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* '''Area:''' 406,796 km
(157,065 sq mi) (60th)

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* '''Area:''' 406,796 km
km (157,065 sq mi) (60th)
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When Carlos died in 1862, the Presidency was passed on to his son, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Solano_L%C3%B3pez Francisco Solano Lopez]]. In 1864, Lopez made the fateful decision that Paraguay should get involved in the geopolitics of its neighbors. At the time, UsefulNotes/{{Uruguay}} was undergoing a civil war between its two main political parties, the Colorados (Reds) and the Blancos (Whites). Lopez had allied himself with the ruling Blancos, but this put him and his country at odds with UsefulNotes/TheEmpireOfBrazil, which was allied with the Colorados. Wishing to maintain Uruguay within its sphere of influence, Brazil decided to intervene militarily in order to depose the Blancos and place the Colorados in charge. In response, Paraguay immediately declared war on Brazil, and Lopez raised an army to oppose Brazil's military intervention. UsefulNotes/{{Argentina}} ended up getting involved when Lopez decided to march his army through Argentinian territory without permission in an attempt to get to Uruguay. This flagrant invasion not only angered the Argentinians, it drove them into an alliance with Brazil, thus uniting the two juggernauts of South America against Paraguay, alongside Uruguay, which declared war when the Colorados took power thanks to the Brazilian military intervention. This conflict is commonly known as the UsefulNotes/WarOfTheTripleAlliance, and was one of the bloodiest wars in South American history. By the end of the war, the three allied nations had invaded Paraguay, destroyed most of its military forces in a series of pitched battles, and occupied the entire country. Despite this, Lopez would continue to lead what little forces he still had in a guerrilla war against the Triple Alliance. It all came to an end when he and his men were finally cornered, and Lopez himself was killed by a Brazilian Corporal named José Francisco Lacerda when he refused to surrender. It is estimated that '''90%''' of Paraguay's male population died over the course of the war. Most while serving in the military, and the rest during the occupation, when Paraguay's major cities and settlements were pillaged by the occupying armies. After the war concluded, Argentina initially proposed that Paraguay be abolished entirely and further suggested that the territory be split between it and Brazil. But despite the potential resources that could be gained, Paraguay was spared this fate, as Brazil preferred that it remain an independent nation in order to act as a buffer state between itself and Argentina.

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When Carlos died in 1862, the Presidency was passed on to his son, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Solano_L%C3%B3pez Francisco Solano Lopez]]. In 1864, Lopez made the fateful decision that Paraguay should get involved in the geopolitics of its neighbors. At the time, UsefulNotes/{{Uruguay}} was undergoing a civil war between its two main political parties, the Colorados (Reds) and the Blancos (Whites). Lopez had allied himself with the ruling Blancos, but this put him and his country at odds with UsefulNotes/TheEmpireOfBrazil, which was allied with the Colorados. Wishing to maintain Uruguay within its sphere of influence, Brazil decided to intervene militarily in order to depose the Blancos and place the Colorados in charge. In response, Paraguay immediately declared war on Brazil, and Lopez raised an army to oppose Brazil's military intervention. UsefulNotes/{{Argentina}} ended up getting involved when Lopez decided to march his army through Argentinian territory without permission in an attempt to get to Uruguay. This flagrant invasion not only angered the Argentinians, Argentinians enough to declare war, but it also drove them into an alliance with Brazil, thus uniting the two juggernauts of South America against Paraguay, alongside Uruguay, which declared war Paraguay. Uruguay would join the alliance as well when the Colorados took power power, thanks to the Brazilian military intervention.intervention, and the new Uruguayan government declared war. This conflict is commonly known as the UsefulNotes/WarOfTheTripleAlliance, and was one of the bloodiest wars in South American history. By the end of the war, the three allied nations had invaded Paraguay, destroyed most of its military forces in a series of pitched battles, and occupied the entire country. Despite this, Lopez would continue to lead what little forces he still had in a guerrilla war against the Triple Alliance. It all came to an end when he and his men were finally cornered, and Lopez himself was killed by a Brazilian Corporal named José Francisco Lacerda when he refused to surrender. It is estimated that '''90%''' of Paraguay's male population died over the course of the war. Most while serving in the military, and the rest during the occupation, when Paraguay's major cities and settlements were pillaged by the occupying armies. After the war concluded, Argentina initially proposed that Paraguay be abolished entirely and further suggested that the territory be split between it and Brazil. But despite the potential resources that could be gained, Paraguay was spared this fate, as Brazil preferred that it remain an independent nation in order to act as a buffer state between itself and Argentina.

