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 | | The Ten Cents War: Chile, Peru, and Bolivia in the War of the Pacific, 1879-1884 by Bruce W. Farcau ISBN-10: 0275969258 ISBN-10: 0-275-96925-8 ISBN-13: 9780275969257 ISBN-13: 978-0-275-96925-7 Hardcover 2000-09-30 Praeger Publishers Find Lowest Price |
Editorials | ||
Product Description The Atacama Desert, a coastal area where the borders of Chile, Peru, and Bolivia meet, was a region of little interest in the late nineteenth century until European research on the use of nitrates in fertilizers and explosives rendered the droppings of millions of sea birds a valuable commodity. In a move that echoed the California Gold Rush, the three neighboring countries soon battled for control of the region. In 1879, a comparatively modern and powerful Chile seized Bolivia's coastal province, and a secret alliance between Peru and Bolivia soon led to a full-scale war, one which saw the employment of much new military technology. Using such new weapons as the breech-loading rifle, rapid-fire cannon, ironclad warships, torpedoes, and electronic mines, Chile quickly crushed the allied armies, but a guerrilla war would drag on for years. While the three armies fought over some of the most inhospitable terrain imaginable, from burning, waterless deserts to snow-clogged mountain passes at 15,000 feet, their governments bumbled and wrangled. In the end, the lure of easy wealth undermined the economies of all three nations and served no good purpose when the market for nitrates soon evaporated, leaving all three much poorer for the experience. | ||
Reviews | ||
Good reading, very engaging and with the right size I think this was a fairly good book from an impartial author. I can have some objections about certains comments or the brief mention of some important aspects or the lack of a map but yet, I think this book makes a very engaging narrative of the history of this war. The motives of this war are controversial, but in order to really understand it, it is important to have a good background of the circumstances that triggered the war, so in this way we can see that it was not an aggresion from Chile but a defensive position againts treaties violations. The scenario was of mostly three recently independent countries, with their economies in bad shape but with Chile having the most robust economy, with Chile having the more stable political situation and with its neighbours sunk in corruption or in the case of Bolivia, with a situation near to disastrous, but more importantly, a territory in the boundaries of Bolivia and Chile that suddenly became very important, not only for the Guano but for its minerals. Added to this panorama, we must not forget the bombshell that was the secret treaty between Peru and Bolivia, which dragged Peru into the War, an utterly bad choise for Peru. There were notorius differences in military aspect as well, with the Allies having more troops but with Chile having the more prepared and skilful army. You can grasp how this war would develope just by reading the first naval engagements, when the Huascar (Peru's Ironclad) was attacking the elderly Esmeralda (Wooden Frigate) in the city of Iquique and with Arturo Prat as Captain. The Huascar shots, dozen of them, didn't hit the target forcing the Huascar to ram the Esmeralda. It was here, one of the dramatic moments of this war, that Captain Arturo Prat and Sergeant Juan de Dios Aldea leaped aboard the Huascar, with Captain Prat dying short after by the Peruvian arms fire. Prat is one of the greatest heros we have, a young man who with an adversely situation never pull back, and it was here by reading the book that you can truly appreciate this Captain courage, totally inspiring and also emotional. Grau, the captain of the Huascar, took the time to send a letter to the Prat's Widows, a lofty gesture. To finish this war was another story. Despite Chile's advance, despite of having taken Arica, Tacna and even Lima, the Peruvians never accepted the terms of surrender, worsening their position of negotiation everytime Chile had to advance North to shut down the resistance. The problem with going to war, besides the pity of it, is that you can lose more than your proud in the process. Thousands of soldiers gave their life for the cause, and we only have gratitude for their effort. Chile is a peaceful country, with all its limits (including maritimes boundaries) properly defined by treaties, whose only mission is to progress and grow, away from utopian dreams that have ravaged Latin American countries. This book is highly recommended, It would be ideal to have an spanish edition as well. There is an excellent book about this war, included in the bibliography, from Gonzalo Bulnes, which is a three volumes book. I really hope to have time to read it but I also want to say that here in Latin America, we badly need something like Penguin Classics, which reprint old books and sometimes in an abridge version --- that would be ideal for Bulnes book, so more people will feel compelled to read about this important part of my country's History. | ||
Good effort on obscure war A very good account of a little known war that shows us both South American history and serves as a preluce to modern warfare as we now know it. Lack of detailed maps does however detract from the book as most these places are unfamiliar even to the knowledgible historian. | ||
how a democracy can beat two dictatorship this book shows how the little democracy of Chile was able to defeat two aggressive dictatorships, despite their secret pact of military alliance against Chile, and how the chilean people could, at great cost, destroy their bigger armies, and thus recover its northern provinces. Its remarkable see that a well organizaced society can defend itself from the aggression of bigger countries greedy for the opportunity to abuse of their neighbours. | ||
Chilean aggression against Peru and Bolivia. One of the little heralded wars of South America is the War of the Pacific. This war pitted Chile against the combined Armies of Bolivia and Peru. Chile (the Prussia of South America) defeated both nations in the first year of war and took the nitrate lands of both Peru and Bolivia. Then Chile invaded Peru and captured the capital. Why is Bolivia landlocked? She lost her coastland to Chile in this war. Farcau does a good job detailing how Chile was better organized in finance and the military to defeat her neighbors who had a larger population. Control of the seas by the modern Chile Navy also had a drastic effect on the Allies (Bolivia and Peru). As detailed in a previous review, the author does a great job of relating the history of this war in a scholarly and readable format. One thing missing in this book is maps, which would have lent the reader an understanding of the geography of the war. I cannot understand why maps were left out. The book is a good read about a long forgotten war. | ||
Chilean aggression against Peru and Bolivia. One of the little heralded wars of South America is the War of the Pacific. This war pitted Chile against the combined Armies of Bolivia and Peru. Chile (the Prussia of South America) defeated both nations in the first year of war and took the nitrate lands of both Peru and Bolivia. Then Chile invaded Peru and captured the capital. Why is Bolivia land locked? She lost her coastland to Chile in this war. Farcau does a good job detailing how Chile was organized better in finance and the military to defeat her neighbors who had a larger population. Control of the seas by the modern Chile Navy also had a drastic effect on the Allies (Bolivia and Peru). As detailed in a previous review, the author does a great job of relating the history of this war in a scholarly and readable format. One thing missing in this book is maps, which would have lent the reader an understanding of the geography of the war. I cannot understand why maps were left out. The book is a good read about a long forgotten war. | ||