NationMaster - Encyclopedia: History of Paraguay

This is the history of Paraguay. See also the history of South America and the history of present-day nations and states. For other senses of this word, see history (disambiguation). ... While perhaps the last continent--except Antarctica to be inhabited by humans, the history of South America spans the full range of human cultural and civilizational forms. ... This is a list of articles on the history of the countries that still exist today. ...

Pre-Columbian times and colonization

See Also Government of the Río de la Plata, Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Created in 1776, the Viceroyalty of La Plata (in Spanish, Virreinato del RÃo de la Plata) was the last and most shortlived viceroyalty created by Spain. ...

Pre-Columbian civilization in the fertile, wooded region that is now Paraguay consisted of numerous seminomadic, Guarani-speaking tribes of Indians, who were recognized for their fierce warrior traditions. They practiced a mythical polytheistic religion, which later blended with Christianity. The term Pre-Columbian is used to refer to the cultures of the New World in the era before significant European influence. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Polytheism is belief in, or worship of, multiple gods or divinities. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recounted in the Gospels. ...

Spanish explorer Juan de Salazar founded Asunción on the Feast Day of the Assumption, August 15, 1537. The city eventually became the center of a Spanish colonial province. Paraguay declared its independence by overthrowing the local Spanish authorities on May 14, 1811. Map of Paraguay PanteÃ³n de los HÃ©roes in AsunciÃ³n AsunciÃ³n, population 1,639,000 (2002), is the capital of Paraguay. ... According to Catholic theology and the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, the body of Mary, the mother of Jesus, venerated by these denominations as the Blessed Virgin Mary or Theotokos, respectively, was taken into Heaven along with her soul after her death. ... August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ... Events January 6 - Alessandro de Medici assassinated August 25 - The Honourable Artillery Company, the oldest surviving regiment in the British Army, and the second most senior, was formed. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (135th in leap years). ... Joyce Rollins is a lesbian. ...

Independence

The country's formative years saw three strong leaders who established the tradition of personal rule that lasted until 1889: José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, Carlos Antonio López, and his son, Francisco Solano López. The younger López waged a war against Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil (War of the Triple Alliance, 1864-70) in which Paraguay lost half its population; afterwards, Brazilian troops occupied the country until 1874. A succession of presidents governed Paraguay under the banner of the Colorado Party from 1880 until 1904, when the Liberal party seized control, ruling with only a brief interruption until 1940. Dr. JosÃ© Gaspar RodrÃguez de Francia y Velasco (January 6, 1766 â€“ September 20, 1840) was the first leader of Paraguay following its independence from Spain. ... Carlos Antonio LÃ³pez (November 4, 1790-September 10, 1862) was a Paraguayan political figure. ... Francisco Solano LÃ³pez Francisco Solano LÃ³pez (24 July 1827 - 1 March 1870) was president of Paraguay from 1862 until his death in 1870. ... Combatants Paraguay Uruguay, Argentina, Brasil Commanders Francisco Solano LÃ³pez BartolomÃ© Mitre, Duke of Caxias Strength at the beginning of the war ca. ...

20th century

In the 1930s and 1940s, Paraguayan politics were defined by the Chaco War against Bolivia, the Paraguayan Civil War, military dictatorships, and periods of extreme political instability. General Alfredo Stroessner took power in May 1954. Elected to complete the unexpired term of his predecessor, he was re-elected president seven times, ruling almost continuously under the state-of-siege provision of the constitution with support from the military and the Colorado Party. During Stroessner's 34-year reign, political freedoms were severely limited, and opponents of the regime were systematically harassed and persecuted under the banner of national security and anti-Communism. Stroessner also pursued an assimilation policy towards (non-mestizo) Indians; many Aché Indians were killed in the process of sedentarization. Though a 1967 constitution gave dubious legitimacy to Stroessner's control, Paraguay became progressively isolated from the world community. Combatants Republic of Bolivia Republic of Paraguay Commanders Hans Kundt Strength Army of Bolivia Army of Paraguay Casualties The Chaco War (1932â€“1935) was fought between Bolivia and Paraguay over control of the arid Chaco Boreal region of South America, which was incorrectly thought to be rich in oil. ... The Paraguayan Civil War was a conflict in Paraguay from March to August 1947. ... Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda (born November 3, 1912) is a former politician and general from Paraguay who served as President of that country from 1954 to 1989. ... The Colorado Party (Spanish: Partido Colorado) is a political party in Paraguay. ... The AchÃ© Indians (also known by the hostile names GuayakÃ, Guaiaqui, Guoyagui, Guayaki, which literally mean rabid or ferocious rats; and the alternate spellings Ache or Axe meaning in their language human or person) are an indigenous people in Paraguay. ...

