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102-743: The Río Apa Craton at the Paraguay -Brazil border is considered to be likely just the southern part of the Amazonian Craton. The rocks of Río Apa were deformed during the Sunsás orogeny . It has been suggested that the Late Mesoproterozoic – Early Neoproterozoic aged Sveconorwegian Orogen in Fennoscandia could have been caused by a continent–continent collision between the continents of Amazonia and Baltica . The question

204-560: A utopian society based on the Genevan theorist Jean-Jacques Rousseau 's Social Contract . Rodríguez de Francia was nicknamed El Supremo . Rodríguez de Francia established new laws that greatly reduced the powers of the Catholic church (Catholicism was then an established state religion) and the cabinet, forbade colonial citizens from marrying one another and allowed them to marry only blacks, mulattoes or natives, in order to break

306-522: A 2017 Positive Experience Index based on global polling data, Paraguay ranked as the "world's happiest place". The origin of the name Paraguay is uncertain. One version postulates the name takes from Guaraní paraguá "feather crown" and y "water" thus paraguaí "feather crown of waters". Other versions affirm that the name derives from the Payaguá people , for the Paraguay River was called

408-675: A 2022 poll by the Centro Estratégico Latinoamericano de Geopolítica (Latin American Strategic Centre for Geopolitics) of who Paraguayans viewed as their best president of the past three decades, Stroessner was the answer of 14.4% of respondents, above President Nicanor Duarte , but below Presidents Lugo and Horacio Cartes . Stroessner's supporters are known as "Stronistas", and they refer to him as " El Único Líder " ( Spanish : The Only Leader ). Every year, nostalgic Stronistas celebrate

510-641: A bath of human vomit and excrement, or ram electric cattle prods up their rectums. In 1975, the Secretary of the Paraguayan Communist Party , Miguel Ángel Soler , was dismembered alive with a chainsaw while Stroessner listened on the phone. The screams of tortured dissidents were often recorded and played over the phone to family members, and sometimes the bloody garments of those killed were sent to their homes. Under Stroessner, egregious human rights violations were committed against

612-553: A close relationship with the Brazilian far-right president (in power 2019–2022), Jair Bolsonaro . In February 2019, President Mario Abdo Benitez was at Bolsonaro's side when Bolsonaro praised Paraguayan military dictator Alfredo Stroessner, calling him "a man of vision". In 2021, Paraguay became the first country in South America to produce electric energy in its 100% renewable energy supply. In May 2023, Santiago Peña of

714-549: A few hundred Aché remained alive by the late 1970s. The Stroessner regime financed this genocide with U.S. aid. Stroessner was careful not to show off or draw attention from jealous generals or foreign journalists. He avoided rallies and took simple holidays in Patagonia . He became more tolerant of opposition as the years passed, but there was no change in the regime's basic character. During Stroessner's rule, no socialist nations had diplomatic relations with Paraguay, with

816-475: A group of politicians intimately connected to Stroessner) continued the same violent policies. The 1940 constitution was replaced in 1967 with an equally repressive document. Like its predecessor, it gave the president broad powers to take exceptional actions for the good of the country, such as suspending civil liberties and intervening in the economy. It thus formed the legal basis for the state of virtual martial law under which Stroessner governed. While it limited

918-512: A high cost. Corruption was rampant (Stroessner himself did not dispute charges of corruption at some levels in his government) and Paraguay's human rights record was considered one of the poorest in South America. During Stroessner's regime, an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 people were murdered, 400 to 500 more " disappeared ," and thousands more imprisoned and tortured. Press freedom was also limited, constitutional guarantees notwithstanding. Any outcry about government mistreatment or attacks toward

1020-495: A livelihood. Each family had its house or hut in its own ground. They planted, in a few days, enough tobacco, maize and mandioca for their own consumption [...]. Having at every hut a grove of oranges [...] and also a few cows, they were almost throughout the year under little necessity [...]. The higher classes, of course, lived more in the European way... On 12 October 1864, despite Paraguayan ultimatums, Brazil (allied with

1122-478: A longer tenure among 20th-century Latin American leaders; though Castro's tenure as president was shorter at 32 years (1976–2008). Soon after taking office, Stroessner placed the entire country under a state of siege and suspended civil liberties. The state-of-siege provisions allowed the government to arrest and detain anyone indefinitely without trial, as well as forbid public meetings and demonstrations. It

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1224-517: A member of Colorado Party who served as the president of Paraguay from 2018 to 2023, was the son of Stroessner's personal secretary. Journalist Isabel Debre expressed the view that Abdo Benítez's election to the presidency in 2018 was when Storessner's enduring influence was "never more obvious" due to this connection. Abdo Benítez has opined that Stroessner "did much for the country" ( Spanish : hizo mucho por el país ), but voiced his disapproval of Stroessner's human rights violations. According to

