Paraguayan War Explanation

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Interpretations of the Paraguayan War
Wars can be traced throughout different times, civilizations, and cultures around the world. Sadly, war is a piece of human nature, something that will never go away no matter how hard states proactively work for it. Though some wars can easily be forgotten in cultures due to them not being taught in schools and universities. One example of this is the Paraguayan War otherwise known as the Triple Alliance War. This war has been put down in history as the bloodiest war to ever been fought in Latin America to this day. The casualties were extreme due to poor leadership and decision making that still awes historians to this day. Most of these casualties can be blamed on President Francisco Lopez of Paraguay …show more content…

It was an interstate war, which started as a part of the outcome of the Uruguayan Civil War. Without the Uruguayan Civil War it can be inferred that his conflict would have never occurred. This intrastate war of two sides: the Blanco Party (Uruguayan Regime) and the Colorado Party (Rebels). As Paraguay backed the Blanco Party Brazil, the first state Lopez declared war on, backed the Colorado Party supporting them politically and materially. Paraguayan President Francisco Lopez warned Brazil that if they were to continue to help the rebels and or invade Uruguay it would be viewed on an attack against Paraguay. Brazil did not adhere to Lopez’s wishes and Paraguay retaliated with seizing a Brazilian ship that held a Brazilian Governor onboard. In December of 1864 Paraguay officially declared war on Brazil, which followed in the an invasion of Brazilian. Lopez then declared war on Argentina, the second hegemon of South America, after he was denied permission from them to cross their border in order to send troops to their allies in Uruguay against Brazil. Shortly after the Colorado Party’s won their coup against the old Uruguayan regime, which allowed the newly reformed Uruguay to help Brazil and Argentina with the fight. This entail created the Triple Alliance, the force that would defeat President Lopez and the Paraguayans. After many successful battles in favor of the Triple Alliance the war ended on March 1st 1870 with the death of President Lopez. All in all around 400,000 soldiers died in result of the conflict, 150,000 losses for Triple Alliance soldiers and 300,000 for the Paraguayans. Due to Lopez’s law of every male having to do some sort of military service the Paraguayans lost two thirds of their male population, it took years for them to recover. To this day this war is still known as the bloodiest war in all of Latin American History. (Warren

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