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Biography of Carlos Antonio LópezName: Carlos Antonio LópezBirth Date: November 4, 1792 Death Date: September 10, 1862 Place of Birth: Asunción, Paraguay Nationality: Paraguayan Gender: Male Occupations: dictator Carlos Antonio López The Paraguayan dictator Carlos Antonio López (1792-1862) was the greatest of all the presidents of his country. He ended Paraguay's isolation, maintained its independence, and laid the foundations for its prosperity.Born in Asunción on Nov. 4, 1792, Carlos Antonio López was one of eight children. Educated at the Colegio Seminario de San Carlos, López joined its faculty in 1814. When José Rodriguez Francia closed the school, López practiced law and gained a reputation for learning and probity.After Francia's death, López controlled the temporary government and the Congress which was called in March 1841. This Congress created the Second Consulate, which López dominated. Reversing many of Francia's policies, he established relations with other countries, promoted foreign trade, permitted foreigners to enter and leave freely, reestablished the Church, created a monetary system, and reorganized the army. Although independent since 1811, Paraguay …showed first 150 words…
…showed last 150 words…damages.López gave no more concessions to foreign capital. He sent his oldest son to Europe in 1853 to sign contracts with J. and A. Blyth of London and to negotiate treaties. The Blyths, serving as agents for Paraguay, recruited scores of engineers and skilled workmen who built various enterprises, including an arsenal, a foundry, a shipyard, a telegraph line, and a railway. López paid the bill with income from government monopolies, which yielded enough to eliminate practically all taxes.When López died on Sept. 10, 1862, he left a country economically strong, well endowed with military strength, and a people fanatically dedicated to maintaining their independence. Further Reading A good account of Lopez's life is in Harris Gaylord Warren, Paraguay: An Informal History (1949). Biographies are also in George Pendle, Paraguay: A Riverside Nation (1954; 3rd ed. 1967), and James Fred Rippy, Latin America: A Modern History (1958; rev. ed. 1968). |