The empire of circumstances. Bartolomé Mitre and the War against Paraguay

Abstract

The role in the contest of the then president of the Argentine Republic, Bartolomé Mitre, was as decisive as it was controversial, even for his contemporaries and colleagues from the liberal political tradition. In this brief essay, I specifically address three crucial questions. In the first place, his role in Venancio Flores's invasion of the Banda Oriental. Then, the main section of the work will revolve around the formation of the Triple Alliance. Finally, I review Mitre’s leading role in the frustrated peace negotiations. Through these events I outline what were some of Mitre's intentions with the war and its actors, the distance between his intentions and the course of events, the ideas that guided him, his responsibilities, and the results for his political and military career. Helping the Colorado invasion seems like an unforced, mistaken decision, even though the great costs of the war of the triple alliance cannot necessarily be deduced from it. The alliance was the product of pressure from the Empire, but also a decision that the Argentine president may have not taken. It was a very risky, almost personal bet, which would have great costs and would not turn out for him as expected. In the case of the peace attempt, Mitre appears almost bound before the extreme postures of the Emperor and the Marshal, a toy of the empire of circumstances. Although he could have made a better offer to López better, the marshal would hardly have agreed to leave Paraguay and Pedro II would hardly have stopped the war.