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The War of the Triple Alliance (1864-1870) was fought between Paraguay and an alliance of Argentina, Uruguay and the Empire of Brazil. It was a conflict with more deaths than any other in the history of Latin America, with estimates of 90,000-100,000 deaths on the alliance and circa 300,000 Paraguayans, both soldiers and civilians.There are a lot of speculations of the war’s motives, including British economic interests in the region, after-colonialism effects and expansionist goals of Paraguay’s dictator Francisco Solano López.
Brazil was getting too involved in Uruguay’s internal politics and eventually invaded it, making Paraguay declare war on Brazil. When López tried to pass through the province of Corrientes, Argentina declared war on Paraguay and the three countries forged an alliance to fight López’s regime. This turned the tide of the war; Paraguay's army, despite having some victories against Brazil in the beginning, devolved into guerrilla warfare in its own territory. The war only ended with López’s death.
The war ended catastrophically for Paraguay, having lost almost 90% of the male population, territory and had a political vacuum filled by military governments (Paraguay had its first democratic elections in 1993, more than a century later). Brazil and Argentina had an increase of public debt that took decades to pay, but it brought Brazilians slaves’ freedom (they were freed to fight in the war). Uruguay, on the other hand, was finally free of its neighbors’ meddling (kind of), but still had its own internal problems.
Tropes set during the war:
Depictions in fiction
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