South American War Aftermath
Hey everyone and happy Independence Day! I am pleased to say that I have finally gotten around to posting an update. Hopefully more will be following soon. I have had a lot of time to think about this TL and would like to clarify that the 2011 updates described in posts # 1039 and #1058 are null and void although elements will show up in future posts. Cheers!
Victory celebrations in Santiago, Chile
December 26, 1949
The Butcher’s Bill
The Second Atacama War, known as the South American War in North America, was the largest and bloodiest conflict in the Western Hemisphere since the war against Paraguay by Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay in the 1860s. Although only lasting 13 months the war was responsible for nearly 314,000 deaths. On the allied side, Chile suffered the most with close to 98,000 killed both civilian and military. Ecuador was second with 53,000 a large number of which were civilians killed by Peruvian gas attacks. Of the Free Americas forces that intervened in the closing months of the war the United States, due to its leading role, lost the most with 12,329 killed, 37,448 wounded, and 491 missing. The other nations in the alliance lost an additional 13,599 killed in action. The aggressors, Bolivia and Peru, lost around 73,000 and 64,000 respectively. Economically, the northern part of Chile and the southern portion of Ecuador were devastated by the war and would take years to recover.
The Bogota Accords
With the war in South America over, the leaders of the Free Americas and the newly constituted postwar governments of Peru and Bolivia set to building a lasting peace. Meeting in Bogota, Colombia on January 18, 1950 the delegates over the next few months began hammering out an agreement that would ensure peace in the Western Hemisphere. Known as the Bogota Accords what actually emerged were two separate treaties. The first was the official peace treaty between Peru and Bolivia and the other belligerent powers. As stipulated in the Charter of the Free Americas, Peru and Bolivia relinquished all territorial claims on Chile and Ecuador and officially accepted their antebellum borders. Militarily, Peru and Bolivia were both forbidden to import weapons from nations outside of the Western Hemisphere, their armed forces were limited to 45,000 and 20,000 men respectively, chemical and biological weapons were prohibited, and Peru was forbidden to posses any submarines, or warships larger than 1500 tons. In lieu of reparations, a reconstruction fund was established for Ecuador and Chile financed primarily by the United States, Brazil, and Mexico. The treaty also stipulated that the post war governments of Peru and Bolivia must be “civilian led, peaceful, and democratic.” These terms did not sit well with everyone however, many of whom wished for harsher more punitive measures. Paraguay unsuccessfully argued for Bolivia’s Chaco region and there were several calls for an occupation force in the Bolivian and Peruvian capitals. In the end, the conditions proved acceptable to victor and vanquished alike and were dispatched to the various legislatures for ratification.
League of American Republics
The second treaty to be minted in Bogota dealt with hemispherical unity in the postwar era. While the Charter for a Free Americas was primarily a war time alliance an article of the charter did call for a “more permanent medium to ensure hemispherical solidarity” to be adopted. Despite the cryptic nature of this statement, it did provide the basis for what would become the first formal international union in the Americas. The new organization was styled the League of American Republics (LAR). The LAR echoed many of the sentiments of the Charter for a Free Americas such as support for democracy, mutual defense, and noninterference by foreign powers. Unlike its predecessor however, the LAR charter provided for an annual meeting of the heads of state of the constituent republics, the promotion of free trade, infrastructure integration, and greater military cooperation.
Interestingly one of the most contentious issues was where to place the League’s headquarters. While a total of 14 different locations were put forward including New York City, Washington DC, Sao Paulo, Mexico City, and Buenos Aires, the decision ultimately came down to three main candidates Bogota, Havana, and Panama City. Bogota was appealing as it was the location of the treaty negotiations and was lobbied for heavily by the Colombian delegation. However, as a national capital it was rejected due to concerns that the Colombian government would have excessive influence over the League. Havana, Cuba was also favored as it was the site of the signing of the Charter of the Free Americas as well as being in a largely Spanish speaking state. However it was ultimately Panama City that was selected due to its central location, diverse population, and connections with Simon Bolivar’s 1826 Congress of Panama. The fact that Panama was in 1950 still an American territory with a reputation for crime and vice caused understandable concern amongst other nations but it was hoped that by placing the headquarters on American soil it would aid the treaty’s passage in America’s skeptical Democrat controlled Senate.
