Causes of the TRIPLE ALLIANCE War and major consequences

Between the years 1864 and 1870 took place one of those considered to be the largest wars in the history of South America, since in it the largest wars were fought economic and military powers of the area at that time, and therefore its result was key to the subsequent events of the subcontinent. To talk about one of the key events of the 19th century in America in this lesson from a PROFESSOR we will talk about the Causes of the War of the Triple Alliance and consequences.

The War of the Triple Alliance, also called Great War or War against the Triple Alliance, was a huge warlike conflict that took place between the years 1864 and 1870 and who faced Paraguay against an alliance made up of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.

The enormous loss of men, the appearance of the four great South American powers of the time, the enormous consequences that it had for American history and the enormous revision that it has received over the years makes this war is considered as one of the largest in South American history and, for many, the most important in their history after the independences.

Although at first the war seemed only to confront Paraguay and Uruguay, it was the entry of the rest of the powers which made this war gain such enormous importance on the international scene, causing that was vital to the future of South America and thereby creating a very powerful alliance.

For decades the causes of war have been studied and theorized by many historians both American and Europeans, since the complexity of the confrontation makes it very difficult to understand all the causes that started the conflict. Therefore, below we must talk about some of the main Causes of the War of the Triple Alliance.

Brazil's expansion policy

Brazil was one of the great powers in South America, but its leaders wanted more influence. In this situation, they began a policy of expansion that was based in part on taking Paraguayan areas and increasing their influence in Uruguay, seeking to increase the great Brazilian Empire.

Conflicts on the Paraguayan border

Since the arrival of the colonizers, territorial confrontations between Paraguayans and Brazilians had been a constant, both during Spanish and Portuguese rule and afterwards. The reason for this was that the exit to the Atlantic through the Paraguayan area was closed due to the existence of some Brazilian places. Throughout the decades, the confrontations in the Chaco area were constant, even after the independence of both regions.

Big changes in Paraguay

Shortly before the beginning of the War of the Triple Alliance, the government of Paraguay changed a series of people with large economic knowledge, causing an economic evolution that made the Paraguayan nation one of the greatest powers of South America. The great internal changes in both the economy and the military, and their change in foreign policy made many South American nations look at them with fear.

UK influence

For many South Americans the main cause of the start of the war was the United Kingdom, being a notable influence for the participating countries, as it wanted to obtain great benefits from a possible war. On the one hand, the clearly imperialist-looking UK wanted to confront Paraguay's debt-free policy, but at the same time he knew that a war would allow them to sell weapons to the Triple Alliance and get big Benefits.

Crisis in Uruguay

The crisis in Uruguay is also one of the causes of the War of the Triple Alliance. In the middle of the 19th century, Uruguay was in a severe crisis that affected all aspects of its society. Seeing the possibility of changing the nation and obtaining an ally, the Brazilians entered the Uruguayan nation and helped the military to start a revolution to change the country.

Image: Notiamérica

To conclude this lesson on causes of the War of the Triple Alliance and consequences, we must talk about the main consequences that the end of this war brought and how they forever affected history South American. The main consequences of the War of the Triple Alliance are as follows.

• The expansion of the, then, Empire of Brazil It was enormous, getting all the areas that were in dispute against Paraguay and managing to increase its influence in other areas such as Uruguay. Its influence did not last long, although it never ceased to be the largest South American power economically.
• The disputed areas between Argentina and Paraguay went to the Argentine nation, forming what we know as the Province of Formosa, although not oblivious to recovery attempts by certain Paraguayan governments.
• The Colorado Party of UruguaAnd thanks to the war and the help of Brazil, he was able to stay in power and change the nation forever. The relationship between Uruguay was maintained for years by the harmony of both regions, serving for a certain Uruguayan evolution away from the thought of Paraguay.
• Paraguay entered a serious crisis in all senses, suffering an economic recession and a demographic loss rarely seen, thus ending the enormous process of evolution that it had achieved during the previous years.
• Finally, another consequence of the War of the Triple Alliance is that the Paraguayan government changed to a clear liberal tune, seeking to improve the situation after the war, but never managed to evolve so much again.

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