Paraguay dictator

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elislim
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Paraguay dictator

#1

Post by elislim » 26 Jan 2003, 22:21

I am researching Antonio Lopez Solano Paraguay dictator (1862-70) and am looking for any unique information and/or good research material about his regime. Noticed that he has been mentioned before under this forum as worst commanders. Any information or direction would be most appreciated. Bests regards.

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Javier Acuña
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#2

Post by Javier Acuña » 27 Jan 2003, 21:42

can you read spanish?


elislim
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#3

Post by elislim » 28 Jan 2003, 00:16

Unfortunately not enough to get researchable comprehension, Satiriasis.

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Javier Acuña
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#4

Post by Javier Acuña » 28 Jan 2003, 01:39

Too bad.
Anyway I think you won't find many sources looking for "Antonio Lopez Solano ruler of Paraguay 1862-1870" because as far as I know in 1844 Carlos Antonio Lopez took control of Paraguay then in 1862 Francisco Solano Lopez took the control until in 1869 a provisional government ruled til 1870 when Cirilo Antonio Rivarola was elected.

I think Francisco Solano Lopez is your man.

Best Regards
Javier

elislim
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Gratitude

#5

Post by elislim » 28 Jan 2003, 06:49

Thanks for taking the time to clear up a major step in my project and best regards.

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Von_Mannteufel
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#6

Post by Von_Mannteufel » 24 Feb 2003, 08:25

this is the same morron that tried to invade brasil? well.. you can find something about him here in brasil if you can read portuguese.. actualy one of my teachers has a master on paraguay durring solano lopes time..

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Leon Guarani
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Re: Paraguay dictator

#7

Post by Leon Guarani » 29 Aug 2009, 17:55

FRANCISCO SOLANO LOPEZ(1826-1870) was the president of Paraguay between 1862 untill his death in combat in 1870.
he is the biggest miltary hero in the republic of Paraguay, he commanded the army during the triple alliance war. one of the most bloddy conflicts in modern history.Paraguay fought bravely for four long years against the Armies of Argentina,Uruguay and the empire of brazil.Paraguay also suffered extensive territorial losses to Brazil and Argentina.and almost lost the 90 % of its population,if you want to research about his regime before the war, there is alot of information but im sure most of it is in spanish.
PARAGUAY was one of the prosperous nation of the continent.it develops its own heavy industries.the income of the exports was hugh, the country didnt have External debt but economic surplus.the education level was also very good,education was free and obligatoy,there was no paraguayan withouth land.it was the first country in the region with telegraph lines and railway.
after that tragic war the allied destroy all the industries of the country leaving it in a complet state of dependance of the neighbours.
saludos!
MUERO CON MI PATRIA!!!!!!!

PeterOT
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Re: Paraguay dictator

#8

Post by PeterOT » 31 Aug 2009, 11:03

Leon Guarani wrote:FRANCISCO SOLANO LOPEZ(1826-1870) was the president of Paraguay between 1862 untill his death in combat in 1870.
he is the biggest miltary hero in the republic of Paraguay, he commanded the army during the triple alliance war. one of the most bloddy conflicts in modern history.Paraguay fought bravely for four long years against the Armies of Argentina,Uruguay and the empire of brazil.Paraguay also suffered extensive territorial losses to Brazil and Argentina.and almost lost the 90 % of its population,if you want to research about his regime before the war, there is alot of information but im sure most of it is in spanish.
PARAGUAY was one of the prosperous nation of the continent.it develops its own heavy industries.the income of the exports was hugh, the country didnt have External debt but economic surplus.the education level was also very good,education was free and obligatoy,there was no paraguayan withouth land.it was the first country in the region with telegraph lines and railway.
after that tragic war the allied destroy all the industries of the country leaving it in a complet state of dependance of the neighbours.
saludos!
This is a rather curious account of the 'war of the Triple Alliance' full of glaring ommissions & factual innacuracies. Lopez chose to intervene in the internal politics of nearby Uruguay, most likely in an attempt to gain access to the sea. This involved a declaration of war on Brazil (from whom the sea access would most likely be taken). When Argentina refused to allow Paraguayan troops to cross its territory to enter Uruguay & Brazil Lopez also declared war on Argentina. In the meantime the political situation in Paraguay changed (due in part to brazilian intervention) and paraguay joined the war on the side of Brazil & Argentina (though its involvement was minimal).

What followed was an incredibly destructive war. Initial Paraguayan successes due to interior lines & superior training eventually succumbed to numbers & strategic positions. The most destructive part of the war for Paraguay was the final year or so, when an increasingly unhinged Lopez refused to give up a lost cause. he began to turn on 'traitors' in his own midst, killing even close family members. In the face of advancing armies he retreated to the jungle & guerilla warfare. By the end of the war something like 300,000 of a prewar 525,000 were dead. Estimates put the death rate among males at close to 90%. Paraguay lost a good deal of territory & was economically & socially wrecked by the war.