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The first leader of an independent Paraguay was a peculiar fellow named [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jose_Gaspar_Rodriguez_de_Francia José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia]], though he preferred to be called "El Supremo". Ruling as an [[TheDictatorship absolute dictator]], he instituted a number of changes. While brutal, some of these changes actually helped Paraguay later on. For instance, he forbade the remaining Spanish nobles from marrying other Spaniards, forcing them instead to marry Guaranis, allowing Paraguay to avoid some of the racial tensions that troubled its neighbors. Francia also confiscated ecclesiastical money and property, instituted draconian and isolationist [[UsefulNotes/{{Economics}} economic protectionism]], and eventually ordered the extermination of all dogs in Paraguay. If people keep calling you "El Supremo", it is easy to start believing it...

Francia is still highly regarded in Paraguay, perhaps because, for all his brutality, [[BrutalHonesty he was very honest]]. Even with absolute power, he was extremely frugal, and the state's coffers doubled during his tenure, not to mention that he was able to preserve Paraguayan stability during the chaos of the early 19th century. Critics would argue (not to his face) that this came at the cost of creating an isolated, paranoid nation that was dependent on an [[SlidingScaleOfLibertarianismAndAuthoritarianism authoritarian]] strongman.

After Francia’s death, a series of juntas took turns at being in control before power was finally consolidated by an unfathomably obese lawyer called Carlos Antonio Lopez, who became the first President of Paraguay in 1841. While Carlos Antonio Lopez was every bit as despotic and authoritarian as Francia, he was much more welcoming of foreigners. He liberalized the economy somewhat, invited a host of top British engineers to build railways, telegraph networks and new buildings, and by all accounts, was a highly competent ruler. According to some sources, crime and poverty were practically nonexistent, thanks to Carlos' authoritarian policies and the natural abundance of resources in Paraguay.

When Carlos died in 1862, the Presidency was passed on to his son, [[TheGeneralissimo Francisco Solano Lopez]]. In 1864, Lopez decided that Paraguay should get involved in the geopolitics of its neighbors. At the time, UsefulNotes/{{Uruguay}} was undergoing a civil war between its two main political parties, the Colorados (Reds) and the Blancos (Whites). Lopez had allied himself with the ruling Blancos, but this put him and his country at odds with UsefulNotes/TheEmpireOfBrazil, which was allied with the Colorados. Wishing to maintain Uruguay within its sphere of influence, Brazil decided to intervene militarily in order to depose the Blancos and place the Colorados in charge. In response, Paraguay immediately declared war on Brazil, and Lopez raised an army to oppose Brazil's military intervention. UsefulNotes/{{Argentina}} ended up getting involved when Lopez decided to march his army through Argentinian territory without permission in an attempt to get to Uruguay. This flagrant invasion not only angered the Argentinians, it drove them into an alliance with Brazil, thus uniting the two juggernauts of South America against Paraguay, alongside Uruguay, which declared war when the Colorados took power thanks to the Brazilian military intervention. This conflict is commonly known as the UsefulNotes/WarOfTheTripleAlliance, and was one of the bloodiest wars in South American history. By the end of the war, the three allied nations had invaded Paraguay, destroyed most of its military forces in a series of pitched battles, and occupied the entire country. Despite this, Lopez would continue to lead what little forces he still had in a guerrilla war against the Triple Alliance. It all came to an end when he and his men were finally cornered, and Lopez himself was killed by a Brazilian Corporal named José Francisco Lacerda when he refused to surrender. It is estimated that '''90%''' of Paraguay's male population died over the course of the war. Most while serving in the military, and the rest during the occupation, when Paraguay's major cities and settlements were pillaged by the occupying armies. After the war concluded, Argentina initially proposed that Paraguay be abolished entirely and further suggested that the territory be split between it and Brazil. But despite the potential resources that could be gained, Paraguay was spared this fate, as Brazil preferred that it remain an independent nation in order to act as a buffer state between itself and Argentina.

