Brief Political History of Paraguay

This video explores the basics of Paraguayan history and politics to explain why Paraguay, despite having begun independent life with little violence and chaos and having been the first country in South America to industrialize ended up as one of the poorest countries in the region and one that continues to suffer from corruption. It covers from Gaspar de Francia, "el supremo" to "Marito", Mario Abdo Benítez. Sources: Hanratty, Dennis Michael and Meditz, Sandra W. 1988. Paraguay: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress. Meyer, Sebastian. 2017. "Paraguay: The Uneven Trajectory" In Latin American Politics and Development. Ed. Harvey Kline, Christine Wade and Howard Wiarda. New York, NY: Westview Press.