Carlos Antonio López

Carlos Antonio López with his own handwritten signature

5000 Guarani banknotes

Wall plaque with a quote from CA López: "Schools are the real monuments that we can offer freedom"

Carlos Antonio López Ynsfrán (born November 4, 1790 in Asunción , † September 10, 1862 ibid) was a Paraguayan politician. He was President of Paraguay between 1844 and 1862 .

Life

López first began to study philosophy and theology, then switched to law. After graduating, he was a teacher at the Colegio San Carlos in Asunción. After the death of José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia in 1840, he took over the almost undisputed control of Paraguay, which he would hold until his death. He was secretary of the ruling military junta (1840–1841), one of the two consuls (1841–1844) and finally president with largely dictatorial power (1844–1862). Although he was formally under the Republican constitution as president, he ruled despotic . He made his brother archbishop and his son commander in chief of the army . López can be seen today on the banknotes worth 5000 Guaraní , his remains are buried in the national pantheon in Asunción .

politics

Politically, he continued the course of his predecessor Rodríguez de Francia, and continued to pursue a policy of self-sufficiency, which often brought him into conflict with neighboring countries as well as Great Britain and the USA , which saw their business interests at risk. López tried to become as independent as possible from abroad by importing machines and technology. He opened the borders to European immigrants and technicians, a policy that made Paraguay one of the most economically advanced countries in South America. During his reign, his neighbors also recognized the country's independence. He reformed the legal system, public administration and the military. López introduced Paraguay's first own currency in 1845. He founded a national merchant fleet, built the first railway line in Paraguay, had numerous public buildings built, such as the government palace, the cathedral of Asunción and other churches, train stations and 300 schools. He also introduced compulsory education for all and scholarships for special students. In order to reduce unemployment, he recruited more civil servants and granted citizenship to the Indians. He began to abolish slavery with the first steps by declaring the children of female slaves to be free citizens from January 1, 1843. Previously, all of their children were also slaves by law.

After his death, his eldest son Francisco Solano López (1826–1870) became president.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ María Victoria Benitez Martinez: Inmigrantes europeos en Paraguay 1818 - 1930 p. 1103 (PDF)
2. ^ Carlos Antonio López - Vida y Obras portalguarani.com , accessed March 24, 2019.
3. ↑ Biografía de Don Carlos Antonio López abc.com.py , September 6, 2010, accessed March 23, 2019.
4. ↑ Los esclavos “invisibles” abc.com.py , July 1, 2018, accessed March 23, 2019.

predecessor	Office	successor
Mariano Roque Alonso	President of Paraguay (1840) 1844–1862	Francisco Solano López