La Plata War

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The La Plata war , Portuguese Guerra da Prata was a military conflict in South America in the years 1851 and 1852. In this case, the standing Empire of Brazil , Uruguay and the breakaway provinces of Argentina Entre Riós and Corientes on one, the Argentine Confederation on opposite the other side. The war took place as part of the rivalry between Brazil and Argentina for supremacy in South America and ended with a victory for the Brazilian Empire and its allies.

prehistory

In the Uruguayan civil war , the Argentine dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas intervened in favor of Blancos , whereupon the Brazilians feared that de Rosas might seek territorial expansion on the continent. Brazilian troops intervened on behalf of the Colorados , displacing the Los Blancos and their Argentine allies from Uruguayan territory. Subsequently, the governments of Brazil and Uruguay formed an alliance with Justo José de Urquiza , leader of the breakaway Argentine provinces of Entre Riós and Corientes, with the aim of overthrowing Juan Manuel de Rosas.

course

Thanks mainly to the superiority of the Brazilian naval forces , the Argentines suffered severe defeats and were unable to counter the advance of the Allied troops on Buenos Aires . On February 3, 1852, with the victory of the Brazilians and Uruguayans in the Battle of Caseros, the decision was made. De Rosas was able to flee from his headquarters in time and requested asylum from the British ambassador , which the ambassador granted him. The overthrown dictator remained in exile in England until his death.

consequences

With the victory in the La Plata War, Brazil consolidated its supremacy on the South American continent. Argentina received a new federal constitution in 1853 , which, however, was not recognized by the Province of Buenos Aires , which is why it split off temporarily. Uruguay did not calm down even after the end of the civil war and remained a politically unstable country.

literature

  • Barman, Roderick J. (1999). Citizen Emperor: Pedro II and the Making of Brazil, 1825-1891. Stanford: Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-3510-0 .
  • Scheina, Robert L. (2003). Latin America's Wars: The age of the caudillo, 1791-1899. Dulles: Brassey's. ISBN 978-1-57488-450-0 .