Editing South America (section)

===Wars and conflicts===
Despite the [[Spanish American wars of independence]] and the [[Brazilian War of Independence]], the new nations quickly began to suffer with internal conflicts and wars among themselves. Most of the countries' borders who had initially accepted the 1810 borders on the ''uti possidetis iuris'' principle had by 1848 either been altered by war or were contested.<ref>Holsti 1996, p. 153.</ref>

In 1825, the proclamation of independence of Cisplatina led to the [[Cisplatine War]] between historical rivals the [[Empire of Brazil]] and the [[United Provinces of the Río de la Plata]], Argentina's predecessor. The result was a stalemate, ending with the [[British government]] arranging for the independence of Uruguay. Soon after, another Brazilian province proclaimed its independence leading to the [[Ragamuffin War]] which Brazil won.

Between 1836 and 1839, the [[War of the Confederation]] broke out between the short-lived [[Peru-Bolivian Confederation]] and Chile, with the support of the [[Argentine Confederation]]. The war was fought mostly in the actual territory of [[Peru]] and ended with a Confederate defeat and the dissolution of the Confederacy and annexation of many territories by Argentina.

Meanwhile, the [[Argentine Civil Wars]] plagued Argentina since its independence. The conflict was mainly between those who defended the centralization of power in Buenos Aires and those who defended a confederation. During this period it can be said that "there were two Argentines": the [[Argentine Confederation]] and the [[Argentine Republic]]. At the same time, the political instability in Uruguay led to the [[Uruguayan Civil War]] among the main political factions of the country. All this instability in the [[platine region]] interfered with the goals of other countries such as Brazil, which was soon forced to take sides. In 1851, the [[Brazilian Empire]], supporting the centralizing unitarians, and the [[Uruguay|Uruguayan government]] invaded Argentina and deposed the caudillo, [[Juan Manuel Rosas]], who ruled the confederation with an iron hand. Although the [[Platine War]] did not put an end to the political chaos and civil war in Argentina, it brought temporary peace to Uruguay where the [[Colorado Party (Uruguay)|Colorados faction]] won, supported by [[Brazilian Empire|Brazil]], [[United Kingdom of Britain and Ireland|Britain]], [[Second French Empire|France]] and the [[Unitarian Party]] of Argentina.<ref name="Latin America's Wars">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=khU0sFxgyjMC&q=chapter+twenty-five&pg=RA2-PA1844|title=Latin America's Wars|first=Robert L.|last=Scheina|date=2003|publisher=Potomac Books, Inc.|isbn=978-1597974776|access-date=28 October 2020|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414173957/https://books.google.com/books?id=khU0sFxgyjMC&q=chapter+twenty-five&pg=RA2-PA1844|url-status=live}}</ref>

Peace lasted only a short time: in 1864, the Uruguayan factions faced each other again in the [[Uruguayan War]]. The [[National Party (Uruguay)|Blancos]] supported by Paraguay started to attack Brazilian and Argentine farmers near the borders. The Empire made an initial attempt to settle the dispute between Blancos and Colorados without success. In 1864, after a Brazilian ultimatum was refused, the imperial government declared that Brazil's military would begin reprisals. Brazil declined to acknowledge a formal state of war, and, for most of its duration, the Uruguayan–Brazilian armed conflict was an undeclared war which led to the deposition of the ''Blancos'' and the rise of the pro-Brazilian ''Colorados'' to power again. This angered the Paraguayan government, which even before the end of the war invaded Brazil, beginning the longest and bloodiest inter-state war in Latin American history: the Paraguayan War.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bethell|first=Leslie|date=2018|title=Brazil: Essays on History and Politics|location=London|publisher=University of London|chapter=3. The Paraguayan War (1864–70)|pages=93–112|isbn=978-1-908857-61-3}}</ref>
[[File:Brazilians during the siege of Paysandu.jpg|thumb|[[Imperial Brazilian Navy]] [[siege of Paysandú]], 1865]]

The Paraguayan War began when the Paraguayan dictator [[Francisco Solano López]] ordered the invasion of the Brazilian provinces of [[Mato Grosso]] and [[Rio Grande do Sul]]. His attempt to cross Argentinian territory without Argentinian approval led the pro-Brazilian Argentine government into the war. The pro-Brazilian Uruguayan government showed its support by sending troops. In 1865 the three countries signed the [[Treaty of the Triple Alliance]] against Paraguay. At the beginning of the war, the Paraguayans took the lead with several victories, until the Triple Alliance organized to repel the invaders and fight effectively. This was the second [[total war]] experience in the world after the [[American Civil War]]. It was deemed the greatest war effort in the history of all participating countries, taking almost 6 years and ending with the complete devastation of Paraguay. The country lost 40% of its territory to Brazil and Argentina and lost 60% of its population, including 90% of the men. The dictator Lopez was killed in battle and a new government was instituted in alliance with Brazil, which maintained occupation forces in the country until 1876.<ref>{{cite web|language=pt|url=http://www.historiadobrasil.net/guerraparaguai/|title=A Guerra do Paraguai – História – Resumo|last=Borges|first=Fernando Tadeu de Miranda|website=Historiadobrasil.net|access-date=26 January 2017|archive-date=8 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170308172856/http://historiadobrasil.net/guerraparaguai/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The last South American war in the 19th century was the [[War of the Pacific]] with Bolivia and Peru on one side and Chile on the other. In 1879 the war began with Chilean troops occupying Bolivian ports, followed by Bolivia declaring war on Chile which activated an alliance treaty with Peru. The Bolivians were completely defeated in 1880 and Lima was occupied in 1881. Peace was signed with Peru in 1883 while a truce was signed with Bolivia in 1884. Chile annexed territories of both countries leaving Bolivia [[landlocked]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Carlos|last=Rossi|date=9 July 2007|language=pt|title=América Latina – Guerra do Pacífico|url=http://pt.shvoong.com/humanities/h_history/1628182-américa-latina-guerra-pacífico/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090304002203/http://pt.shvoong.com/humanities/h_history/1628182-am%C3%A9rica-latina-guerra-pac%C3%ADfico/|archive-date=4 March 2009}}</ref>
[[File:Brazilian battleship Minas Geraes firing a broadside.jpg|left|thumb|The Brazilian [[Minas Geraes-class battleship|''Minas Geraes'' class]] kindled an [[South American dreadnought race|Argentine–Brazilian–Chilean naval arms race]].]]

