3 CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF THE WAR FOR THE PACIFIC - HISTORY - 2025

The main causes and consequences of the War of the Pacific (1879-1883) have to do with the events that preceded and that followed the military conflict that was fought between Chile and the allied forces of Bolivia and Peru.

What was originally a border dispute between Bolivia and Chile over the southern portion of the Atacama desert, evolved to become the focus of great discussions.

More than territorial, the reason for the conflict was economic: both countries wanted to appropriate the nitrate deposits that existed in the area.

A cloud of events surrounded the panorama, the previous agreements were breached and, finally, Chile declared war on Peru and Bolivia.

The War of the Pacific, also called the Guano and Saltpeter War, is one of the most dramatic events in the history of South America.

The 3 main causes of the War of the Pacific

1- The treaty of 1874

La Paz and Santiago ended years of disputes over territorial claims by signing the boundary treaty of 1784.

According to this document, Chile renounces its claim to the territory. In return, Bolivia agrees not to increase taxes on Chilean corporations operating in the claimed portion of the desert.

2- The increase in the export tax in 1878

In 1878 the Bolivian dictator Hilarión Daza arbitrarily decided to increase the export tax on a Chilean corporation operating in what had been the area in question.

Despite diplomatic intervention, Bolivia refused to repeal the tax. As a consequence of the violation of the agreement, Chile once again occupied the territory.

3- The secret alliance between Peru and Bolivia

In 1879 Peru intervened in the conflict. This country offered to support Bolivia if it went to war with Chile. This is how they secretly sign a defensive alliance pact.

The events led Chile to declare war on Peru and Bolivia.

The 3 main consequences of the War of the Pacific

1- Bolivia lost the only land with access to the sea that it possessed

The Bolivian army was defeated, and his government accepted an armistice, ceding Atacama to Chile. This meant a great deterioration for the economy of this country.

2- The ruin of Peru

This nation, equally defeated, signed a peace agreement, yielding Tarapacá to Chile and allowing it to occupy Tacna and Arica for 10 years.

Peru was in total ruin before the blockade that Chile maintained during the war, and suffered a serious stratification of its social classes.

3- The consolidation of Chile as the most important in Latin America on the Pacific coast

The War of the Pacific did not stop the Chilean economy; on the contrary, it stimulated the development of its industry, which financed the army in the field.

Due to the expansion of its territory after winning the war, Chile obtained for itself natural wealth that boosted its economy.

Thanks to the tariffs obtained by the nitrate, this country was able to finance important public works that contributed to its development.

At the same time, agricultural activity, winemaking and the goods and services industry grew.

References

1. Guano and the War of the Pacific. (December 5, 2015). From: warofthepacific.wordpress.com
2. Pacific, War of the. (sf) Retrieved on October 22, 2017 from: encyclopedia.com
3. The editors of encyclopedia Britannica. (April 9, 2013) War of the pacific. In: britannica.com
4. War of the Pacific. (sf) Retrieved on October 22, 2017 from: encyclopedia.com
5. War of the Pacific. (October 18, 2016) In: newworldencyclopedia.org