Background
Bernardino Caballero was born in Ybycuí on 20 May 1839.
Bernardino Caballero was born in Ybycuí on 20 May 1839.
In 1876 the Brazilian occupying army left Paraguay, and soon afterward President Juan Bautista Gill was overthrown in a coup led by General Caballero, who dominated Paraguayan politics for the next quarter century, either as president (1880-1886) or through control of the military. His economic policies saw large expanses of Paraguayan land pass to foreigners, and government factories, mines, and railroads were sold to get funds.
Caballero’s opponents soon formed the Liberal Party, and Caballero established the Colorado Party because of its red banner. These remained the focal points of Paraguayan politics for the next century.
During the 1890s the Colorado Party was subjected to factionalism and corruption. Caballero tried to consolidate the party with a purge in 1902, but a Liberal invasion succeeded in overthrowing the government in 1904, ending Bernardino Caballero’s domination of Paraguay.