Wars of Latin America, 1899–1941
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About the Book
The years 1899 through 1941 are remarkable even by Latin America’s uniquely turbulent standards. During this time, border disputes and domestic insurrections forcefully shaped the history of this area, as many countries made the rocky transition from agrarian to industrial societies.
This volume provides a concise survey of Latin American wars between 1899 and 1941. It compares and contrasts the wars and considers them in light of military theory. It also demonstrates how instrumental wars have been in directing the history of Latin America, and how the United States has often influenced these wars in a decisive manner. Wars examined include border disputes in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Panama, and Costa Rica, and domestic insurrections in Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, and Nicaragua. Numerous photographs and maps illustrate the text and make it easy to follow every military campaign.
The vivid narrative captures the human drama of the wars and brings to life the violent clashes of powerful personalities in unusually hostile terrain. Jungles, mountains, and deserts ravaged armies no less dramatically than combat, and the emotions the wars released make many episodes unforgettable.
Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.
About the Author(s)
Bibliographic Details
René De La Pedraja
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 508
Bibliographic Info: 59 photos, maps, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2006
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2579-2
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8257-3
Imprint: McFarland
Table of Contents
List of Maps x
Preface 1
Prologue: The War of the Thousand Days and the Passing of 19th-Century Warfare 5
The Liberal Onslaught, 1899–1900 5
Venezuela and the Liberal Revolt, 1900–1901 24
The Liberals’ Last Efforts, 1901–1902 33
The Passing of Nineteenth-Century Warfare 45
PART I. BORDER CONFLICTS
1. War in the Amazon Jungle: The Acre Territory 51
The Acre Territory and the First Bolivian Campaign 52
Plácido de Castro and the Collapse of Bolivian Rule 61
2. The Struggle for the Peruvian Amazon 71
Border Clashes and War Scares, 1900–1910 71
Colombia and the Battle of La Pedrera 83
The Lingering Disputes Over the Northern Boundary of Peru 89
3. War Between Panama and Costa Rica 93
The War over the Coto Region 93
Some Reflections 100
PART II. DOMESTIC INSURRECTIONS
4. Cuba: Demobilization and War 103
The First U.S. Occupation of Cuba, 1898–1902 103
The August 1906 Revolt and the Second U.S. Occupation, 1906–1909 107
The Creation of the Cuban Army and the Race War of 1912 111
The Revolt of February 1917 120
The End of a Mission 128
5. Mexico: The Fall of the Ancien Régime 132
The Start of the Insurrection 133
The Spread of the Insurrection 139
The Battle of Ciudad Juárez 145
The Collapse of the Ancien Régime 154
6. Mexico: The Struggle to Restore Order 157
The Revolt of Emiliano Zapata 157
The Revolt of Pascual Orozco 163
The Orozquista Invasion of Sonora 173
The Final Battle of Francisco Madero 178
7. The Revolt Against Victoriano Huerta 183
Venustiano Carranza and Sonora 183
The Offensives of Victoriano Huerta 191
The Rebel Offensives 198
Huerta’s Last Stand and the U.S. Occupation of Veracruz 209
8. The Struggle Against Pancho Villa 220
The Path to War and the Start of the Villista Onslaught 220
The Turn of Destiny: January–April 1915 230
The Campaign in Central Mexico 241
The Villista Invasion of Sonora 249
U.S. Military Intervention: The Punitive Expedition 256
9. The Revival of Mexico’s Central Government 261
The Exhaustion of Mexico and the System of Venustiano Carranza 261
The Overthrow of the System of Venustiano Carranza 268
The Revolt of Adolfo de la Huerta, 1923–1924 276
10. The Pacification of Mexico 287
The Cristero Rebellion and Other Armed Revolts 287
The Escobar Rebellion and the Last Battle of the Mexican Revolution 298
The End of the Cristero Rebellion and the Pacification of Mexico 305
11. Nicaragua: The Insurrection Against the United States 309
The First Phase of the Sandino Revolt, 1926—1929 310
The Revival of the Sandino Revolt, 1930–1933 317
PART III. THE GREAT DEPRESSION
12. The Chaco War: The First Phase, 1932–1933 325
The Decision for War 327
The Siege of Boquerón and the First Paraguayan Offensive 335
Hans Kundt and the Bolivian Counteroffensive 342
The Turning Moment for Hans Kundt: The Battle of Nanawa 348
From Nanawa to the Battle of Campo Vía 353
13. The Chaco War: The Second Phase, 1934–1935 360
The New War and the Pursuit 361
Thrust and Counterthrust 365
The Battle of El Carmen 369
The Disaster of Picuiba 380
The Struggle for the Andes Mountains 385
14. War Between Peru and Colombia 393
Decisions for War 393
The Start of the Campaign: Tarapacá 398
The Battle of Güepí 403
The Last Offensive 409
15. War Between Peru and Ecuador 415
Mounting Tensions with Ecuador 415
Preparations for War 419
The Battle of Zarumilla 424
The Last Offensive in the Amazon 428
Conclusions 433
Chapter Notes 437
Selected Bibliography 473
Index 479
Book Reviews & Awards
“recommended”—Choice; “scholarly survey…scrupulous and highly recommended”—Midwest Book Review; “well-written, well-researched, judicious work”—The Journal of Military History; “De La Pedraja has made a very useful contribution to the literature on the history of Latin America in the twentieth century, and particularly of U.S. relations with the region. His book is not only of value to those interested in Latin American history and U.S. foreign policy toward the region, but also will be of some value for students of guerrilla warfare and insurgency”—Strategy Page; “impressive…exhaustive”—Hispanic American Historical Review; “very useful work for anyone interested in the history of Latin America, and particularly of U.S. relations with the region”—The NYMAS Review.
