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The Chaco War (1932–1935) ((スペイン語:Guerra del Chaco), Guarani: ''Cháko Ñorairõ''〔(Mombe’uhára Paraguái ha Boliviaygua Jotopa III, Cháko Ñorairõ rehegua ). Secretaría Nacional de Cultura de Paraguay〕) was fought between Bolivia and Paraguay over control of the northern part of the Gran Chaco region (known in Spanish as ''Chaco Boreal'') of South America, which was thought to be rich in oil. It is also referred to as ''La Guerra de la Sed'' (Spanish for "The War of the Thirst") in literary circles, for being fought in the semi-arid Chaco. It was the bloodiest military conflict fought in South America during the 20th century, between two of its poorest countries, both having previously lost territory to neighbors in 19th century wars. During the war, both landlocked countries faced difficulties shipping arms and supplies through neighboring countries. Bolivia faced particular external trade problems, coupled with poor internal communications. Although Bolivia had lucrative mining income, and a larger better equipped army, a series of factors turned the tide, and Paraguay came to control most of the disputed zone by war's end. The ultimate peace treaties granted two-thirds of the disputed territories to Paraguay. == Origins == The origin of the war is commonly attributed to a conflict between the oil companies Royal Dutch Shell backing Paraguay and Standard Oil supporting Bolivia. The discovery of oil in the Andean foothills sparked speculation that the Chaco might be a rich source of petroleum, and foreign oil companies were involved in the exploration. Standard Oil was already producing oil from wells in the high hills of eastern Bolivia, around Villa Montes.〔 However, it is uncertain if the war would have been caused solely by the interests of these companies, and not by aims of Argentina to import oil from the Chaco.〔 Both countries were landlocked. Though the 600,000 km2 Chaco was sparsely populated, control of the Paraguay River running through it provided access to the Atlantic Ocean. This became especially important to Bolivia, after losing its Pacific coast to Chile in the 1879 War of the Pacific.〔(''Guerra entre Bolivia y Paraguay: 1928-1935'' ) by Ana Maria Musico Aschiero 〕 Paraguay had lost almost half of its territory to Brazil and Argentina in the Paraguayan War. The country was not prepared to surrender its economic viability.〔(The Chaco War )〕 In international arbitration, Bolivia argued that the region had been part of the original Spanish colonial province of Moxos and Chiquitos to which Bolivia was heir. Meanwhile, Paraguay based its case on the occupation of the land. Indeed, both Paraguayan and Argentine planters were already breeding cattle and exploiting quebracho woods in the area,〔Farcau, Bruce W. (1996). ''The Chaco War: Bolivia and Paraguay, 1932–1935''. Greenwood Publishing Group, pp. 7–8. ISBN 978-0-275-95218-1〕 while the small nomadic indigenous population of Guaraní-speaking tribes was related to that country's own Guaraní heritage. As of 1919, Argentine banks owned 400,000 hectares of land in the eastern Chaco, while the Casado family, a powerful member of the Argentine oligarchy, held 141,000.〔Farcau, p. 11〕 The presence of Mennonite colonies in the Chaco, who settled there in the 1920s under the auspices of the Paraguayan Parliament, was another factor in favour of Paraguay's claim.〔Hughes, Matthew (2005). (''Logistic and Chaco War: Bolivia vs. Paraguay, 1932–1935'' ) The Journal of Military History, Volume 69, pp. 411–437〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Chaco War」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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