1326-555: A mission to Paraguay to gather information, concluded that the impeachment process was not a coup d'état, as it had been carried out in accordance with the Constitution of Paraguay . From August 2013 to 15 August 2018, the President of Paraguay was Horacio Cartes . Since 15 August 2018, the President of Paraguay has been Mario Abdo Benítez . They are both from the conservative Colorado Party . President Mario Abdo enjoyed

1428-421: A new constitution enabling him to re-elect himself; in 1977 he modified that constitution to permit himself to be re-elected indefinitely. He was fraudulently re-elected seven times from 1958 until 1988 ; approximately six months after the 1988 general election , he was overthrown in the coup d'état of 2 and 3 February 1989, led by his most trusted confidant, Lieutenant general Andrés Rodríguez Pedotti , with

1530-664: A period of great political instability. Between 1904 and 1954 Paraguay had thirty-one presidents , most of whom were removed from office by force. Conflicts between the factions of the ruling Liberal party led to the Paraguayan Civil War of 1922 . The unresolved border conflict with Bolivia over the Chaco region finally erupted in the early 1930s in the Chaco War . After both sides suffered great losses, Paraguay defeated Bolivia and established its sovereignty over most of

1632-558: A professional politician in civil government, and a member of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party, Paraguay's largest opposition party. Lugo was an adherent of liberation theology . Lugo achieved a historic victory in Paraguay's presidential election, defeating the ruling party candidate, and ending 61 years of conservative rule. Lugo won with nearly 41% of the vote, compared to almost 31% for Blanca Ovelar of

1734-424: A result of this he may have fathered over 30 illegitimate children. The affairs and child abuse were divulged after his downfall, further tarnishing his image. Stroessner was the second-longest serving leader of a Latin American country. His 35 year dictatorship was surpassed in length by only Fidel Castro 's rule of Cuba . It was also the longest-lived dictatorship in South America. Even after Stroessner's rule,

1836-399: A severely authoritarian constitution enacted in 1940. In the mid 1960s, in an attempt to placate growing international criticism, Stroessner began allowing some opposition parties to function, although these functioned as opposition in name only. Stroessner also fired the interior minister Ynsfrán in 1966, but his replacement, Sabino Augusto Montanaro (a member of the " Cuatrinomio de Oro ",

1938-458: A string of plots, which resulted in his military coup d'état of 4 May 1954 . In the aftermath of World War II , Paraguay became a hideout for Nazi fugitives accused of war crimes. A series of unstable governments ensued until the establishment in 1954 of the regime of dictator Alfredo Stroessner , who remained in office for more than three decades until 1989. Paraguay was modernized to some extent under Stroessner's regime, although his rule

2040-530: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Paraguay in South America  (grey) Paraguay ( / ˈ p ær ə ɡ w aɪ / ; Spanish pronunciation: [paɾaˈɣwaj] ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( Spanish : República del Paraguay ; Guarani : Paraguái Tavakuairetã ), is a landlocked country in South America . It is bordered by Argentina to

2142-587: Is commonly referred inside Paraguay as El Stronato . Stroessner led a coup d'état on 4 May 1954 with the support of the army and the Colorado Party , with which he was affiliated. After a brief provisional government headed by Tomás Romero Pereira , he was the Colorado Party's presidential candidate for the 1954 general election , and was elected unopposed since all other parties were banned from 1947 to 1962. Stroessner later officially assumed

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2244-621: Is open if Telemarkia terrane in Norway was derived from the Amazonian Craton, but this possibility does not imply necessarily that there was a continental collision. [REDACTED] Africa [REDACTED] Antarctica [REDACTED] Asia [REDACTED] Australia [REDACTED] Europe [REDACTED] North America [REDACTED] South America [REDACTED] Afro-Eurasia [REDACTED] Americas [REDACTED] Eurasia [REDACTED] Oceania This palaeogeography article

2346-631: Is the other), Paraguay has ports on the Paraguay and Paraná rivers that give exit to the Atlantic Ocean, through the Paraná-Paraguay Waterway. The majority of Paraguay's 6 million people are mestizo , and Guarani culture remains widely influential; more than 90% of the population speak various dialects of the Guarani language alongside Spanish. Paraguay's GDP per capita PPP is the seventh-highest in South America. In

2448-773: The Bandeirantes , in addition to seeking their conversion to Christianity. Catholicism in Paraguay was influenced by the indigenous peoples: The syncretic religion has absorbed native elements. The reducciones flourished in eastern Paraguay for about 150 years, until the expulsion of the Jesuits by the Spanish Crown in 1767. The ruins of two 18th century Jesuit Missions of La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná and Jesús de Tavarangue have been designated as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO . In western Paraguay, Spanish settlement and Christianity were strongly resisted by

