The Chaco War 1932-1935: South America's greatest 20th century conflict
One of the largest and most destructive wars in Latin American history was the Chaco War, or the Gran Chaco War fought from 1932-1935 between the South American nations Paraguay and Bolivia. Fought over the more than 250,000 square miles of hot and arid desert terrain of the Gran Chaco known also as the Chaco Boreal , on the border with Paraguay, Bolivia, Argentina, and Brazil. What started as a 19th century territorial dispute over vast amounts of lands never formally annexed by the many South America republics that emerged after the Napoleonic Age and the end of imperialism, developed into a major Inter-War era conflict that saw mass mobilization of conscripted soldiers and true war economies on both sides. The diplomatic situation in the Chaco which had been unstable in the late 1920's escalated into total war following the break down of peace talks in Washington D.C. on July 8, 1932 between Paraguayan/Bolivian representatives and the American governmen...