1 8 8 0 s , ▁invest ment ▁began ▁to ▁show ▁some ▁divers ification ▁as ▁capital ▁began ▁to ▁flow ▁from ▁other ▁countries ▁such ▁as ▁France , ▁Germany ▁and ▁Belg ium , ▁though ▁British ▁invest ment ▁still ▁account ed ▁for ▁two ▁third s ▁of ▁total ▁foreign ▁capital . ▁In ▁ 1 8 9 0 ▁Argentina ▁was ▁the ▁destination ▁of ▁choice ▁for ▁British ▁invest ment ▁in ▁Latin ▁America , ▁a ▁position ▁it ▁held ▁until ▁World ▁War ▁I . ▁By ▁then , ▁Argentina ▁had ▁absor bed ▁between ▁ 4 0 % ▁and ▁ 5 0 % ▁of ▁all ▁British ▁invest ment ▁outside ▁the ▁United ▁Kingdom . ▁Despite ▁its ▁dependence ▁on ▁the ▁British ▁market , ▁Argentina ▁managed ▁a ▁ 6 . 7 % ▁annual ▁rate ▁of ▁growth ▁of ▁exports ▁between ▁ 1 8 7 0 ▁and ▁ 1 8 9 0 ▁as ▁a ▁result ▁of ▁successful ▁ge ographic ▁and ▁comm od ity ▁divers ification . ▁ ▁The ▁first ▁Argent ine ▁railway , ▁a ▁ ▁road , ▁had ▁been ▁built ▁in ▁ 1 8 5 4 . ▁By ▁ 1 8 8 5 , ▁a ▁total ▁of ▁ ▁of ▁rail ways ▁were ▁open ▁for ▁traffic . ▁The ▁new ▁rail ways ▁brought ▁liv est ock ▁to ▁Buenos ▁Aires ▁from ▁the ▁vast ▁p amp as , ▁for ▁sla ugh ter ▁and ▁processing ▁in ▁the ▁( main ly ▁English ) ▁meat - pack ing ▁plants , ▁and ▁then ▁for ▁ship ment ▁around ▁the ▁world . ▁Some ▁contemporary ▁anal yst s ▁l ament ed ▁the ▁export ▁bias ▁of ▁the ▁network ▁configuration ,