2550-580: The Colorado Party in the 1980s, and the prevailing conditions – Stroessner's advanced age, the character of the regime, the economic downturn, and international isolation – were catalysts for anti-regime demonstrations and statements by the opposition prior to the 1988 general elections. PLRA leader Domingo Laíno served as the focal point of the opposition in the second half of the 1980s. The government's effort to isolate Laíno by exiling him in 1982 had backfired. On his sixth attempt to re-enter

2652-638: The Gran Chaco , was inhabited by nomads of whom the Guaycuru peoples were the most prominent. The Paraguay River was roughly the dividing line between the agricultural Guarani people to the east and the nomadic and semi-nomadic people to the west in the Gran Chaco. The Guarcuru nomads were known for their warrior traditions and were not fully pacified until the late 19th century. These indigenous tribes belonged to five distinct language families, which were

2754-681: The Payaguá-y , or "river of the Payaguás" by the Guaraní and hence would have come the name for the country; or that, also from the Guaraní, para would mean sea, gua , originates, and y , river, thus Paraguay would mean "river which gives birth to the sea". The indigenous Guaraní had been living in eastern Paraguay for at least a millennium before the arrival of the Spanish . Western Paraguay,

2856-575: The World Anti-Communist League , he justified his repression as a necessary measure to protect the country. The use of political repression , threats and death squads was a key factor in Stroessner's longevity as dictator of Paraguay. He maintained virtually unlimited power by giving a free hand to the military and to Minister of Interior Edgar Ynsfrán , who began to harass, terrorize, and occasionally murder family members of

2958-443: The 17th century, Paraguay was the center of Jesuit missions , where the native Guaraní people were converted to Christianity and introduced to European culture. After the expulsion of the Jesuits from Spanish territories in 1767, Paraguay increasingly became a peripheral colony. Following independence from Spain in the early 19th century, Paraguay was ruled by a series of authoritarian governments. This period ended with

3060-626: The 1970s. The construction of the Itaipu Dam, as well as that of the subsequent Yacyretá Dam on the Paraguay–Argentina Border , displaced thousands of Paraguayans, often without any restitution. The Itaipu Dam displaced at least 80,000 Paraguayans, and the Yacyretá was estimated to have displaced at least as many by December 2008. 160 workers died building the Itaipu Dam. Stroessner also promoted projects that purportedly developed

3162-560: The 200th anniversary of independence from the Spanish Empire as a sovereign state. Lugo's supporters gathered outside Congress to protest the decision as a "politically motivated coup d'état". Lugo's removal from office on 22 June 2012 is considered by UNASUR and other neighboring countries, especially those currently governed by leftist leaders, as a coup d'état. However, the Organization of American States, which sent

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3264-703: The Allies. It was marked as the bloodiest battle in South America during the war. The Paraguayans put up a ferocious resistance but ultimately lost in 1870 in the Battle of Cerro Corá , where Marshal Solano López refused to surrender and died in action. The real causes of this war, which remains the bloodiest international conflict in the history of The Americas , are still highly debatable. Paraguay lost 25–33% of its territory to Argentina and Brazil, paid an enormous war debt, and sold large amounts of national properties to stabilize its internal budget. The worst consequence of

3366-830: The Americans. The United States played a "critical supporting role" in the domestic affairs of Stoessner's Paraguay. Between 1962 and 1975 the US provided $ 146 million to Paraguay's military government and Paraguayan officers were trained at the U.S. Army School of the Americas . Although the military and security forces under Stroessner received less material support from the United States than other South American countries, strong inter-military connections existed through military advisors and military training. Between 1962 and 1966, nearly 400 Paraguayan military personnel were trained by

3468-929: The Argentine Government under General Bartolomé Mitre and the rebellious Uruguayan colorados led by Gen. Venancio Flores ) invaded the Republic of Uruguay in order to overthrow the government of that time (which was under the rule of the Blanco Party , an ally of López), thus starting the Paraguayan War . The Paraguayans, led by the Marshal of the Republic Francisco Solano López , retaliated by attacking Mato Grosso on 15 December 1864 and later declared war against Argentina on 23 March 1865. The Blanco Government

3570-461: The Chaco, which is part of the Gran Chaco . The country lies between latitudes 19° and 28°S , and longitudes 54° and 63°W . Alfredo Stroessner Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda ( Spanish: [alˈfɾeðo esˈtɾosneɾ] ; 3 November 1912 – 16 August 2006) was a Paraguayan army officer, politician, and dictator who served as President of Paraguay from 15 August 1954 until his overthrow from power on 3 February 1989. His dictatorship

3672-491: The Colorado Party has continually held the presidency of Paraguay, with the exception of from 2008 to 2013, following the election of Fernando Lugo . The social scientist Antonio Soljancic has argued that this is because, although Stroessner was removed from power, "he left a legacy that no one has tried to bury". Many public schools avoid historical discussions of the Stroessner dictatorship, and many still feature plaques paying tribute to him as of 2024. Mario Abdo Benítez ,

