BBC History Magazine

HIDDEN HISTORIES

“Paraguay’s child-soldiers fought with wooden sticks, painted as muskets”

Outside of South America – where it remains an open wound – the War of the Triple Alliance is largely forgotten. It lasted from 1864 to 1870 and pitted Paraguay against a coalition consisting of Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil. By many measures, it counts among the most devastating wars of the 19th century.

The root cause

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