War’s Aftermath
Victory celebrations in Santiago, Chile
December 26, 1949
The Butcher’s Bill
The Second Atacama War, known as the South American War in North America, was the largest and bloodiest conflict in the Western Hemisphere since the war against Paraguay by Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay in the 1860s. Although only lasting 13 months the war was responsible for nearly 314,000 deaths. On the allied side, Chile suffered the most with close to 98,000 killed both civilian and military. Ecuador was second with 53,000 a large number of which were civilians killed by Peruvian gas attacks. Of the Free Americas forces that intervened in the closing months of the war the United States, due to its leading role, lost the most with 12,329 killed, 37,448 wounded, and 491 missing. The other nations in the alliance lost an additional 13,599 killed in action. The aggressors, Bolivia and Peru, lost around 73,000 and 64,000 respectively. Economically, the northern part of Chile and the southern portion of Ecuador were devastated by the war and would take years to recover.
The Bogota Accords
With the war in South America over, the leaders of the Free Americas and the newly constituted postwar governments of Peru and Bolivia set to building a lasting peace. Meeting in Bogota, Colombia on January 18, 1950 the delegates over the next few months began hammering out an agreement that would ensure peace in the Western Hemisphere. Known as the Bogota Accords what actually emerged were two separate treaties. The first was the official peace treaty between Peru and Bolivia and the other belligerent powers. As stipulated in the Charter of the Free Americas, Peru and Bolivia relinquished all territorial claims on Chile and Ecuador and officially accepted their antebellum borders. Militarily, Peru and Bolivia were both forbidden to import weapons from nations outside of the Western Hemisphere, their armed forces were limited to 45,000 and 20,000 men respectively, chemical and biological weapons were prohibited, and Peru was forbidden to posses any submarines, or warships larger than 1500 tons. In lieu of reparations, a reconstruction fund was established for Ecuador and Chile financed primarily by the United States, Brazil, and Mexico. The treaty also stipulated that the post war governments of Peru and Bolivia must be “civilian led, peaceful, and democratic.” These terms did not sit well with everyone however, many of whom wished for harsher more punitive measures. Paraguay unsuccessfully argued for Bolivia’s Chaco region and there were several calls for an occupation force in the Bolivian and Peruvian capitals. In the end, the conditions proved acceptable to victor and vanquished alike and were dispatched to the various legislatures for ratification.
League of American Republics
The second treaty to be minted in Bogota dealt with hemispherical unity in the postwar era. While the Charter for a Free Americas was primarily a war time alliance an article of the charter did call for a “more permanent medium to ensure hemispherical solidarity” to be adopted. Despite the cryptic nature of this statement, it did provide the basis for what would become the first formal international union in the Americas. The new organization was styled the League of American Republics (LAR). The LAR echoed many of the sentiments of the Charter for a Free Americas such as support for democracy, mutual defense, and noninterference by foreign powers. Unlike its predecessor however, the LAR charter provided for an annual meeting of the heads of state of the constituent republics, the promotion of free trade, infrastructure integration, and greater military cooperation.
Interestingly one of the most contentious issues was where to place the League’s headquarters. While a total of 14 different locations were put forward including New York City, Washington DC, Sao Paulo, Mexico City, and Buenos Aires, the decision ultimately came down to three main candidates Bogota, Havana, and Panama City. Bogota was appealing as it was the location of the treaty negotiations and was lobbied for heavily by the Colombian delegation. However, as a national capital it was rejected due to concerns that the Colombian government would have excessive influence over the League. Havana, Cuba was also favored as it was the site of the signing of the Charter of the Free Americas as well as being in a largely Spanish speaking state. However it was ultimately Panama City that was selected due to its central location, diverse population, and connections with Simon Bolivar’s 1826 Congress of Panama. The fact that Panama was in 1950 still an American territory with a reputation for crime and vice caused understandable concern amongst other nations but it was hoped that by placing the headquarters on American soil it would aid the treaty’s passage in America’s skeptical Democrat controlled Senate.
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