Show NAPOLEON present difficulty with bolivia resulting from a long standing boundary dispute recalls the disastrous war led by francisco solano lopez who became dictator of paraguay in 1862 and seemed ambitious to bring all south america under his rule although paraguay had a population of only about lopez in 1865 waged war on her three larger neighbors brazil argentina and uruguay in five years four fifths of this population was dead of the remaining alive there were only men besides women over 15 years of age and children this was almost what it has sometimes been called a war of extermination copee stopped at nothing to keep up the unequal struggle regiments of boys between 12 and 15 were sent to the front and many women fought in the ranks women were the sole dependence for the raising of crops and they also transported ammunition and supplies even dragging artillery to the battle fronts lopez was killed on march and the war ended reduced to utter helplessness paraguay was permitted to adopt a new constitution and set up a government under the protection of her former foes but a brazilian army of occupation remained until 1876 paraguay has not yet regained the population she had at the beginning of lopees disastrous attempt to conquer the neighboring nations although because of the scarcity of men polygamy was legalized for a while in an effort to repopulate the country the population is now something over while that of po via is nearly |