Alfredo Stroessner

For more information on Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda, visit Britannica.com.

(b. Encarnación, Paraguay, 3 Nov. 1912) Paraguayan; Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces 1951 – 4, President of the Republic 1954 – 89 The son of a German immigrant, Stroessner pursued a military career and fought in the Chaco War (1932 – 5) against Bolivia. He supported the victorious Partido Colorado during the 1947 Revolution and during the subsequent factional in-fighting in the party rose rapidly by adroitly switching his allegiances. In so doing, he capitalized on the United States Cold War fears about the spread of Communism. In May – June 1953 he visited the United States and the Panama Canal Zone at the invitation of the US Army. On 4 May 1954 he ousted Chaves from the presidency in a complex military uprising. He was chosen as the candidate of the Partido Colorado in presidential elections on 11 July in which he was the sole candidate. Significantly, on assuming the presidency he retained his position as Commander-in Chief of the armed forces.

The longevity of his regime depended on the tripartite alliance which he forged, as President of the Republic, with the armed forces and the Partido Colorado. Together they developed a symbiotic relationship, which was overseen by Stroessner in his capacity as Head of State, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and Honorary President of the Colorado Party.

The regime dealt effectively with social discontent through an adroit mixture of co-option and repression. Stroessner maintained the façade of democracy in the form of a parliamentary system, comprising several political parties and regular elections. This was an important factor in its strategy of legitimization, both in the domestic and international arenas. Presidential elections were contested by legalized but tame opposition parties, the activities of which were severely circumscribed by the workings of the corporativist state. The consolidation of the regime was also facilitated by close relations with the United States which provided Stroessner with international support and substantial amounts of foreign aid. In return, Stroessner adopted a fierce anti-Communist posture internationally, which also provided a convenient pretext for harsh repression of dissidents at home.

A strong personality cult developed around the figure of Stroessner, despite his singular lack of charisma. However, Stroessner did not conform to the stereotyped image of the Latin American caudillo. The Stroessner cult emphasized not only his dull persona, but, more significantly, the importance of the alliance between the Colorado Party and armed forces to the maintenance of the "peace and progress" of his regime. The most serious of several attempts on his life occurred in November 1974 when a car bomb was discovered near the headquarters of the Partido Colorado where he was due to attend an official reception.

The visit of Pope Paul in May 1988 focused international attention for the first time on the authoritarian nature of the Stroessner regime. Disagreements over the papal itinerary led to a sharp deterioration in relations with the Catholic church. The United States government became increasingly frustrated by Stroessner's refusal to engage in political liberalization. The economic situation also deteriorated, alienating the previously docile private sector, as growing corruption and over-staffing within the public administration led to a serious fiscal imbalance, inflationary spiral, and soaring foreign debt.

On 2 February 1989 he was overthrown in a putsch led by his military aide, General Andrés Rodríguez. He was allowed to fly to Brazil, where he was granted political asylum. He was the longest-serving head of state in Latin American history and the third longest-serving political leader in the world during the post-war period, after Kim II Sung of North Korea and Todor Zhivkov of Bulgaria. He was also the longest-serving president in Paraguayan history.

Alfredo Stroessner (born 1912) became president of Paraguay in 1954, and ruled as a dictator until he was overthrown and forced into exile in 1989.

Alfredo Stroessner was born on Nov. 3, 1912, at the southeastern Paraguayan border city of Encarnación. His father, Hugo Stroessner, was a German immigrant who became a mechanic and ironworker. His mother, Heriberta Matiauda, was the daughter of a prominent Encarnación family whose roots stemmed from Paraguay's independence era. His wife, Eligia Mora Delgado, was likewise a descendant of an old Paraguayan family. The Stroessners had two sons and a daughter.

A dedicated professional soldier with an unswerving sense of patriotism, Stroessner began his military career at the outbreak of the Chaco War with Bolivia. First serving at the siege of Paraguay's Boquerón outpost in September 1932 as a military college cadet commanding an infantry platoon, he was subsequently commissioned in the field as a second lieutenant and transferred to the artillery, his favored service branch. As a mortar platoon commander, he served with distinction throughout the remainder of the war and received numerous citations.