3774-403: The Colorado Party would result in destruction of the media outlets. Many media executives were sent to prison or tortured. Because of this, political opponents were few and far between. Near the end of this presidency, he declared that he would remove the state of siege, but quickly recanted after students began protesting trolley fares. For the first 13 years of his rule, Stroessner ruled under

3876-497: The Colorado Party. Reports suggested that the businessman Horacio Cartes became the new political figure amid disputes. Despite the US Drug Enforcement Administration 's strong accusations against Cartes related to drug trafficking , he continued to amass followers in the political arena. On 14 January 2011, the Colorado Party convention nominated Horacio Cartes as the presidential candidate for

3978-566: The Colorado party. Outgoing President Nicanor Duarte Frutos hailed the moment as the first time in the history of the nation that a government had transferred power to opposition forces in a constitutional and peaceful fashion. Lugo was sworn in on 15 August 2008. The Lugo administration set its two major priorities as the reduction of corruption and economic inequality. Political instability following Lugo's election and disputes within his cabinet encouraged some renewal of popular support for

4080-491: The López family was characterized by pervasive and rigid centralism in production and distribution. There was no distinction between the public and the private spheres, and the López family ruled the country as it would a large estate. The government exerted control on all exports. The export of yerba mate and valuable wood products maintained the balance of trade between Paraguay and the outside world. The Paraguayan government

4182-549: The Metropolitan Police (Departamento de Investigaciones de la Policía de la Capital, DIPC) under the leadership of Pastor Coronel , and the National Directorate of Technical Affairs (Dirección Nacional de Asuntos Técnicos, DNAT) directed by Antonio Campos Alum . Both units specialized in political repression. Pastor Coronel became infamous for his brutality. He would interview people in a pileta ,

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4284-497: The Paraguayan Army prior to and during the war, López's government was comparatively a good one for Paraguay: Probably in no other country in the world has life and property been so secure as all over Paraguay during his (Antonio Lopez's) reign. Crime was almost unknown, and when committed, immediately detected and punished. The mass of the people was, perhaps, the happiest in existence. They had hardly to do any work to gain

4386-556: The President-Dictator in 1862, and generally continued the political policies of his father. Both wanted to give an international image of Paraguay as "democratic and republican", but in fact, the ruling family had almost total control of all public life in the country, including church and colleges. Militarily, Carlos Antonio López modernized and expanded industry and the Paraguayan Army and greatly strengthened

4488-540: The U.S. had abandoned him, was regarded as a personal blow to Stroessner. It has been asserted that the Roman Catholic Church is the only reason Stroessner did not have absolute control over the country. After the destruction of Asunción University in 1972 by police, the Archbishop of Paraguay Ismael Rolón Silvero excommunicated the minister of the interior and the chief of police, and proscribed

4590-670: The United States in the Panama Canal Zone and on US soil. Strong Paraguayan-U.S. relations continued until the Carter Administration emphasized a foreign policy that recognized human rights abuses, although both military and economic aid were allotted to the Paraguayan government in Carter's budgets. The Reagan Administration restored more cordial relations due to Stroessner's staunch anti-communism, but by

4692-522: The United States, the Organization of American States, and other countries in the region, the Paraguayan people rejected an April 1996 attempt by then Army Chief General Lino Oviedo to oust President Wasmosy. Oviedo was nominated as the Colorado candidate for president in the 1998 election. However, when the Supreme Court upheld in April his conviction on charges related to the 1996 coup attempt, he

4794-405: The anniversary of Stroesssner's birth. His supporters have asserted that "another Stroessner" is needed to govern modern Paraguay, and that his was a time of security and stability. As part of political persecution, Stroessner's regime was responsible for exiling 20,814 Paraguayans. Around 425 to 500 people were forcibly disappeared. The search for some bodies of the disappeared by families of

4896-414: The army. Stroessner objected to President Federico Chávez's plans to arm the national police and threw him out of office in a coup on 4 May 1954 . The National Assembly appointed Tomás Romero Pereira president, who called for special elections to complete Chávez's term. Stroessner became the nominee for the Colorado Party in that year's election on 11 July. He won, as he was the only candidate. He

4998-472: The bases of their major divisions. Differing language speaking groups were generally competitive over resources and territories. They were further divided into tribes by speaking languages in branches of these families. Today 17 separate ethnolinguistic groups remain. The first Europeans in the area were Spanish explorers in 1516. The Spanish explorer Juan de Salazar de Espinosa founded the settlement of Asunción on 15 August 1537. The city eventually became

