The history of El Salvador during World War II begins in 1939, and is marked by significant changes in almost every aspect of Salvadoran life. As result of an increased influence from the United States, which sought to unite Latin America against the Axis powers, the Salvadoran economy boomed, both the military as well as public infrastructure was modernized, and democratic ideas led to the ousting of the country's fascist dictator, General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez. El Salvador also played an important role in the Holocaust by granting citizenship to thousands of Jews in Hungary. By the war's end in 1945, at least 30,000 Jews escaped Nazi oppression by obtaining Salvadoran citizenship.