Promoted to captain in 1936, Stroessner rose swiftly in rank and became general of division in 1951. Post-Chaco service was highlighted by his participation as a loyal army officer in the major 1947 revolution, in which he was commended for his success in blocking Paraguay's southern borders against rebelling army and navy units.

In 1954, he led the coup d'etat which toppled the government of President Federico Cháves. Formally inaugurated as president in August 1954, he was successively reelected, although he sometimes had little or no opposition. Stroessner's administration was founded on an alliance between the military and the dominant Colorado Party. Certain political parties were allowed to exist, while others were banned.

Part of Stroessner's success not only came from his strong rule over his country, but also because of a relatively solid and stable economy he brought to Paraguay. The country's economy grew at a rate uncommon for Latin American nations at the time.

A confirmed anti-Communist, Stroessner nullified all subversive attempts in Paraguay, supported U.S. inter-American objectives, including participation by a Paraguayan contingent in the Dominican Republic episode, and received both U.S. economic assistance and Peace Corps projects in the 1960s. In 1968, following his third reelection, he formally visited Washington - the second Paraguayan president to have been officially invited to the United States.

Under Stroessner's rule, there was no free press. Newspaper presses and radio transmitters were routinely destroyed by police aligned with the Colorado Party. The Progressive magazine noted three examples: Aldo Zuccolillo, publisher of ABC Color, Paraguay's largest newspaper, was jailed, and his paper shut down for five years. Radio Nanduti was off the air for two years after its transmitter was demolished. Reporter Alejandro Mella Latorre was jailed and tortured for 8 1/2 years.

According to Newsweek, "Party membership [in the Colorado Party] was a prerequisite for getting most jobs in government service, the military, or even in nursing or teaching. Stroessner's tools were violence and fear. Critics of the government disappeared, only to show up again floating face down in the muddy Paraguay River."

After 35 years of rule, Stroessner's empire began to crumble. The U.S. started to pressure his government to reform in the late 1970s and 1980s, after human rights violations came to light. Then the economy, which had been quite strong, began to slow, and inflation soared to 30 percent. Street protests, unthinkable a few years earlier, began appearing in 1986. In 1988, Pope John Paul II toured South America, and called for major reforms in Paraguay. Stroessner became ill, and while recovering from prostate surgery, his former right-hand man, Andres Rodriguez, led a military coup and overthrew Stroessner in February, 1989.

Stroessner was originally placed under house arrest, and later allowed to go into exile in Brazil. In 1996, he was reportedly living in a closely guarded mansion in Brazil, occasionally fishing, and keeping a low profile.

Further Reading

References to Stroessner are in George Pendle, Paraguay (1954;3d ed. 1967); Hubert Herring, A History of Latin America (1955; 3d rev. ed. 1968); and Philip Raine, Paraguay (1956).

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2008)

Alfredo Stroessner
46th President of Paraguay
In office August 15, 1954 – February 3, 1989
Preceded by	Tomás Romero Interim President
Succeeded by	Andrés Rodríguez
Born	November 3, 1912(1912-11-03) Encarnación, Paraguay
Died	August 16, 2006 (aged 93) Brasília, Brazil
Nationality	Paraguayan
Political party	Colorado Party
Spouse(s)	Eligia Mora[1]

Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda, whose name is also spelled Strössner or Strößner (November 3, 1912, Encarnación - August 16, 2006, Brasília) was a Paraguayan military officer and dictator from 1954 to 1989. His regime is notable for its length, surpassed in the 20th century only by that of Fidel Castro of Cuba (1959 - 2008), Enver Hoxha of Albania (1944 - 1985), Francisco Franco of Spain (1939 -1975), António de Oliveira Salazar of Portugal (1932 - 1968), Todor Zhivkov of Bulgaria (March 4, 1954 – November 10, 1989), and Kim Il-sung of North Korea (1948 - 1994).

Contents 1 Early life 2 Presidency 3 Economics 4 Downfall 5 Footnotes 6 External links 7 Sources

Early life

Stroessner's parents were Hugo Strößner, who emigrated from Hof, Bavaria, Germany, and worked as an accountant for a brewery, and Heriberta Matiauda, who grew up in a wealthy Paraguayan family. He joined the Paraguayan army in 1929, becoming a lieutenant in 1931. During the Chaco War against Bolivia (1932-1935) he enlisted as an artillery cadet and fought in the battle of Boquerón. After the war, he rose steadily in rank and eventually became a brigadier and the youngest general officer in South America in 1948.