5100-904: The beginning of Paraguay's current democratic era. Paraguay is a developing country , ranking 105th in the Human Development Index . It is a founding member of Mercosur , the United Nations , the Organization of American States , the Non-Aligned Movement and the Lima Group . Additionally, the city of Luque , in metropolitan Asuncion, is the seat of the South American Football Confederation . Although one of only two landlocked countries in South America ( Bolivia

5202-738: The bodies of those killed by the regime were dumped in the Chaco or the Río Paraguay . The discovery of the " Archives of Terror " in 1992 in the Lambaré suburb of Asunción confirmed allegations of widespread human rights violations. During Stroessner's rule, two special departments were organized under the Ministry of the Interior led by Edgar Ynsfrán : the Department of Investigations of

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5304-424: The celebration of Holy Mass in a sign of protest against the Stroessner regime. When Pope John Paul II visited Paraguay in 1988, his visit bolstered what was already a robust anti-Stroessner movement within the country. Stroessner gave a written television interview to Alan Whicker as part of a documentary called The Last Dictator (UK: 7 April 1970) for the television series Whicker's World . The programme

5406-408: The center of a Spanish colonial province of Paraguay . An attempt to create an autonomous Christian Indian nation was undertaken by Jesuit missions and settlements in this part of South America in the eighteenth century. They developed Jesuit reductions to bring Guarani populations together at Spanish missions and protect them from virtual slavery by Spanish settlers and Portuguese slave raiders,

5508-494: The country in 1986, Laíno returned with three television crews from the U.S., a former United States ambassador to Paraguay, and a group of Uruguayan and Argentine congressmen. Despite the international contingent, the police violently barred Laíno's return. The Stroessner regime relented in April ;1987, and permitted Laíno to return to Asunción. Laíno took the lead in organizing demonstrations and reducing infighting among

5610-546: The country's infrastructure. Amongst these were the improvement of highways and the issuing of 15–20 hectare land grants to military personnel upon completion of their service, provided that the land would be used for farming purposes. Over 10,000 soldiers took up this offer. By the end of the Stronato , the second biggest city was Puerto Flor de Lis (renamed "Puerto Presidente Stroessner," then " Ciudad del Este "), founded just 32 years before. In April 1987, Stroessner lifted

5712-408: The coup. The two generals, Rodríguez and Oviedo, fought a brief artillery duel over Asunción. After the coup, Stroessner fled to Brazil, where he lived in exile for the next 17 years. The eastern city of Puerto Flor de Lis, which had been renamed Puerto Presidente Stroessner in his honour, in 1989 was again renamed Ciudad del Este . Asunción's airport had been named after him during his regime, but

5814-489: The disastrous Paraguayan War (1864–1870), during which the country lost half its prewar population and around 25–33% of its territory. In the 20th century, Paraguay faced another major international conflict—the Chaco War (1932–1935) against Bolivia—in which Paraguay prevailed. The country came under a succession of military dictators, culminating in the 35-year regime of Alfredo Stroessner , which lasted until his overthrow in 1989 by an internal military coup. This marked

5916-643: The disputed Chaco region. After the war, military officers used popular dissatisfaction with the Liberal politicians to seize the power for themselves. On 17 February 1936, the February Revolution brought colonel Rafael Franco to power. Between 1940 and 1948, the country was ruled by general Higinio Morínigo . Dissatisfaction with his rule resulted in the Paraguayan civil war of 1947 . In its aftermath Alfredo Stroessner began involvement in

6018-483: The indigenous Aché population of Paraguay's eastern districts, largely as the result of U.S. and European corporations wanting access to the country's forests, mines and grazing lands. The Aché resided on land that was coveted and had resisted relocation attempts by the Paraguayan army. The government retaliated with massacres and forced many Aché into slavery. In 1974, the UN accused Paraguay of slavery and genocide . Only

6120-427: The long-ruling Colorado Party, won the presidential election to succeed Mario Abdo as the next President of Paraguay . On 15 August 2023, Santiago Peña was sworn in as Paraguay's new president. Paraguay is divided by the Río Paraguay into two well differentiated geographic regions. The eastern region (Región Oriental); and the western region, officially called Western Paraguay (Región Occidental) and also known as

6222-541: The mid 1980s relations cooled, largely because of the international outcry over the regime's excesses, along with its involvement in narcotics trafficking and money-laundering. In 1986, the Reagan administration added his regime to its list of Latin American dictatorships. As leader of the Colorado Party , Stroessner exercised nearly complete control over the nation's political scene. Although opposition parties were nominally permitted after 1962 (the Colorado Party had been

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6324-426: The military dictatorships of six South American countries ( Chile , Argentina , Bolivia , Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil ) with the support of the United States. Human rights violations characteristic of those in other South American countries such as kidnappings , torture , forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings were routine and systematic during the Stroessner regime. Following executions, many of

