Editing History of Uruguay (section)

==''Dictablanda'' and new constitution, 1938–47==
{{Main|Uruguay during World War II}}In the [[1938 Uruguayan general election|1938 election]], Colorado [[Alfredo Baldomir|Alfredo Baldomir Ferrari]] was elected president. With the end of Terra's dictatorship, numerous social and political sectors were in favor of a new constitutional reform, to which President Baldomir joined.

[[File:Admiral Graf Spee Flames.jpg|thumb|The sinking of the German cruiser [[German cruiser Admiral Graf Spee|''Admiral Graf Spee'']] is the best known event of [[Uruguay during World War II]].]]

With the outbreak of [[World War II]], President Baldomir declared the country's neutrality.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Arregui |first=Miguel |title=La política exterior uruguaya en la edad de la razón |url=https://www.elobservador.com.uy/nota/la-politica-exterior-uruguaya-en-la-edad-de-la-razon-201921022350 |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=El Observador}}</ref> However, as the months passed, the Uruguayan government began to take a position in favor of the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] and US directives, which meant a radical change in foreign policy with respect to that of Gabriel Terra.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-05-12 |title=Una historia olvidada: cuando Uruguay ayudó a Finlandia |url=https://ladiaria.com.uy/politica/articulo/2018/5/una-historia-olvidada-cuando-uruguay-ayudo-a-finlandia/ |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=la diaria |language=es-UY}}</ref> On 13 December 1939, the [[Battle of the River Plate]] was fought a day's sailing northeast of Uruguay between three British cruisers and the German "pocket battleship" {{ship|German cruiser|Admiral Graf Spee||2}}. After a three-day layover in the port of [[Montevideo]], the captain of ''Admiral Graf Spee'', believing he was hopelessly outnumbered, ordered the ship [[scuttling|scuttled]] on 17 December.

With the escalation of the war, a parliamentary commission was established to investigate German and Italian cultural and sports organizations, which were presumed to be used to cover up Nazi-fascist activities infiltrated in the country.<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/DENUNCIADEACTIVIDADESNAZISENELURUGUAYJosePedroCardozo |title=DENUNCIA DE ACTIVIDADES NAZIS EN EL URUGUAY Jose Pedro Cardozo |language=Spanish}}</ref> In addition, a law was passed classifying as an illicit association any organization that disseminated "ideas contrary to the democratic-republican form of government" and the [[Armed Forces of Uruguay|Armed Forces]] were organized, establishing mandatory military service due to fears of an invasion.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Redacción |title=Un, dos, tres... Marchen |url=https://www.elobservador.com.uy/nota/un-dos-tres-marchen-20114111900 |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=El Observador}}</ref>[[File:Royal Air Force Fighter Command, 1939-1945. CH11386.jpg|thumb|right|Senor Montero de Bustamante, Uruguayan Chargé d'Affaires in the United Kingdom, speaking at a 1943 ceremony to name a [[Royal Air Force]] Spitfire fighter, funded by Uruguayan donations]]In June 1940, Germany threatened to break off diplomatic relations with Uruguay.<ref>{{cite news |first=John W. |last=White |title=Minister Ready to Ask for His Passports if Any Local Nazi Leaders Are Deported |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1940/06/20/archives/reich-threatens-uruguayan-break-minister-ready-to-ask-for-his.html |quote=Germany has now begun to exert tremendous political and economic pressure on the Uruguayan Government to halt what Berlin calls an unfriendly anti-German campaign here. The Reich has threatened to break off diplomatic relations if any Nazi leaders are deported. |work=The New York Times |date=20 June 1940 |access-date=22 May 2009}}</ref> In December, Germany protested that Uruguay gave safe harbor to {{HMS|Carnarvon Castle}} after she fought the [[German auxiliary cruiser Thor|German raider ''Thor'']].<ref>{{cite news |first=John W. |last=White |title=Nazis Protest Aid to Raider's Victim. Object in Uruguay to Giving Carnarvon Castle 72 Hours to Mend Battle Scars |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1940/12/10/archives/nazis-protest-aid-to-raiders-victim-object-in-uruguay-to-giving.html |quote=The German Government, through its Minister in Montevideo, [[Otto Langmann]], made a formal diplomatic protest this afternoon against... |work=The New York Times |date=10 December 1940 |access-date=22 May 2009}}</ref> The ship was repaired with steel plate reportedly salvaged from ''Admiral Graf Spee''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Search For Raider |url= http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70C15F7355A167A93CBA91789D95F448485F9 |quote=The British auxiliary cruiser Carnarvon Castle, hit twenty-two times in a battle with a German sea raider, was being repaired tonight with steel plates reportedly taken from the scuttled German pocket battleship ''Admiral Graf Spee''. |work=The New York Times |date=9 December 1940 |access-date=22 May 2009}}</ref>