to:

The first leader of an independent Paraguay was a peculiar fellow named [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jose_Gaspar_Rodriguez_de_Francia José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia]], though he preferred to be called "El Supremo". Ruling as an [[TheDictatorship absolute dictator]], he instituted a number of changes. While brutal, some of these changes actually helped Paraguay later on. For instance, he forbade the remaining Spanish nobles from marrying other Spaniards, forcing them instead to marry Guaranis, allowing Paraguay to avoid some of the racial tensions that troubled its neighbors. Francia also confiscated ecclesiastical money and property, instituted draconian and isolationist [[UsefulNotes/{{Economics}} economic protectionism]], and eventually ordered the extermination of all dogs in Paraguay. If people keep calling you "El Supremo", it is easy to start believing it...

Francia is still highly regarded in Paraguay, perhaps because, for all his brutality, [[BrutalHonesty he was very honest]]. Even with absolute power, he was extremely frugal, and the state's coffers doubled during his tenure, not to mention that he was able to preserve Paraguayan stability during the chaos of the early 19th century. Critics would argue (not to his face) that this came at the cost of creating an isolated, paranoid nation that was dependent on an [[SlidingScaleOfLibertarianismAndAuthoritarianism authoritarian]] strongman.

After Francia’s death, a series of juntas took turns at being in control before power was finally consolidated by an unfathomably obese a lawyer called named [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Antonio_L%C3%B3pez Carlos Antonio Lopez, Lopez]], who became the first President of Paraguay in 1841. While Carlos Antonio Lopez was every bit as despotic and authoritarian as Francia, he was much more welcoming of foreigners. He liberalized the economy somewhat, invited a host of top British engineers to build railways, telegraph networks and new buildings, and by all accounts, was a highly competent ruler. According to some sources, crime and poverty were practically nonexistent, thanks to Carlos' authoritarian policies and the natural abundance of resources in Paraguay.

When Carlos died in 1862, the Presidency was passed on to his son, [[TheGeneralissimo [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Solano_L%C3%B3pez Francisco Solano Lopez]]. In 1864, Lopez decided made the fateful decision that Paraguay should get involved in the geopolitics of its neighbors. At the time, UsefulNotes/{{Uruguay}} was undergoing a civil war between its two main political parties, the Colorados (Reds) and the Blancos (Whites). Lopez had allied himself with the ruling Blancos, but this put him and his country at odds with UsefulNotes/TheEmpireOfBrazil, which was allied with the Colorados. Wishing to maintain Uruguay within its sphere of influence, Brazil decided to intervene militarily in order to depose the Blancos and place the Colorados in charge. In response, Paraguay immediately declared war on Brazil, and Lopez raised an army to oppose Brazil's military intervention. UsefulNotes/{{Argentina}} ended up getting involved when Lopez decided to march his army through Argentinian territory without permission in an attempt to get to Uruguay. This flagrant invasion not only angered the Argentinians, it drove them into an alliance with Brazil, thus uniting the two juggernauts of South America against Paraguay, alongside Uruguay, which declared war when the Colorados took power thanks to the Brazilian military intervention. This conflict is commonly known as the UsefulNotes/WarOfTheTripleAlliance, and was one of the bloodiest wars in South American history. By the end of the war, the three allied nations had invaded Paraguay, destroyed most of its military forces in a series of pitched battles, and occupied the entire country. Despite this, Lopez would continue to lead what little forces he still had in a guerrilla war against the Triple Alliance. It all came to an end when he and his men were finally cornered, and Lopez himself was killed by a Brazilian Corporal named José Francisco Lacerda when he refused to surrender. It is estimated that '''90%''' of Paraguay's male population died over the course of the war. Most while serving in the military, and the rest during the occupation, when Paraguay's major cities and settlements were pillaged by the occupying armies. After the war concluded, Argentina initially proposed that Paraguay be abolished entirely and further suggested that the territory be split between it and Brazil. But despite the potential resources that could be gained, Paraguay was spared this fate, as Brazil preferred that it remain an independent nation in order to act as a buffer state between itself and Argentina.

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