6426-464: The murder of Vice President and long-time Oviedo rival Luis María Argaña on 23 March 1999, led the Chamber of Deputies to impeach Cubas the next day. On 26 March, eight student anti-government demonstrators were murdered, widely believed to have been carried out by Oviedo supporters. This increased opposition to Cubas, who resigned on 28 March. Senate President Luis González Macchi , a Cubas opponent,

6528-430: The nomadic Guaycuru and other nomads from the 16th century onward. Most of these peoples were absorbed into the mestizo population in the 18th and 19th centuries. Paraguay overthrew the local Spanish administration on 14 May 1811. Paraguay's first dictator was José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia who ruled Paraguay from 1814 until his death in 1840, with very little outside contact or influence. He intended to create

6630-442: The only legal party in the country since 1947), Paraguay remained for all intents and purposes a one-party state. Elections were so heavily rigged in favor of the Colorados that the opposition had no realistic chance of winning, and opposition figures were subjected to varying degrees of harassment. Furthermore, Stroessner's Paraguay became a haven for Nazi war criminals, including Josef Mengele , and non-communist peaceful opposition

6732-403: The opposition party. The opposition was unable to reach agreement on a common strategy regarding the elections, with some parties advocating abstention, and others calling for blank voting. The parties held numerous 'lightning demonstrations' ( mítines relámpagos ), especially in rural areas. Such demonstrations were gathered and quickly disbanded before the arrival of the police . In response to

6834-411: The opposition, ended with the removal of Lugo from office and Vice President Federico Franco assuming the duties of president. Lugo's rivals blamed him for the deaths of 17 people – eight police officers and nine farmers – in armed clashes after police were ambushed by armed peasants when enforcing an eviction order against rural trespassers. On 14 May 2011, Paraguay celebrated its bicentenary on

6936-425: The party. However, the party's constitution did not allow it. On 21 June 2012, impeachment proceedings against President Lugo began in the country's lower house, which was controlled by his opponents. Lugo was given less than twenty-four hours to prepare for the proceedings and only two hours in which to mount a defense. Impeachment was quickly approved and the resulting trial in Paraguay's Senate, also controlled by

7038-411: The pillaging of Asunción in 1869, the Imperial Brazilian Army packed up and transported the Paraguayan National Archives to Rio de Janeiro . Brazil's records from the war have remained classified. This has made Paraguayan history in the colonial and early national periods difficult to research and study. In 1904 the Liberal revolution against the rule of Colorados broke out. The Liberal rule started

7140-435: The power of colonial-era elites and to create a mixed-race or mestizo society. He cut off relations between Paraguay and the rest of South America. Because of Francia's restrictions of freedom, Fulgencio Yegros and several other Independence-era leaders in 1820 planned a coup d'état against Francia, who discovered the plot and had its leaders either executed or imprisoned for life. After Francia's death in 1840, Paraguay

7242-418: The presidency on 15 August 1954, quickly suspended constitutional and civil rights, and began a period of harsh repression with the support of the army and the military police (which also served as a secret police ) against anyone who opposed his authoritarian rule. Even when opposition parties were legalized in 1962, they were barely tolerated, and the repression continued. On 25 August 1967, he introduced

7344-569: The president to two five-year terms, it stipulated that only those terms completed after the 1968 election would count toward that limit. In 1977, faced with having to leave office for good the following year, Stroessner pushed through a constitutional amendment allowing him to run for an unlimited number of five-year terms. Paraguay was a leading participant in Operation Condor , a campaign of state terror and security operations officially implemented in 1975 which were jointly conducted by

7446-520: The regime's opponents. Stroessner heavily relied on various Colorado Party militias , subordinated to his control, to crush any dissent within the country. The Stroessner regime's strong anti-communist stance earned it the support of the United States, with which it enjoyed close military and economic ties and supported the U.S. invasion of the Dominican Republic . The Stroessner regime even offered to send troops to Vietnam alongside

7548-463: The results in part to the virtual Colorado monopoly on the mass media. They noted that 53% of those polled indicated that there was an "uneasiness" in Paraguayan society. 74% believed that the political situation needed changes, including 45% who wanted a substantial or total change. Finally, 31% stated that they planned to abstain from voting in the February elections. On 3 February 1989, Stroessner

7650-571: The shipyards of Asunción. Fortifications were built, especially along the Apa River and in Gran Chaco . Following the death of Carlos Antonio López, these projects continued under his son Francisco Solano. In terms of socio-economic development, the country was dubbed "the most advanced Republic in South America", notably by the British judge and politician Sir Robert Phillimore . According to George Thompson, Lieutenant Colonel of Engineers in

7752-471: The sole exception of non-aligned Yugoslavia . Stroessner made many state visits , including to Japan , the United States, and France , as well as to South Africa , a country which Paraguay developed close bilateral ties with in the 1970s. He also made several visits to West Germany , although over the years his relations with that country deteriorated. Since he had always been known as pro-German, this worsening of relations, combined with his feeling that