Presidency

Stroessner objected to President Federico Chávez' plans to arm the national police and threw him out of office in a coup d'état on May 4, 1954. After a brief interim presidency by Tomás Romero, Stroessner was the only candidate in a special election on July 11 to complete Chávez' term. He was reelected eight times—in 1958, 1963, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1983, and 1988. He appeared alone on the ballot in 1958. In his other elections, he won by implausibly high margins (well over 80 percent in many cases). He served for 35 years, with only Fidel Castro having a longer tenure among 20th century Latin American leaders.

Soon after taking office, Stroessner declared a state of siege and suspended constitutional freedoms. It was renewed every 90 days for the rest of his term, and was only lifted during elections. A devoted anti-Communist, he justified this action as a necessary tool to protect the country. Stroessner's strong anti-communism made him a friend to United States interests for most of his rule.

As leader of the Colorado Party, Stroessner exercised nearly complete control over the nation's political scene. Although opposition parties were nominally permitted after 1962 (the Colorado Party had been the only legal party in the country since 1947), Paraguay remained for all intents and purposes a one-party state. Elections were so heavily rigged in favor of the Colorados that the opposition had no realistic chance of winning, and opposition figures were subjected to varying degrees of harassment.

While Stroessner's rule saw more stability than any living Paraguayan had ever known, it came at a high cost. The government's human rights record was considered particularly poor. Stroessner supported the U.S. invasion of Dominican Republic.^[2] and even offered to send troops to support the U.S. in Vietnam.^[3]

His regime is also blamed for torture, kidnappings and corruption, of which the "terror archives", discovered in 1992 in Lambaré suburb of Asunción, gave proof; he did not dispute charges of corruption at some levels in his government.^[4] He did become more tolerant of opposition as the years passed, but there was no change in the regime's basic character.

Strong Paraguayan-U.S. relations continued until the Carter Administration emphasized a foreign policy that recognized human rights abuses. The Reagan Administration boycotted the country as well.^[5]

During Stroessner's rule, no Communist nations had embassies in Paraguay, with the sole exception of non-aligned Yugoslavia.^[6] He was respected for his success in repaying loans granted to the Paraguayan government by the World Bank and other institutions.

Stroessner, an energetic leader, began his day at 4 a.m. by giving orders from his bed and going to work in the government palace no later than 6 a.m. Although he took a three-hour break at mid-day, Stroessner reportedly worked until 1 a.m. He never took holidays off work while President.

Stroessner made many state visits, including to Emperor Hirohito of Japan, President Lyndon Johnson of the United States, President Charles de Gaulle of France, to South Africa^[7] and several visits to West Germany, although over the years his relations with West Germany deteriorated. Since he had always been known as pro-German, this worsening of relations, combined with his feeling that the U.S. had abandoned him, were regarded as personal blows to Stroessner.

President Stroessner. Stamp Scott no. 1452

Some maintain that the Roman Catholic Church is the only reason Stroessner did not have absolute control over the country.^[8] After the destruction of Asunción University in 1972 by police, the Archbishop of Paraguay Ismael Rolón Silvero excommunicated the minister of the interior and the chief of police, and proscribed the celebration of Holy Mass in a sign of protest against the Stroessner regime. When Pope John Paul II visited Paraguay in 1988, his visit bolstered what was already a robust anti-Stroessner movement within the country.^[9]

Economics

Stroessner was known for several positive economic policies, including the building of the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world in Itaipu, developing Paraguay's economy: although Paraguay received only 15% of the contracts, it was a major factor allowing the country to have the highest rate of growth in Latin America for most of the 1970s.^[10]

Stroessner also dedicated large proportions of the Paraguayan national budget to the military and police apparatus, both fundamental to the maintenance of the regime. According to a 1963 article from Time magazine, Stroessner spent 33% of the 1962 annual budget on army and police, 15% for education, and 2% for public works.^[11]

Furthermore the construction of the Itaipu Dam, as well as the subsequently built Yacyretá Dam on the Paraguay-Argentina Border, displaced thousands of Paraguayans, pushing them from their home, often without any restitution. The Itaipu Dam displaced at least 80,000 Paraguayans, and the Yacyretá will have displaced at least that many by December 2008.

