Peter Lambert is a Senior Lecturer in Spanish and Latin American Studies in the Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies at the University of Bath. He is a coeditor of Latin American Foreign Policies: Between Ideology and Pragmatism and Political Violence and the Construction of National Identity in Latin America.Andrew Nickson is the Honorary Reader in Public Management and Latin American Studies at the University of Birmingham. He is the author of Local Government in Latin America and the Historical Dictionary of Paraguay. Lambert and Nickson are the editors of Transition to Democracy in Paraguay.

• List of Illustrations ixAcknowledgments xiIntroduction 1I. The Birth of Paraguay 11II. The Nationalist Experiment 53III. A Slow Recovery 129IV. From the Chaco War to the Civil War 193V. Dictatorship and Resistance 235VI. A Transition in Search of Democracy 321VII. What Does It Mean to Be Paraguayan? 383Epilogue: The Impeachment of President Fernando Lugo 451Suggestions for Further Reading 457Acknowledgment of Copyright and Sources 463Index 471

“Peter Lambert and Andrew Nickson have written a wonderfully engaging and useful text that addresses Paraguay’s fascinating and complicated history, replete with unique linguistics and national identity, and rich cultural heritage. . . . The lack of information about Paraguay is palpable.Nonetheless, Lambert and Nickson have corrected this oversight with a text that is bound to find an audience with undergraduate students, future Peace Corps volunteers . . . travelers, missionaries, businesspersons, and diplomats.” - Bridget María Chesterton (A Contracorriente) “At its best, The Paraguay Reader puts oppositional texts next to each other, not resolving the cacophony of voices but instead allowing the tensions to stand. As such, the compilation serves as an introductory overview for historians, regionalists, and social scientists; but, as the first English-language text of its kind, The Paraguay Reader will also be an important text for Paraguayanists.” - Christine Folch (Hispanic American Historical Review) “Overall, the editors offer an indispensable guide to an important topic. A must-have for any academic library. Summing up: Essential.” - K.A. Tyvela (Choice) “This excellent collection of literary artefacts and historical texts and reportage lifts this veil of mystery and shines a light on the country’s hidden hinterland, providing the reader with genuinely interesting insights into a country and society that is poorly understood in South America itself, let alone in the rest of the world.” - Gavin O'Toole (Latin American Review of Books) “Many of the accounts are being made accessible in English for the first time and thus provide an invaluable resource on the subjects treated, one that has no parallel in the current literature. All of the accounts are preceded by introductions that prepare the reader for the historical significance of the piece.” - Leonard Rinchiuso (Journal of Latin American Geography) “The Paraguay Reader is a much needed and therefore welcome contribution to the practically nonexistent field of Paraguayan studies. Anyone who wishes to better understand Paraguay will find this book indispensable.” - Marcelino Viera-Ramos (The Latin Americanist) “The Paraguay Reader is an excellent compilation of literature, folklore, anecdote, reportage and academic research. It illustrates the indomitable capacity of the Paraguayan people.” - Ed Hart (Sounds and Colours) "The editors do an admirable job of compiling primary sources and analytical essays on the history, politics, and culture of this small, landlocked, poorly understood nation. Undoubtedly the most comprehensive and accessible introduction to Paraguay available in English, The Paraguay Reader both explains and complicates the country’s fabled uniqueness." - Christine Mathias (Ethnohistory) “For readers seeking an introduction to Paraguayan history and instructors interested in incorporating a tremendous range of source materials in the classroom, The Paraguay Reader is an excellent resource.” - Caroline E. Schuster (Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology)

Peter Lambert is a Senior Lecturer in Spanish and Latin American Studies in the Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies at the University of Bath. He is a coeditor of Latin American Foreign Policies: Between Ideology and Pragmatism and Political Violence and the Construction of National Identity in Latin America.Andrew Nickson is the Honorary Reader in Public Management and Latin American Studies at the University of Birmingham. He is the author of Local Government in Latin America and the Historical Dictionary of Paraguay. Lambert and Nickson are the editors of Transition to Democracy in Paraguay.

• List of Illustrations ixAcknowledgments xiIntroduction 1I. The Birth of Paraguay 11II. The Nationalist Experiment 53III. A Slow Recovery 129IV. From the Chaco War to the Civil War 193V. Dictatorship and Resistance 235VI. A Transition in Search of Democracy 321VII. What Does It Mean to Be Paraguayan? 383Epilogue: The Impeachment of President Fernando Lugo 451Suggestions for Further Reading 457Acknowledgment of Copyright and Sources 463Index 471

