trade in the relations maintained with the belligerent countries. In this article we argue that the trade in canned fish was an important agent of neutrality, allowing Portugal to achieve a balance in international relations. In the decisive years of the conflict, canned exports were based on a bipolarization between the Allied and Axis countries. In order to maintain the regularity of industrial production, the state was obliged to ensure the supply and distribution of raw materials and to enter into exclusive sales contracts. Based on unpublished documentation from the Instituto Português de Conservas de Peixe, we seek to demonstrate how the war allowed for a deepening of state-led economic coordination.

Keywords

• Second World War
• foreign trade
• neutrality
• canned fish