Introduction

The Introduction presents an overview of the subject of neutrality during the Second World War focusing on the ‘long-haul neutrals’ studied in the volume, namely Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the Vatican. It argues that there was no such thing as ‘absolute’ neutrality since it was always relative and contingent on circumstances, whether geo-political, geo-strategic, historical or simply subject to the changing events of a war that lasted for six years. The proponents of the policy of neutrality proved their ability to manage the vicissitudes of the conflict in as much as these affected their states. The Introduction also addresses the thorny question of the morality of adopting or maintaining a neutral stance when millions were being persecuted in neighbouring countries, reflecting on the impact that such a stance had on future generations and international relations.