Francisco Solano L�pez and the Ruination of Paraguay: Honor and Egocentrism

by James Schofield Saeger

The first serious biography of Francisco Solano L-pez in English for decades, this richly researched book tells the dramatic story of Paraguay's most notorious ruler. Despite the heroic stature he gained after his death, L-pez was a monumentally flawed leader who made the disastrous decisions in 1864 and 1865 to invade Paraguay's powerful neighbors, Brazil and Argentina, initiating the most devastating interstate conflict in South American history. Drawing on a trove of primary sources, James Saeger offers a critical analysis of L-pez's personality and often-irrational persecution of enemies, adherents, and siblings. He traces L-pez's preparation for high public office, work habits, control of his nation and army, propaganda, and execution. Concluding with an examination of L-pez's posthumous rehabilitation, Saeger shows how the tyrant who ruined his nation became its most highly honored hero, crowning a campaign by revisionist publicists from 1870D1936, and a useful symbol for later authoritarians. Still largely unchallenged in Paraguay today, this glorification of a martial president is definitively put to rest in Saeger's meticulous study.

252 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

James Schofield Saeger is Professor of History at Lehigh University. He has written extensively on Guaycuruan society, most recently in the Cambridge History of the Native Peoples of the Americas.

Reviews

[Peiman E iran]

‎دوستانِ گرانقدر، این کتاب در موردِ موجودی بیخرد به نامِ «فرانچسکو سولانو لوپز» میباشد که رئیس جمهورِ "پاراگوئه" بود و با تصمیماتِ اشتباه و وحشیانهٔ خود، جنگی را با نیروهایِ متحدِ "برزیل" و "آرژانتین" و "اروگوئه" به راه انداخت که این جنگِ خونین که دومین جنگِ خونین در قرنِ نوزدهم نیز نام گرفت، از سالِ 1865 تا سالِ 1870 به طول انجامید و سبب شد تا جمعیتِ کشوری به نامِ "پاراگوئه" که به عنوانِ اولین کشور در آمریکایِ جنوبی و در سال 1811 استقلال یافته بود، به شکلی غیر قابلِ باور، کاهش پیدا کرده و تنها زنان و کودکانِ این سرزمین، از چنین مصیبتِ جانگدازی، جانِ سالم به در برند
‎عزیزانم، این کتاب نکتهٔ خاصی جهتِ ریویو نوشتن ندارد، چراکه تنها به بیگورافی «لوپز» پرداخته بود و پرداختن به زندگیِ مردمِ "پاراگوئه" در آن زمان... لذا هدفم از نوشتنِ این ریویو، آشنایی شما بزرگواران با این موجود دیکتاتور و عجیب الخلقه و همچنین آشنایی با این واقعهٔ تلخِ تاریخی بود
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‎امیدوارم این ریویو برایِ شما خردگرایانِ تاریخ دوست، مفید بوده باشه
‎«پیروز باشید و ایرانی»

[Sdawgg]

Useful only because there are not many books in English about Paraguay's founding regime. Most of the (relatively) accessible material on the country at this early stage focuses solely on its war with the Triple Alliance and what followed. Some peeks at this antebellum land are possible around Lopez's widely acknowledged girth, but this is a biography, and a pretty hostile one at that. The author seems to have a personal grudge against Lopez, who had been dead for 137 years when this book was first published. He never misses an opportunity to take a swipe at Lopez. For example, Lopez called someone "my friend" in a letter; Saegar cites this as proof that Lopez is a liar, since his evil nature prevents him from having true friendships. Lopez was a bumbler, a fool, bad at business, bad at ruling, and so on and so forth. One wonders how the man managed to run a country at all!

[Brian]

James Saeger provides a critical look at one of the more brutal dictators in Latin American history and how this Caudillo changed the direction of his country. Francisco Solano Lopez was the only dictator in Latin America to succeed his father and his reign was categorized by extreme paranoia and brutality. This book also goes beyond Loepz to address a variety of issues related to life in Paraguay and explore the concept of honor and how it fits in Life in Latin America. Overall this is a very interesting look into life in Paraguay under Lopez and a great place to start for those interested in the subject.