A case of total war

Paraguay, 1864-1870

Bibliographic Data

ID5897228
AuthorsVera Blinn Reber (Shippensburg University, corresponding author)
Year1999
Volume5
Issue1
Pages15-40
Publication date1999-07-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Iberian and Latin American Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1326-0219 • E-ISSN: 2151-9668
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13260219.1999.10429960
OpenAlexW1990270025
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited13

Although civil wars and internal conflicts have been relatively common within Latin America in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, wars between Latin American countries have been few. Of these conflicts—the Argentine-Brazilian War, 1825–28; the Chilean and Peru-Bolivian Confederation War, 1836–39; the War of the Pacific, 1879–83; the Chaco War, 1932–35; the Ecuador-Peru Conflict, 1941; and the Soccer War, 1969—The War of the Triple Alliance, 1864–70, was the most catastrophic in modern Latin American history.Footnote1 As a result of the destructiveness of the conflict between Paraguay and the Allied forces of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, and the great war's influence in defining the balance of power within the Rio de la Plata region, historians have debated at length the causes of the war and described in detail the military campaigns, but neglected analysis of the war's duration.Footnote2 In comparison with the other military conflicts among Latin American nations, the War of the Triple Alliance lasted the longest. The questions which need to be considered are as follows: How did the nation of Paraguay manage to survive for so long against the overwhelming odds of the combined forces of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay? Why did the Paraguayans desire to do so? For a basic summary of Latin American military conflicts see Simon Collier, 'Wars in Latin America', The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Latin America and the Caribbean, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1985, pp. 288–290. Vera Blinn Reber, 'The Demographics of Paraguay: A Reinterpretation of the Great War, 1864–70'. Hispanic American Historical Review, 68:2, May 1988, note 1, lists the various historical explanations. The revaluation of Paraguayan mortality has also produced a heated debate. See Thomas L. Whigham and Barbara Potthast, 'Some Strong Reservations: A Critique of Vera Blim Reber's "The Demographics of Paraguay: A Reinterpretation of the Great War, 1864–70,"', Hispanic American Historical Review, 70:4 November 1990, pp. 667–78. For a basic summary of Latin American military conflicts see Simon Collier, 'Wars in Latin America', The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Latin America and the Caribbean, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1985, pp. 288–290. Vera Blinn Reber, 'The Demographics of Paraguay: A Reinterpretation of the Great War, 1864–70'. Hispanic American Historical Review, 68:2, May 1988, note 1, lists the various historical explanations. The revaluation of Paraguayan mortality has also produced a heated debate. See Thomas L. Whigham and Barbara Potthast, 'Some Strong Reservations: A Critique of Vera Blim Reber's "The Demographics of Paraguay: A Reinterpretation of the Great War, 1864–70,"', Hispanic American Historical Review, 70:4 November 1990, pp. 667–78. Notes For a basic summary of Latin American military conflicts see Simon Collier, 'Wars in Latin America', The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Latin America and the Caribbean, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1985, pp. 288–290. Vera Blinn Reber, 'The Demographics of Paraguay: A Reinterpretation of the Great War, 1864–70'. Hispanic American Historical Review, 68:2, May 1988, note 1, lists the various historical explanations. The revaluation of Paraguayan mortality has also produced a heated debate. See Thomas L. Whigham and Barbara Potthast, 'Some Strong Reservations: A Critique of Vera Blim Reber's "The Demographics of Paraguay: A Reinterpretation of the Great War, 1864–70,"', Hispanic American Historical Review, 70:4 November 1990, pp. 667–78

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