An unbelieveably stupid & vain man who could still have spared his country the worst long after he had guaranteed its defeat.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Triple_Alliance

There are some useful references in here.

p.s. does this really belong in 'post WW2 history'? - surely more Stroessner than Solano Lopez.

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Leon Guarani
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Re: Paraguay dictator

#9

Post by Leon Guarani » 31 Aug 2009, 16:42

hy there Peter,
can you tell me wich ones are the factual innacuracies?LOPEZ didnt intervine on uruguayan INTERNAL politics. Lopez try to defend uruguay from an Brasilian INVASION,he told brazil that an agression on Uruguay will be the same as an agression to Paraguay.hoping that brazil will hesitate to enter on a regional conflict. the brasilian government didnt even answer this comunnication.and as Paraguay declare the war on brasil.Lopez needed permission to cross throug Argentina to send its troops to uruguay. argentina denied the pass of Paraguayan troops across the corrientes territory claiming neutrality..BUT ALLOWED BRAZIL TO CROSS ITS TROOPS, trough Argentina. funny neutrality i guess.therefore he was obliged to atack argentina as well.
By the way when you say that a political situation changed in Paraguay. i guess you mean Uruguay....where the pro brasilian new government used as a puppet state from brasil and argentina declare the war on the country that was trying to help it during the brasilian INVASION to Uruguay.
when you say that he refused to give up a lost cause. well did you know a bout the YATAITY CORA INTERVIEW? where he was sicking for peace??did you know abou the secret treaty of the triplle alliance against Paraguay. where the three other countries state how will they finish Paraguay economics.and take a lot of the Paraguayan territory after the war?THE LIFE OF YOUR NATION as a free entity its not a cause that a i think any soldier will easy let go....dont you think?
In the last years of the conflict Paraguay wasnt fghting the war to win it. it was fighting to prolong it untill one of the big international Powers will intervine..that was the only way out fo that situation at the moment...and the war also was showing that a victory wasnt THAT impossible if you look a t the result of some battles were the Paraguayan where always out numbered,,,,check curupaity.....
cheers...
MUERO CON MI PATRIA!!!!!!!

J. Duncan
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Re: Paraguay dictator

#10

Post by J. Duncan » 15 Jan 2015, 11:28

I have recently discovered this little known war and this little known dictator through reading about his mistress Eliza Lynch. Lynch is more famous because she was a woman of strong will who played a very large role during that time. She was from Ireland, married a French officer, met Lopez at a cocktail party in Paris (he was visiting Napoleon III) who whisked her away to his native Paraguay. What followed was a war on South American soil which foreshadowed the horrors of WWI. Through reading about her life I learned about Paraguay's colorful past beginning with a strange man named Dr. Joseph Gaspar Francia who was an aesthetic devoted to the works of Jean Jacques Rousseau. He made himself dictator for life ("El Supremo"), instituted an enforced, racially mixed state (people could not marry within their racial group), and made everyone wear hats so they could show him the respect he felt was due. In the literature he appears to be rather insane. His regime was followed by the dictatorship of Don Carlos, the corpulent father of the future dictator Francisco Solano Lopez. Lopez is often compared to Hitler. The war was one of the worst in human suffering - starvation / malnutrition, torture, disease, and neglect. When Assuncion fell to Brazil and her allies, Lopez took the entire nation with him to a new capital to fight or die. It was like a death march of an entire country - unprecedented in modern history. Lopez was inspired by the life of Napoleon Bonaparte. He was killed in action, his shallow grave dug by the bare hands of his mistress. A horror story but a very fascinating time and place to the new reader of this period.

The best English biography of Lopez I've come across thus far is by Robert Cunninghame-Graham titled " Portrait of a Dictator: The Life of Francisco Solano Lopez"(1933). There are numerously many and more biographies of Eliza Lynch.
"Woman on Horseback" by William Burnett is a good general history but I cannot determine if it is a novel (it is written like one in style but has many factual end notes). There is also "Madame Lynch and Friend" which is a dual biography.
There isn't much written in English however a rare book written by Washburn titled "A History of Paraguay" (in 2 volumes) sounds like a good read since Washburn knew Lopez. I've read that it's highly detailed but flawed by a subjective and negative viewpoint. It was written in the late 19th century when his memories of his time in Paraguay were still fresh. Thus far, I've only read the above titles I've named (have not got my hands on the Washburn book yet)

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