Stroessner was also known for many infrastructure projects that improved the country's highway system. Another programme that Stroessner supported was the granting of twenty hectares of arable lands for a nominal price to any soldier who completed military service, provided that the soldier would use the land for farming purposes. Over 10,000 soldiers took up this offer.

Downfall

On February 3, 1989, only a few months after being elected to his ninth full term, Stroessner was ousted by a coup d'état led by General Andrés Rodríguez, who had been his friend and comrade-in-arms for many years. The bonds between the Stroessner and Rodríguez families included the marriage of Stroessner's son to Rodríguez' daughter. After the coup, Stroessner fled to Brazil, where he lived in exile for the next seventeen and a half years.

The eastern city Puerto Flor de Lis, which had been renamed Puerto Presidente Stroessner in his honor, in 1989 was again renamed Ciudad del Este. Asuncion's airport had been named after him during his regime, but was later renamed Silvio Pettirossi International Airport.

Paraguayans remain divided on Stroessner and his controversial legacy. Many feel a strong sense of distaste toward him, perceiving him as a corrupt, authoritarian dictator. Those who defend his legacy cite the political stability and economic progress that prevailed under his rule, despite the gross violations of human rights that his regime promoted and concealed, in particular the infamous Operation Condor.

Stroessner died on August 16, 2006, in Brasília, at the age of 93. The immediate cause of death was a stroke. He had been suffering from pneumonia after undergoing a hernia operation.^[12] The Paraguayan government preemptively dismissed any suggestions for honoring the late president within Paraguay.^[13] He tried to manage a return to Paraguay before his death, so he could die in his homeland, but he was rebuked and threatened with arrest by the government.

By coincidence, on the very day of his death, the "Museum of Memory" was opened at the place where Stroessner's Dirección Nacional de Asuntos Técnicos (better known as 'la Técnica') operated its clandestine torture centre from 1956.^[14]

Footnotes

1. ^ The Guardian: "General Alfredo Stroessner - Dictator who mastered the fixing of elections and made Paraguay a smugglers' paradise"
2. ^ Paraguay: A Country Study, "International Factors and the Economy"
3. ^ Washington Post Obituary: "Alfredo Stroessner; Paraguayan Dictator"
4. ^ Servihoo.com: "Stroessner, among South America's longest-serving dictators, dies"
5. ^ Paraguay: A Country Study, "The United States"
6. ^ Paraguay: A Country Study, "Foreign Relations"
7. ^ "General South African History Timelines" 1970s sahistory.orgza Accessed on June 13, 2008.
8. ^ Paraguay: A Country Study, "Interest Groups: The Roman Catholic Church"
9. ^ New York Sun Obituaries: "Alfredo Stroessner, 93, Old-Style Military Dictator of Paraguay"
10. ^ The Economist Obituary: Alfredo Stroessner
11. ^ Dictator by Popular Request, TIME Magazine, February 22, 1963
12. ^ MSNBC.com: "Ex-Paraguayan dictator Stroessner dies at 93"
13. ^ BBC: "Ex-Paraguayan ruler dies in exile"
14. ^ Stroessner's Death Closes Dark Chapter of History, by Raúl Pierri

External links

• Obituary at BBC News
• Paraguay's archive of terror
• The Presidential Papers of Dwight D. Eisenhower Official letter to President Stroessner (1959)
• Paraguay seeks Stroessner return
• Obituary in The Guardian
• Alfredo Stroessner, 93, Old-Style Military Dictator of Paraguay
• Obituary in The Economist
• New York Times: Stroessner, Paraguay’s Enduring Dictator, Dies
• Gen. Alfredo Stroessner, Colorful Dictator of Paraguay for 35 Years, Dies in Exile at 93

Sources

• Paraguay Under Stroessner, by Paul H. Lewis
• Stroessner Era: Authoritarian Rule in Paraguay by Carlos R. Miranda

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Preceded by Tomás Romero	President of Paraguay 1954–1989	Succeeded by Andrés Rodríguez

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