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Chapter Reference: Independence; Postcolonial Blues; Progress
Paraguay's history is especially interesting in the immediate post-independence period. Paraguay's dictatorial post-independence rulers strictly limited the presence of outsiders when most Latin American countries were opening their doors to European trade. The results were mixed: on the one hand, an authoritarian government with narrow restrictions on personal freedoms, first under the mysterious Doctor Francia, who ruled until 1840, then under Francia's successor, Carlos Antonio López, and his son, Francisco Solano López; and on the other, relative calm and material well-being for the Paraguayan people, along with certain advances such as the construction of the continent's first railroad, without the foreign loans that almost always accompanied such projects. Like many authoritarian rulers, however, those of Paraguay cultivated military power and did not hesitate to exercise it. Paraguay's landlocked geographical location led to frictions with Argentina and Brazil, and the result was South America's greatest international conflict ever, the War of the Triple Alliance. Students interested in Paraguay and this catastrophic war should direct their attention to the post-independence stability of the small republic, compared to other Spanish American republics, and the tensions that grew between Paraguay and its neighbors, Argentina and Brazil. A paper on the war should highlight the pre-war political context, as well as the tragic consequences Paraguayans suffered during and after the years of fighting.
Questions for Analysis and Further Reflection:
- Paraguay became independent under the dictatorial rule of the famous José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia. What was Francia's rule like? How were elements of it continued in the López years?
- Juan Manuel de Rosas (the prominent caudillo who ruled the Río de la Plata from 1829—1852) considered Paraguay a renegade Argentine province and refused to recognize its independence. This was not the only source of tension between the two countries, however. What other points of contention between Paraguay and Argentina—and between Paraguay and Brazil—pushed the small, landlocked country closer to the edge?
- Some journalists have compared Paraguayan president Francisco Solano López, who built up a powerful army and began the War of the Triple Alliance with a preemptive strike against Argentina, to Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein. How useful is the comparison?
Bibliography: (Titles with ** are good starting places.)
** Kraay, Hendrik, and Thomas L. Whigham, eds. I Die with My Country: Perspectives on the Paraguayan War, 1864—1870. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2004.
This recent collection of essays presents students with detailed analyses of different aspects of the war, from draft resistance to the role women played.
Leuchars, Chris. To the Bitter End: Paraguay and the War of the Triple Alliance. Westport,
CT: Greenwood Press, 2002.
Though a military history, this book introduces some of the basic outlines of the history of the war.
Tuck, Lily. The News from Paraguay: A Novel. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2004.
Tuck's recent historical novel deals with the most popular love story of the war, involving Elisa Lynch and Francisco Solano López.
** Whigham, Thomas L. The Paraguayan War. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2002.
Whigham provides an excellent introduction to the war—a first stop for any student interested in learning more.
Other Resources:
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