On September 17, 1980, Anastasio Somoza Debayle, former president of Nicaragua, was assassinated in Asunción. Governmental response to this assassination led to further restrictions in Paraguayan civil rights. September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years). ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Anastasio and Luis Somoza Debayle in 1959 Anastasio Somoza Debayle (December 5, 1925â€“September 17, 1980) was officially the forty-fourth and forty-fifth President of Nicaragua from May 1, 1967 to May 1, 1972 and from December 1, 1972 to July 17, 1979. ... Map of Paraguay PanteÃ³n de los HÃ©roes in AsunciÃ³n AsunciÃ³n, population 1,639,000 (2002), is the capital of Paraguay. ... Civil rights or positive rights are those legal rights retained by citizens and protected by the government. ...

On February 3, 1989, Stroessner was overthrown in a military coup headed by General Andrés Rodríguez. Rodríguez, as the Colorado Party candidate, easily won the presidency in elections held that May and the Colorado Party dominated the Congress. In 1991 municipal elections, however, opposition candidates won several major urban centers, including Asunción. As president, Rodríguez instituted political, legal, and economic reforms and initiated a rapprochement with the international community. February 3 is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... AndrÃ©s RodrÃguez Pedotti (June 19, 1923 - April 21, 1997) was the President of Paraguay from February 3, 1989 to August 15, 1993. ...

==Modern Paraguay==Kissed its ass The June 1992 constitution established a democratic system of government and dramatically improved protection of fundamental rights. In May 1993, Colorado Party candidate Juan Carlos Wasmosy was elected as Paraguay's first civilian president in almost 40 years in what international observers deemed fair and free elections. The newly elected majority-opposition Congress quickly demonstrated its independence from the executive by rescinding legislation passed by the previous Colorado-dominated Congress. With support from 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, taking an important step to strengthen democracy. Juan Carlos Wasmosy Monti (born 15 December 1938) was the President of Paraguay from 1993 until 1998. ... The Organization of American States (OAS; OEA in the other three official languages) is an international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., USA. Its members are the 35 independent nations of the Americas. ... Lino CÃ©sar Oviedo (born September 23, 1943) is a former Paraguayan army general and a politician. ...

Oviedo became the Colorado candidate for president in the 1998 election, but when the Supreme Court upheld in April his conviction on charges related to the 1996 coup attempt, he was not allowed to run and remained in confinement. 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. However, his brief presidency was dominated by conflict over the status of Oviedo, who had significant influence over the Cubas government. One of Cubas' first acts after taking office in August was to commute Oviedo's sentence and release him from confinement. In December 1998, Paraguay's Supreme Court declared these actions unconstitutional. After delaying for 2 months, Cubas openly defied the Supreme Court in February 1999, refusing to return Oviedo to jail. In this tense atmosphere, the murder of Vice President and long-time Oviedo rival Luis María Argaña on March 23, 1999, led the Chamber of Deputies to impeach Cubas the next day. The March 26 murder of eight student antigovernment demonstrators, widely believed to have been carried out by Oviedo supporters, made it clear that the Senate would vote to remove Cubas on March 29, and Cubas resigned on March 28. Despite fears that the military would not allow the change of government, Senate President Luis González Macchi, a Cubas opponent, was peacefully sworn in as president the same day. Cubas left for Brazil the next day and has since received asylum. Oviedo fled the same day, first to Argentina, then to Brazil. In December 2001, Brazil rejected Paraguay's petition to extradite Oviedo to stand trial for the March 1999 assassination and "Marzo Paraguayo" incident. RaÃºl Cubas Grau (born August 23, 1943) was the President of Paraguay from 1998 until 1999. ... Luis MarÃa del CorazÃ³n de JesÃºs Dionisio ArgaÃ±a Ferraro was a prominent politician in Paraguay and influential member of the Colorado Party until his assassination on March 23, 1999. ... March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in Leap years). ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... March 29 is the 88th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (89th in Leap years). ...

