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| Paraguayan Civil War | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theCold War (from 12 March 1947) | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
Supported by: |  Liberal Party Febrerista Revolutionary Concentration Paraguayan Communist Party | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Higinio MorínigoAlfredo Stroessner | Rafael Franco Oscar Creydt | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 20,000 | 3,000 | ||||||
| Part ofa series on |
| Moderncivil wars |
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TheParaguayan Civil War (also known as theBarefoot Revolution and theThird Paraguayan Civil War) was acivil war inParaguay that lasted from 7 March to 20 August 1947.
In 1940PresidentHiginio Morínigo suspended the constitution and bannedpolitical parties. Resistance to his rule took the form ofgeneral strikes and student riots. In 1946 Morínigo legalized political activity and formed a cabinet with theFebrerista Revolutionary Concentration and theColorado Party. The Febreristas resigned from the coalition on January 11, 1947, angry that Morínigo seemed to be favoring the Colorados.[1]
The Febreristas made common cause with theLiberal Party and theParaguayan Communist Party. Former Paraguayan president and founder of the Febrerista PartyRafael Franco led a rebellion that mushroomed into acivil war as theParaguayan armed forces, which had previously remained loyal, split.
The Communist Party became increasingly active, organizing rural peasants and workers and pushing for agrarian reform. Meanwhile, the United States began a campaign to combat communism throughout the Americas, which included supportingright-wing governments and political movements. As a result, the U.S. backedJuan Natalicio Gonzalez, a wealthy landowner and political ally, in leading the 1947 coup against President Morinigo.[2]
On the rebels' side were all the political parties except the Colorados, most of the bankers and administrators and 80% of military officers. Out of 11 army divisions, four joined the rebels: on March 8 the two infantry divisions atConcepcion rebelled, joined by the twoChaco infantry divisions a few days later.[citation needed]
On the government's side were the Colorados, three cavalry divisions at Campo Grande; three Asunción divisions (infantry, signallers and engineers) and the artillery division from Paraguari equipped with World War II American weapons, specifically M1 Garand rifles and American-supplied captured weapons such as the German MP 40 submachine gun, giving the Colorados superior firepower. Most importantly,Argentina underJuan Perón gave vital support to the government without which they might well have fallen.[citation needed]
On April 27 the navy joined the rebellion and shelledAsunción; they were fought off by the artillery division that had come fromParaguarí, commanded by Gen.Alfredo Stroessner. The largest gunboats of the fleet,Paraguay andHumaita, were seized by the rebels in Buenos Aires while they were undergoing repairs.
Morínigo fought back and eventually gained the upper hand, and had won back control by August 1947. A third of the population had fled.