7854-529: The south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. It has a population of around 6.1 million, nearly 2.3 million of whom live in the capital and largest city of Asunción , and its surrounding metro area. Spanish conquistadores arrived in 1524, and in 1537 established the city of Asunción , the first capital of the Governorate of the Río de la Plata . During

7956-411: The state of siege as part of the run-up to elections the following spring. However, several draconian security laws remained in effect, meaning that the substance (if not the form) of the state of siege was still in place. As had been the case for over three decades, opposition leaders continued to be arbitrarily arrested and opposition meetings and demonstrations were broken up (often brutally). Stroessner

8058-468: The strategic defenses of Paraguay by developing the Fortress of Humaitá . The government hired more than 200 foreign technicians, who installed telegraph lines and railroads to aid the expanding steel, textile, paper and ink, naval construction, weapons and gunpowder industries. The Ybycuí foundry, completed in 1850, manufactured cannons, mortars and bullets of all calibers. River warships were built in

8160-707: The support of the army. On 5 February 1989, two days after the coup, Stroessner was exiled to Brazil, where he spent the last 17 years of his life. He died in August 2006 at the Santa Luzia Hospital in Brasília after suffering from pneumonia . He was buried in the Campo da Esperança Cemetery. Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda was born in Encarnación on 3 November 1912. His father, a German Paraguayan ,

8262-497: The time, 2.06 million people lived in rural areas, more than half of the 4.1 million total population, and most were landless. The June 1992 constitution established a democratic system of government and dramatically improved protection of fundamental human rights. In May 1993, Colorado Party candidate Juan Carlos Wasmosy was elected as Paraguay's first civilian president in almost forty years, in what international observers deemed free and fair elections. With support from

8364-503: The upsurge in opposition activities, Stroessner condemned the Accord for advocating "sabotage of the general elections and disrespect of the law". He used national police and civilian vigilantes of the Colorado Party to break up demonstrations. A number of opposition leaders were imprisoned or otherwise harassed. Hermes Rafael Saguier  [ es ] , another key leader of the PLRA ,

8466-431: The victims was still ongoing as of 2022. An estimated 18,000 to 20,000 people were subjected to torture and other abuses by Stroessner's government. In part due to Stroessner's abuses, Paraguay's current constitution limits the president to a single five-year term with no possibility of reelection, even if nonsuccessive. The ban on any sort of reelection has become so entrenched in Paraguayan politics that in 2017, when

8568-509: The war was the catastrophic loss of population. At least 50% of Paraguayans died during the conflict, numbers to which it took many decades for the country to return. Of the disaster suffered by the Paraguayans at the outcome of the war, William D. Rubinstein wrote: "The normal estimate is that of a Paraguayan population of somewhere between 450,000 and 900,000, only 220,000 survived the war, of whom only 28,000 were adult males." During

8670-399: Was an accountant from Hof, Bavaria , Germany, who immigrated to Paraguay in the last five years of the 1890s. His mother was of Guaraní and Spanish criollo descent. He joined the Paraguayan army at the age of 16. During the 1947 Paraguayan Civil War , Stroessner supported the Colorado Party , and played an important role in their victory. In 1951, he became commander-in-chief of

8772-406: Was crushed. Given Stroessner's affinity for Nazism and harboring of Nazi war criminals, foreign press often referred to his government as the "poor man's Nazi regime". Stroessner's rule brought more stability than most of the country's living residents had previously known. From 1927 to 1954, the country had had 22 presidents, including six from 1948 to 1954 alone. However, that stability came at

8874-453: Was extremely protectionist, never accepted loans from abroad and levied high tariffs against imported foreign products. This protectionism made the society self-sufficient, and it also avoided the debt suffered by Argentina and Brazil. Slavery existed in Paraguay, although not in great numbers, until 1844, when it was legally abolished in the new constitution. Francisco Solano López , the son of Carlos Antonio López, replaced his father as

8976-496: Was imprisoned for four months in 1987 on charges of sedition. In early February 1988, police arrested 200 people attending a National Coordinating Committee meeting in Coronel Oviedo . Laíno and several other opposition figures were arrested before dawn on the day of the election, 14 February, and held for twelve hours. The government declared Stroessner's re-election with 89% of the vote. The opposition attributed

9078-422: Was later renamed Silvio Pettirossi International Airport . Stroessner died on 16 August 2006, in Brasília , at the age of 93. The immediate cause of death was a stroke . He had been suffering from pneumonia after undergoing a hernia operation. The Paraguayan government preemptively dismissed any suggestions for honouring the late president within Paraguay. He tried to return to Paraguay before his death, but he