González Macchi offered cabinet positions in his government to senior representatives of all three political parties in an attempt to create a coalition government. While the Liberal Party pulled out of the government in February 2000, the Gonzalez Macchi government has achieved a consensus among the parties on many controversial issues, including economic reform. Liberal Julio César Franco won the August 2000 election to fill the vacant vice presidential position. In August 2001, the lower house of Congress considered but did not pass a motion to impeach González Macchi for alleged corruption and inefficient governance. In 2003, Nicanor Duarte Frutos was elected and sworn in as president. Pres. ...

On August 1 2004 a supermarket in Asunción burned, killing more than 464 people and injuring 409 [1].

On July 1, 2005, the United States reportedly deployed troops and aircraft to the large military airfield of Mariscal Estigarribia as part of a bid to extend control of strategic interests in the Latin American sphere, particularly in Bolivia. A military training agreement with Asunción, giving immunity to US soldiers, caused some concern after media reports initially reported that a base housing 20,000 US soldiers was being built at Mariscal Estigarribia within 200 km of Argentina and Bolivia, and 300 km of Brazil, near an airport which could receive large planes (B-52, C-130 Hercules, etc.) which the Paraguan Air Forces do not have. ^[1] ^[2]. The governments of Paraguay and the United States subsequently declared that the use of an airport (Dr Luís María Argaña International)[2] was one point of transfer for few soldiers in Paraguay at the same time. According to the Clarín argentinian newspaper, the US military base is strategic because of its location near the Triple Frontera between Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina; its proximity towards the Guarani aquifer; and, finally, its closeness toward Bolivia (less than 200 km) at the same "moment that Washington's magnifying glass goes on the Altiplano and points toward Venezuelian Hugo Chávez — the regional demon according to Bush's administration — as the instigator of the instability in the region" (El Clarín ^[2]), making a clear reference to the Bolivian Gas War. July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mariscal Estigarribia is a town in the BoquerÃ³n Department, Paraguay. ... A regular pentagon A pentagram enclosed in a pentagon In geometry, a pentagon is any five-sided polygon. ... Mariscal Estigarribia is a town in the BoquerÃ³n Department, Paraguay. ... B-52 can refer to the following: The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber aircraft A hairstyle popular in the 1950s and 1960s, named after the aircraft A rock band, The B-52s, named after the hairstyle A cocktail This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists... The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop cargo aircraft and the main tactical airlifter for military forces worldwide. ... ClarÃn is a major newspaper in Argentina, founded by Roberto Noble on August 28, 1945. ... The Triple Frontier (in Spanish, Hito Tres Fronteras, the Three Borders Landmark) is the tri-border area along the junction of Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil near the cities of Ciudad del Este, Alto ParanÃ¡; Puerto IguazÃº, Misiones and Foz do Iguassu, ParanÃ¡ respectively and is the location of the Iguassu... The GuaranÃ Aquifer is a vast underground reservoir of fresh water which lies beneath the surface of Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil. ... The Altiplano (Spanish for high plain), where the Andes are at their widest, is the most extensive area of high plateau on earth outside of Tibet. ... Hugo Rafael ChÃ¡vez FrÃas (IPA: ) (born July 28, 1954) is the 53rd[1] and current President of Venezuela. ... The Bush administration includes President George W. Bush, Vice President Richard Cheney, Bushs Cabinet, and other select officials and advisors. ... The Bolivian Gas War was a social conflict in Bolivia centering around the exploitation of the countrys vast natural gas reserves. ...

References

April 2006 : â† - January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- â†’ Events 1 April 2006 (Saturday) Marcos Pontes, Brazils first astronaut, reaches the International Space Station. ... ClarÃn is a major newspaper in Argentina, founded by Roberto Noble on August 28, 1945. ... September 9 is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Encyclopedia > History of Paraguay

Contents

Pre-Columbian times and colonization

Independence

20th century

References

See also

External links