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Argentina had influence in the area, but Paraguay’s Solano Lopez expanded the
Paraguayan state, affecting the expansionist interests of Uruguay and neighboring
countries. Disputes involving Argentina and Brazil with Paraguay began to mount and
culminated in the onset of war.
The six years of war that followed was ultimately won by Argentina and Brazil, but
the war proved to be one of the most violent in the continent’s history, leaving over
400,000 dead. Asuncion, the Paraguayan capital, was occupied on January 5, 1869,
but Lopez did not surrender. Instead, Lopez was captured and summarily executed on
March 1, 1870, ending the war.
Coding changes: Start Date changed from August 1863.
MID#2316
Dispute Number: 2316
Date(s): January 25, 1929 to May 9, 1930
Participants: 150 Paraguay/140 Brazil
Outcome (and Settlement): Compromise (Negotiated)
Fatalities: 1–25 deaths
Narrative: Brazilian forces attacked Paraguayan customs guards on the island of
Margarita. Though an agreement on border delimitation had been signed the previous
year, control of the island remained disputed since Paraguay’s legislature had not yet
ratified the treaty. A border agreement confirming control of the island was signed in
May 1930.
Coding changes: Start Date changed from February 1929. End Date changed from
May 10, 1930. Fatalities changed from Missing.
140 Brazil/160 Argentina
MID#1528
Dispute Number: 1528
Date(s): April 1851 to February 3, 1852
Participants: 140 Brazil/160 Argentina
Outcome (and Settlement): Victory for side A (Imposed)
Fatalities: >999 deaths
Narrative: The La Plata War pitted Brazil against Argentina in 1851 and 1852 over
the Platine basin that had been politically unstable for the decades preceding the
conflict. Independence from colonial rule left Brazil and Argentina competing for
influence and hegemony in this region, and Brazil wanted to preserve the autonomy of
the basin as a buffer between Brazil and Argentina. Argentina, on the other hand, had
ambitions for uniting the Platine region under Argentine rule. Argentina had prime
position to strike in Uruguay, whose capital of Montevideo was mere miles from
Buenos Aires. Juan Manuel de Rosas, Argentine head of state, took the side of the
conservative Blancos, led by Manuel Oribe. Argentina’s broader ambitions to form a
united province soon drew criticism from the Entre Rios province in Argentina. The