Transición de poder: la guerra de la Triple Alianza (1864-1870)

Abstract

This thesis analyzes, based on the Power Transition Theory, the causes of the Paraguayan attack against the Brazilian Empire, which initiated the War of the Triple Alliance. The assumption that countries attack only when triumph in a war is to be expected and the hypothesis that Paraguay believed that it could become a great power in its region are tested. The analysis covers the 25 years that preceded the war, from 1840 to 1865, beginning with the death of Carlos Francia and the opening and modernization of Paraguay, carried out by Carlos Antonio López, up to the consolidation of the war against Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. In that context, the main interests in that region are taken into account, as well degrees of satisfaction with the status quo and relative relations of power.