TRADE WITH LATIN AMERICA 219 
and as a result her export trade as well as her 
import trade, increased by leaps and bounds, 
making her the envy of all Europe, a condition 
which in the opinion of many people undoubt 
edly had much to do with precipitating the 
European War. 
This briefly is the story of how Germany 
secured control of not only Latin American 
trade, but much of the over seas business of the 
world. In the republics to the south of us the 
national effect of this commercial invasion is 
very noticeable. Natives were invited to visit 
and get acquainted with Germans in Germany, 
and when they accepted were the recipients of 
such courteous treatment and became so thor 
oughly impressed with the perfection of the 
German nation in every field of enterprise, 
that they returned enthusiasts on the subject. 
One of the results of this is seen to-day in the 
armies of Colombia, Mexico, Chile, Argen 
tine, Venezuela and some of the Central 
American countries. They have all been in 
structed by German officers, imported for the 
special purpose and kindly loaned by the Ger