Editing History of Paraguay (section)

===Carlos Antonio López, 1841–62===

[[File:Carlos A. López por Coimbra.jpg|thumbnail|left|Carlos Antonio López]]
[[File:Palacio de los López.jpg|thumbnail|left|Palace of Lopez, started in 1857, now the Palace of the President]]
[[File:Asuncion Cathedral.JPG|thumbnail|left|Asunción Cathedral, built in 1845]]
[[File:Antigua Estación Central de Ferrocarriles en Asunción.jpg|thumbnail|left|Railway station in Asunción]]
After Francia's death on 20 September 1840, a political confusion erupted, because ''El Supremo'', now ''El Difunto'' (the Dead One), had left no successor. After a few days, a junta led by [[Manuel Antonio Ortiz]] emerged, freed some political prisoners, arrested Francia's secretary [[Polycarpo Patiño]], and soon proved itself ineffectual at governing. On 22 January 1841, Ortiz was overthrown by [[Juan José Medina]] who in turn was overthrown on 9 February in a coup led by [[Mariano Roque Alonzo]].

Alonzo lacked authority to rule, and on 14 March 1841, the two-man consulate of early Independence era was recreated. Besides Alonzo now ruled [[Carlos Antonio López]] as co-consul. This Second Consulate lasted until 13 March 1844, when Congress named Lopez the president of the Republic, a post he held until his death in 1862.

While maintaining a strong political and economic grip on the country, and despite all his shortcomings, Lopez worked towards strengthening Paraguay's independence.

Although López's government was similar to Francia's system, his appearance, style, and policies were different. Francia had pictured himself as the first citizen of a revolutionary state, whereas López used the all-powerful state to enrich himself and his family. López was a [[Despotism|despot]] who wanted to found a dynasty and ran Paraguay like a personal [[fiefdom]]. López soon became the largest landowner and cattle rancher in the country, amassing a fortune, which he augmented with profits from the state's [[monopoly]] on the yerba maté trade.

Despite his greed, Paraguay prospered under ''El Excelentísimo'' (the Most Excellent One), as López was known: the population increased from about 220,000 in 1840 to about 400,000 in 1860.

During his term of office, López improved national defense, abolished the remnants of the ''[[reduccion]]es'', stimulated economic development, and tried to strengthen relations with foreign countries. He also tried to reduce the threat from the marauding native tribes in the Chaco.

When López took office, Asunción had only one primary school. During López's reign, more than 400 schools were built for 25,000 primary students, and the state re-instituted secondary education. López's educational development plans progressed with difficulty, because Francia had purged the country of the educated elite, which included teachers.
López loosened restrictions on foreign relations, boosted exports, invited foreign physicians, engineers, and investors to settle in Paraguay, and paid for students to study abroad. In 1853 he sent his son Francisco Solano to Europe to buy guns. López was worried about the possibility of a war with Brazil or Argentina, so he created an army of 18,000 soldiers with a reserve of 46,000, at that time the largest army in South America.<ref name="encyclopedia"/>

"As British and other foreign technicians poured into the country, they were set to work almost entirely on the creation of a [[military–industrial complex]], and the greatest project of the era was a huge, sprawling [[fortress of Humaitá]], the 'Sevastopol of the Americas'."<ref name="google3"/> Several highways and a [[telegraph]] linking Asuncion with [[Humaitá]] were built. A British firm began building a [[History of rail transport in Paraguay|railroad from Asunción to Paraguarí]], one of South America's first, in 1858. On 22 September 1861, the Central railway station was opened in Asunción. Foreign experts helped build an [[Foundry|iron factory]] at [[Ybycuí]] and a large armory.

====Slavery====
Slavery had existed in Paraguay since early colonial days. Settlers had brought slaves to work as domestic servants, but were generally lenient about their bondage. Conditions worsened after 1700, however, with the importation of about 50,000 African slaves to be used as agricultural workers. Under Francia, the state acquired about 1,000 slaves when it confiscated property from the elite. López enacted the 1842 Law of the Free Womb, which ended the slave trade and guaranteed that the children of slaves would be free at age twenty-five. The new law served only to increase the slave population and depress slave prices as the slave [[birth rate]]s soared.

====Foreign relations====
Despite being ''de facto'' independent since 1811 and having proclaimed a Republic in 1813, Paraguay formally declared independence only on 25 November 1842 and in 1844 adopted a new Constitution that replaced the Constitution of 1813.<ref name="encyclopedia">{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Carlos_Antonio_Lopez.aspx|publisher=encyclopedia.com|title= Carlos Antonio López |access-date=2017-01-07}}</ref> Based on this, Paraguay started to gain official international recognition.

Foreign relations began to increase in importance under López, who retained Paraguay's traditional mistrust of the surrounding states, yet lacked Francia's diplomatic skills. Initially, López feared an attack by the [[Buenos Aires]] dictator Rosas. With Brazilian encouragement, López dropped Francia's policy of neutrality and began meddling in Argentine politics. Using the slogan "Independence or Death", López declared war against Rosas in 1845 to support what was ultimately an unsuccessful rebellion in the Argentine province of [[Corrientes]]. Although Britain and France prevented him from moving against Paraguay, Rosas established a trade embargo on Paraguayan goods.

[[File:The Paraguay Squadron.jpg|thumb|250px|The [[Paraguay expedition|Paraguay Squadron]] (''[[Harper's Weekly]]'', [[New York City|New York]], 16 October 1858)]]
After Rosas fell in 1852, López signed a treaty with Buenos Aires that recognized Paraguay's independence, although the porteños never ratified it. In the same year, López signed treaties of friendship, commerce, and navigation with France and the United States. On 1 October 1853, the US warship {{USS|Water Witch|1851|6}} arrived on a visit in Asunción.

Nonetheless, growing tensions with several countries, including the [[United States]], characterized the second half of López's rule. In 1858 the United States sent a [[flotilla]] to Paraguayan waters in a successful action to claim compensation for an American sailor who had been killed three years earlier when USS ''Water Witch'' had entered Paraguayan waters despite prohibition from Lopez.<ref name="google4">{{cite book|title=United States–Latin American Relations, 1850–1903: Establishing a Relationship|last1=Leonard |first1= T.M.|last2=Coerver |first2= D.M.|last3=Perez |first3= L.A.|last4=Delpar |first4= H.|last5=Harris |first5= W.L.|last6=Clayton |first6= L.A.|last7=Tulchin |first7= J.S.|last8=Smith |first8= J.|last9=Fernandez |first9= J.B.|last10=Zimnoch |first10= J.M.|date=2014|publisher=University of Alabama Press|isbn=9780817358235|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BjThBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA226|page=226|access-date=2017-01-07}}</ref>

López had recklessly dropped his policy of neutrality without determining where his allegiances lay. He allowed controversies and boundary disputes with Brazil and Argentina to smolder. The two regional giants had tolerated Paraguayan independence, partly because Paraguay served to check the expansionist tendencies of both opponents. Both were satisfied if the other could not dominate Paraguayan affairs. At the same time, a Paraguay that was antagonistic to both Brazil and Argentina would give these countries a reason for uniting.