On 25 January 1942, Uruguay terminated its diplomatic relations with [[Nazi Germany]], as did 21 other Latin American nations.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hulen |first=Bertram D. |date=22 January 1942 |title=Actual Rupture is left to Congress of each Signatory |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1942/01/22/archives/argentina-agrees-actual-rupture-is-left-to-congress-of-each.html |access-date=22 May 2009 |work=The New York Times |quote=Unanimous agreement by the twenty-one American republics on a resolution for severance of relations with the Axis powers was reached late today at a three-hour consultation in the office of Foreign Minister Oswaldo Aranha of Brazil, who is chairman of the Inter-American Conference.}}</ref> In February 1945, Uruguay signed the [[Declaration by United Nations]] and subsequently declared war on the Axis powers but did not participate in any actual fighting.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1945v09/ch95|title=Historical Documents – Office of the Historian|accessdate=31 July 2024}}</ref>

Simultaneously with the war in Europe, in Uruguay there was a lack of agreement between the factions of the different parties regarding the constitutional reform. The [[Herrerism]] sector led by [[Luis Alberto de Herrera]], which had agreed to the [[Constitution of Uruguay of 1934|1934 Constitution]], was opposed to the reform bill, and after not supporting the president's candidate for speaker of the [[Chamber of Representatives of Uruguay|Chamber of Representatives]], Baldomir replaced three Herrerista ministers.

Due to the lack of political agreement, in the early morning of 21 February 1942, President Baldomir carried out a self-coup by dissolving the [[General Assembly of Uruguay|General Assembly]] and the [[Electoral Court of Uruguay|Electoral Court]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-02-26 |title=Golpe de carnaval {{!}} La Mañana |url=https://www.xn--lamaana-7za.uy/opinion/golpe-de-carnaval/ |access-date=2024-01-31 |language=es}}</ref> In addition, he announced the call for elections for the last Sunday of November of that year. During the coup there were no arrests, no police repression, no censorship, and no violations of human rights, which is why these events are known as the {{Language with name/for|es|Golpe Bueno|Good Coup}} and the regime, as ''[[dictablanda]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-06-26 |title=La responsabilidad "bicolor" en la dictadura civil y militar |url=https://ladiaria.com.uy/politica/articulo/2021/6/la-responsabilidad-bicolor-en-la-dictadura-civil-y-militar/ |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=la diaria |language=es-UY}}</ref>

The General Assembly was replaced by a Council of State of 16 members—Colorado Batllistas and [[Independent National Party (Uruguay)|Independent Blancos]]—which was in charge of drafting a new constitutional reform bill. On 29 November 1942, a [[1942 Uruguayan general election|general election]] were held in which Colorado [[Juan José de Amézaga]] was elected president of the Republic.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-09-21 |title=Juan José de Amézaga: el presidente olvidado |url=https://ladiaria.com.uy/opinion/articulo/2021/9/juan-jose-de-amezaga-el-presidente-olvidado/ |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=la diaria |language=es-UY}}</ref> The Council of State would be dissolved shortly after and replaced by the newly elected parliament.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-07-04 |title=Juan José de Amézaga y el regreso a la normalidad democrática |url=https://www.elpais.com.uy/informacion/politica/juan-jose-de-amezaga-y-el-regreso-a-la-normalidad-democratica |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=EL PAIS |language=en}}</ref> Along with the general election, a constitutional referendum was held, which won by around 77% of the vote, and gave effect to the [[Constitution of Uruguay of 1942|Constitution of 1942]].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Alisky |first1=Marvin H. |last2=Weinstein |first2=Martin |last3=Vanger |first3=Milton I. |last4=James |first4=Preston E. |date=4 October 2019 |title=Uruguay |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Uruguay/The-struggle-for-national-identity#ref32674 |access-date=4 December 2019 |website=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref>