MILITARY POLICE OF PARANÁ IN THE PARAGUAY’S WAR

Abstract

The study seeks to rescue and present the participation of members of the Military Police of Paraná in the biggest conflict in the history of South America, the war that occurred between Paraguay, governed by the dictator Francisco Solano López, and the allied countries: Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. The work evaluates the institutional conditions of the corporation at the time of the event, the difficulties related to the reduced number of personnel, the outstanding performance of some military personnel during the campaign, and the commitment of the Empire of Brazil to call on combatants to defend the nation, creating the Volunteer Corps of the Fatherland. The Paraná Military Police institution had only been active for a few years; Even so, it managed to fulfill its mission of defending law and order at a time when Brazil was surprised by attacks and invasions from a foreign nation, which had a well-prepared army with a large contingent. His president had in his plans a new geopolitical configuration for the southern region of the American continent. The participation of the Fatherland Volunteer Corps, which included military police officers from the province of Paraná, was fundamental to the outcome of the war and victory.