In the new century, as wars became less violent and less frequent, Brazil entered into a small conflict with Bolivia for the possession of the Acre, which was acquired by Brazil in 1902. In 1917 Brazil declared war on the [[Central Powers]], joined the allied side in the [[First World War]] and sent a small fleet to the [[Mediterranean Sea]] and some troops to be integrated with the British and French forces in the region. Brazil was the only South American country that participated in the First World War.<ref>Woodard, James P. "A Place in Politics: São Paulo, Brazil; From Seigneurial Republicanism to Regionalist Revolt" Duke University Press 2009 Chapter 3 "War and the Health of the State" especially pp. 77–81, [https://books.google.com/books?id=RS7kgAPs430C&dq=Brazil+%22A+Place+in+Politics%22+pickets+pestilence&pg=PA77 visualization on Google Books], {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200421193251/https://books.google.com/books?id=RS7kgAPs430C&pg=PA77&dq=Brazil+%22A+Place+in+Politics%22+pickets+pestilence&hl=pt-BR&sa=X&ei=WaFPUefhOOfK0AH_iYGQAw&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Brazil%20%22A%20Place%20in%20Politics%22%20pickets%20pestilence&f=false|date=21 April 2020}}.</ref><ref>[[Michael Conniff|Conniff, Michael L.]] and [[Frank McCann|McCann, Frank D.]] "Modern Brazil, Elites and Masses in Historical Perspective", University of Nebraska Press, 1991, {{ISBN|0803263481}}, p. 168, [https://books.google.com/books?id=UhbQdNXVtKYC&dq=strike+brazil+1917+brazil&pg=PA168 visualization on Google Books] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216013933/https://books.google.com/books?id=UhbQdNXVtKYC&pg=PA168&dq=strike+brazil+1917+brazil&hl=pt-BR&sa=X&ei=tZpPUbwfktXSAcG1gOgK&ved=0CEcQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=strike%20brazil%201917%20brazil&f=false|date=16 February 2017}}.</ref> Later in 1932 Colombia and Peru entered a [[Leticia Incident|short armed conflict]] for territory in the Amazon. In the same year Paraguay declared [[Chaco War|war on Bolivia]] for possession of the Chaco, in a conflict that ended three years later with Paraguay's victory. Between 1941 and 1942 Peru and Ecuador [[Ecuadorian–Peruvian War|fought for territories]] claimed by both that were annexed by Peru, usurping Ecuador's frontier with Brazil.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ucdp.uu.se/#country/135|website=Uppsala Conflict Data Program|publisher=Uppsala Universitet|title=Peru|access-date=29 May 2019|archive-date=20 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211220062811/https://ucdp.uu.se/#country/135|url-status=live}}</ref>

Also in this period, the first major naval battle of [[World War II]] took place in the South Atlantic close to the continental mainland: the [[Battle of the River Plate]], between a British [[cruiser]] squadron and a German [[pocket battleship]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Smyers|first=Richard P.|title=Review: Panzerschiff "Admiral Gragg Spee" by Siegfried Breyer|journal=Warship International|year=1990|volume=27|issue=1|page=44|jstor=44891302|postscript=;}} {{cite book|last=Landsborough|first=Gordon|title=The Battle of the River Plate: the First Naval Battle of the Second World War|year=2016|publisher=Frontline Books|isbn=978-1473878952}}</ref> The Germans still made numerous attacks on Brazilian ships on the coast, causing Brazil to declare war on the [[Axis powers]] in 1942, being the only South American country to fight in this war (and in both World Wars). Brazil sent naval and air forces to [[Battle of the Atlantic|combat German and Italian submarines]] off the continent and throughout the South Atlantic, in addition to sending an [[Brazilian Expeditionary Force|expeditionary force]] to fight in the [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italian Campaign]].<ref name="Ibidem Maximiano 2011">Maximiano, Cesar. with Bonalume, Ricardo N. & Bujeiro, Ramiro. [https://books.google.com/books?id=L6HVtOSmWAEC&q=Brazilian+Expeditionary+Force+WWII ''Brazilian Expeditionary Force in World War II''], {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105203029/https://books.google.com/books?id=L6HVtOSmWAEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Brazilian+Expeditionary+Force+WWII&hl=pt-BR&sa=X&ei=kgVwUslnwaaRB7_hgaAB&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Brazilian%20Expeditionary%20Force%20WWII&f=false|date=5 January 2016}}. Osprey Publishing Limited, 2011. {{ISBN|978-1849084833}} (Print version).</ref><ref>Frank D. MacCann – 'Estudios Interdisciplinarios de America Latina y el Caribe', vol. 6, No. 2, 1995.</ref>

A brief war was fought between Argentina and the UK in 1982, following an Argentine invasion of the [[Falkland Islands]], which ended with an Argentine defeat. The last international war to be fought on South American soil was the 1995 [[Cenepa War]] between Ecuador and Peru along their mutual border.