9180-525: Was marked by extensive human rights abuses. Stroessner and the Colorado party ruled the country from 1954 to 1989. The dictator oversaw an era of economic expansion, but also had a poor human rights and environmental record (see "Political History"). Paraguay actively participated in Operation Condor . Torture and death for political opponents was routine. After his overthrow, the Colorado continued to dominate national politics until 2008. The splits in

9282-601: Was no income tax and public spending was the smallest percentage of GDP in Latin America . Stroessner enacted several economic development projects, including the building of the Itaipu Dam , the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world at the time: although Paraguay received only 15% of the contracts, it was a major factor in the country having the highest rate of growth in Latin America for most of

9384-540: Was nominated by the Colorados once again, and was the only candidate who was allowed to campaign completely unmolested. Under these circumstances, the February 1988 election was no different from past elections, with Stroessner officially registering 89 percent of the vote — a margin that his rivals contended could have been obtained only through massive fraud. On 3 February 1989, only six months after being sworn in for what would have been his eighth full term, Stroessner

9486-481: Was not allowed to run and was detained in jail. His former running mate, Raúl Cubas , became the Colorado Party's candidate, and was elected in May in elections deemed by international observers to be free and fair. One of Cubas' first acts after taking office in August was to commute Oviedo's sentence and release him. In December 1998, Paraguay's Supreme Court declared these actions unconstitutional. In this tense atmosphere,

9588-418: Was ousted in a coup d'état led by General Andrés Rodríguez , his closest confidant for over three decades. One reason for the coup was that the generals feared one of Stroessner's offspring would succeed him. Of the two, Alfredo was a cocaine addict and Gustavo , a pilot, was loathed for being homosexual . A more outlandish rumour was that Lino Oviedo threatened Rodríguez with a grenade if he did not launch

9690-460: Was overthrown in a military coup headed by General Andrés Rodríguez . As president, Rodríguez instituted political, legal, and economic reforms and initiated a rapprochement with the international community. Reflecting the deep hunger of the rural poor for land, hundreds immediately occupied thousands of acres of unused territories belonging to Stroessner and his associates; by mid-1990, 19,000 families occupied 340,000 acres (138,000 ha). At

9792-431: Was peacefully sworn in as president the same day. In 2003, Nicanor Duarte was elected as president. For the 2008 general elections, the Colorado Party was favored in polls. Their candidate was Minister of Education Blanca Ovelar , the first woman to be nominated as a candidate for a major party in Paraguayan history. After sixty years of Colorado rule, voters chose Fernando Lugo , a former Roman Catholic Bishop and not

9894-685: Was rebuked and threatened with arrest by the government. Stroessner was married to Eligia Mora (26 December 1910 – 3 February 2006). They had three children. The couple were forcibly separated after his exile; she fled to the US, while he was given asylum in Brazil. Although they stayed in touch by phone and occasionally met, they were unable to live together, and neither Stroessner nor his son were able to return to Paraguay to attend her funeral. Stroessner engaged in extramarital affairs before and during his presidency. According to many sources he also engaged in child abuse with girls as young as 8 years old. As

9996-400: Was reelected seven times—in 1958 , 1963 , 1968 , 1973 , 1978 , 1983 and 1988. He appeared alone on the ballot in 1958. In his other elections, he won by implausibly high margins; only once (1968) did he drop below 80 percent of the vote. That campaign was also the only time an opposition candidate got more than 20 percent of the vote. He served for 35 years, with only Fidel Castro having

10098-462: Was released in a Region 2 DVD box-set by the UK's Network imprint. Stroessner dedicated large proportions of the Paraguayan national budget to the military and police apparatus, both fundamental to the maintenance of the regime. According to a 1963 article from Time magazine, Stroessner spent 33% of the 1962 annual budget on army and police, 15% for education , and just 2% for public works . There

10200-510: Was renewed every 90 days until 1987, except for a brief period in 1959. Although it technically only applied to Asunción after 1970, the courts ruled that anyone charged with security offenses could be brought to the capital and charged under the state-of-siege provisions—even if the offense took place outside the capital. Apart from one 24-hour period on election days, Stroessner ruled under what amounted to martial law for nearly all of his tenure. A devoted anti-communist who brought Paraguay into

10302-435: Was ruled by various military officers under a new junta , until Carlos Antonio López (allegedly Rodríguez de Francia's nephew) came to power in 1841. López modernized Paraguay and opened it to foreign commerce. He signed a non-aggression pact with Argentina and officially declared independence of Paraguay in 1842. After López's death in 1862, power was transferred to his eldest son, Francisco Solano López . The regime of

10404-719: Was toppled and replaced by a Colorado government under General Venancio Flores on 22 February 1865. Afterward, the Argentine Republic , the Empire of Brazil and the Republic of Uruguay signed the Secret Treaty of the Triple Alliance against the Paraguayan Government on 1 May 1865. On 24 May 1866, the Battle of Tuyutí led to the loss of 6,000 men when a Paraguayan attack was repelled by

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