What would come to your mind if you were asked about the fiercest war in history in terms of the number of casualties? Most likely you will think of World War I or II, or the wars of China or the tribes of Africa…but the answer comes in the last place that might come to mind, there on the edge of the ocean in the New World, Paraguay..
The War of the Triple Entente was a military conflict in South America that took place from 1864 to 1870 between Paraguay and the participating powers of the Triple Entente Treaty: Argentina, the Empire of Brazil and Uruguay. This war caused more deaths than any war in modern history per capita, and it devastated Paraguay in particular, killing most of its male population.
Signs of war
Theoretically, the reason for the outbreak of war was the policy of Paraguayan President Francisco Solano López towards matters relating to an area called the Río de la Plata. But a deeper look reveals to us the main reason, which is the colonial ambitions of not only the Spanish and Portuguese, but also the British, which played a crude and direct role in influencing the repercussions of that great war.
The war was sparked by, among other things, the after-effects of colonialism in South America. The war began in late 1864 with hostilities between Brazil and Paraguay. There have been border and tariff disputes between Paraguay and Brazil and Argentina for many years.
Disastrous results
The outcome of this war was a devastating defeat for Paraguay. After the defeat that Paraguay received at the hands of the Triple Alliance in the known war, the conflict turned into mutual resistance similar to a street war, which led to the destruction of the Paraguayan army and the civilian population in Paraguay, and the street war continued until President Lopez was killed in March of the year 1870.
According to international estimates, the human losses incurred by Paraguay due to the two wars and diseases amount to 1.2 million people, or 90% of its total population before the war broke out, with the number of deaths among Paraguayan males estimated at about 300,000 people, according to historian Steven Pinker, which makes this war the most devastating in modern times compared to the population.
Ongoing repercussions
It took decades for Paraguay to recover from the pain of war and the demographic imbalance imposed on it by the war. Although Paraguay was the first republic in South America to elect its president, since that war it has not elected its president “democratically” until 1993. As for Brazil, the war helped end the history of slavery in Brazil, moved the army to a key position in the public arena, and caused a devastating increase in the public debt that took a decade to pay off, causing a serious reduction in the country’s growth.
As for Argentina, many of its residents believe that this war played a fundamental role in the unification of Argentina as a national state, as after the end of the war, the country became the second richest country in South America. For Uruguay, the war represented the final intervention of both Brazil and Argentina in its internal politics, and the country completely collapsed.
Death by cholera… not bullets
What is shocking here is that armed conflict was not the only reason behind these high death rates. Poor food and very poor hygiene accounted for most of the deaths, many of which were due to cholera. Among Brazilians, two-thirds of the war dead died either in hospital or during the march between cities.
At the beginning of the conflict, most Brazilian soldiers came from the northern and northeastern regions of the country, so the change from a hot to a cooler climate as well as limited food rations were contributing factors to the death rates. Drinking from the rivers also presented a sometimes fatal danger to entire battalions of Brazilians and made cholera the most likely cause of death during the war.
