Paraguay: 20th Century Developments

Paraguay entered the twentieth century under Liberal Party governments that replaced the long Colorado Party ascendancy of the previous decades, though frequent changes in leadership left the country politically unsettled. Tensions with neighboring Bolivia over the sparsely populated Chaco Boreal region escalated into open warfare in 1932. The Chaco War lasted until 1935, when a truce ended the fighting; Paraguayan forces, better suited to the region's difficult terrain, prevailed despite Bolivia's larger population and stronger armaments. A 1938 treaty formally awarded most of the disputed territory to Paraguay.

Postwar Paraguay remained politically volatile, and a civil war broke out in 1947 amid rivalries within the Colorado Party and continuing military involvement in government. This instability set the stage for General Alfredo Stroessner, who seized power in 1954 and went on to establish one of the longest-running dictatorships in South American history. His thirty-five-year rule was marked by tight control over political life and the suppression of opposition movements.

Stroessner's government ended in February 1989, when General Andres Rodriguez led a coup that forced him into exile in Brazil. Rodriguez subsequently won elections held later that year, beginning a gradual and often difficult transition toward multiparty democratic governance that continued through the final years of the century.