“Peter Lambert and Andrew Nickson have written a wonderfully engaging and useful text that addresses Paraguay’s fascinating and complicated history, replete with unique linguistics and national identity, and rich cultural heritage. . . . The lack of information about Paraguay is palpable.Nonetheless, Lambert and Nickson have corrected this oversight with a text that is bound to find an audience with undergraduate students, future Peace Corps volunteers . . . travelers, missionaries, businesspersons, and diplomats.” - Bridget María Chesterton (A Contracorriente) “At its best, The Paraguay Reader puts oppositional texts next to each other, not resolving the cacophony of voices but instead allowing the tensions to stand. As such, the compilation serves as an introductory overview for historians, regionalists, and social scientists; but, as the first English-language text of its kind, The Paraguay Reader will also be an important text for Paraguayanists.” - Christine Folch (Hispanic American Historical Review) “Overall, the editors offer an indispensable guide to an important topic. A must-have for any academic library. Summing up: Essential.” - K.A. Tyvela (Choice) “This excellent collection of literary artefacts and historical texts and reportage lifts this veil of mystery and shines a light on the country’s hidden hinterland, providing the reader with genuinely interesting insights into a country and society that is poorly understood in South America itself, let alone in the rest of the world.” - Gavin O'Toole (Latin American Review of Books) “Many of the accounts are being made accessible in English for the first time and thus provide an invaluable resource on the subjects treated, one that has no parallel in the current literature. All of the accounts are preceded by introductions that prepare the reader for the historical significance of the piece.” - Leonard Rinchiuso (Journal of Latin American Geography) “The Paraguay Reader is a much needed and therefore welcome contribution to the practically nonexistent field of Paraguayan studies. Anyone who wishes to better understand Paraguay will find this book indispensable.” - Marcelino Viera-Ramos (The Latin Americanist) “The Paraguay Reader is an excellent compilation of literature, folklore, anecdote, reportage and academic research. It illustrates the indomitable capacity of the Paraguayan people.” - Ed Hart (Sounds and Colours) "The editors do an admirable job of compiling primary sources and analytical essays on the history, politics, and culture of this small, landlocked, poorly understood nation. Undoubtedly the most comprehensive and accessible introduction to Paraguay available in English, The Paraguay Reader both explains and complicates the country’s fabled uniqueness." - Christine Mathias (Ethnohistory) “For readers seeking an introduction to Paraguayan history and instructors interested in incorporating a tremendous range of source materials in the classroom, The Paraguay Reader is an excellent resource.” - Caroline E. Schuster (Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology)

Peter Lambert is a Senior Lecturer in Spanish and Latin American Studies in the Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies at the University of Bath. He is a coeditor of Latin American Foreign Policies: Between Ideology and Pragmatism and Political Violence and the Construction of National Identity in Latin America.Andrew Nickson is the Honorary Reader in Public Management and Latin American Studies at the University of Birmingham. He is the author of Local Government in Latin America and the Historical Dictionary of Paraguay. Lambert and Nickson are the editors of Transition to Democracy in Paraguay.

• List of Illustrations ixAcknowledgments xiIntroduction 1I. The Birth of Paraguay 11II. The Nationalist Experiment 53III. A Slow Recovery 129IV. From the Chaco War to the Civil War 193V. Dictatorship and Resistance 235VI. A Transition in Search of Democracy 321VII. What Does It Mean to Be Paraguayan? 383Epilogue: The Impeachment of President Fernando Lugo 451Suggestions for Further Reading 457Acknowledgment of Copyright and Sources 463Index 471

“Peter Lambert and Andrew Nickson have written a wonderfully engaging and useful text that addresses Paraguay’s fascinating and complicated history, replete with unique linguistics and national identity, and rich cultural heritage. . . . The lack of information about Paraguay is palpable.Nonetheless, Lambert and Nickson have corrected this oversight with a text that is bound to find an audience with undergraduate students, future Peace Corps volunteers . . . travelers, missionaries, businesspersons, and diplomats.” - Bridget María Chesterton (A Contracorriente) “At its best, The Paraguay Reader puts oppositional texts next to each other, not resolving the cacophony of voices but instead allowing the tensions to stand. As such, the compilation serves as an introductory overview for historians, regionalists, and social scientists; but, as the first English-language text of its kind, The Paraguay Reader will also be an important text for Paraguayanists.” - Christine Folch (Hispanic American Historical Review) “Overall, the editors offer an indispensable guide to an important topic. A must-have for any academic library. Summing up: Essential.” - K.A. Tyvela (Choice) “This excellent collection of literary artefacts and historical texts and reportage lifts this veil of mystery and shines a light on the country’s hidden hinterland, providing the reader with genuinely interesting insights into a country and society that is poorly understood in South America itself, let alone in the rest of the world.” - Gavin O'Toole (Latin American Review of Books) “Many of the accounts are being made accessible in English for the first time and thus provide an invaluable resource on the subjects treated, one that has no parallel in the current literature. All of the accounts are preceded by introductions that prepare the reader for the historical significance of the piece.” - Leonard Rinchiuso (Journal of Latin American Geography) “The Paraguay Reader is a much needed and therefore welcome contribution to the practically nonexistent field of Paraguayan studies. Anyone who wishes to better understand Paraguay will find this book indispensable.” - Marcelino Viera-Ramos (The Latin Americanist) “The Paraguay Reader is an excellent compilation of literature, folklore, anecdote, reportage and academic research. It illustrates the indomitable capacity of the Paraguayan people.” - Ed Hart (Sounds and Colours) "The editors do an admirable job of compiling primary sources and analytical essays on the history, politics, and culture of this small, landlocked, poorly understood nation. Undoubtedly the most comprehensive and accessible introduction to Paraguay available in English, The Paraguay Reader both explains and complicates the country’s fabled uniqueness." - Christine Mathias (Ethnohistory) “For readers seeking an introduction to Paraguayan history and instructors interested in incorporating a tremendous range of source materials in the classroom, The Paraguay Reader is an excellent resource.” - Caroline E. Schuster (Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology)