Treaty of Defensive Alliance (Bolivia–Peru) in the context of Juan de la Cruz Benavente

⭐ Core Definition: Treaty of Defensive Alliance (Bolivia–Peru)

The Treaty of Defensive Alliance was a secret defense pact between Bolivia and Peru. Signed in the Peruvian capital, Lima, on 6 February 1873, the document was composed of eleven central articles that outlined its necessity and stipulations and one additional article that ordered the treaty to be kept secret until both contracting parties decided otherwise. The signatory states were represented by the Peruvian Foreign Minister José de la Riva-Agüero y Looz Corswaren and the Bolivian Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary in Peru, Juan de la Cruz Benavente.

Ongoing border disputes between Bolivia and Chile worsened South America's tense political environment, which was made all the more precarious by a global economic depression. The system of mutual defense established between Bolivia and Peru sought to protect their national security and the regional balance of power by containing Chilean expansionism, which was fueled by Chile's economic ambitions over the mineral resources of the Atacama Desert. The pact's stated intentions were to guarantee the integrity, independence, and sovereignty of the contracting parties.

↓ Menu

HINT:

👉 Treaty of Defensive Alliance (Bolivia–Peru) in the context of Juan de la Cruz Benavente

Juan de la Cruz Benavente (c. 1818 – 27 March 1876) was a Bolivian lawyer and politician who served as minister of government and foreign affairs from 1862 to 1863. He previously served as minister of public instruction and foreign affairs from 1854 to 1857. In 1863, he was named Bolivia's Minister Plenipotentiary in Peru and was charged with the negotiations that led to the signing of the Treaty of Defensive Alliance with Peru on February 6, 1873.

↓ Explore More Topics

In this Dossier

⭐ Core Definition: Treaty of Defensive Alliance (Bolivia–Peru)
👉 Treaty of Defensive Alliance (Bolivia–Peru) in the context of Juan de la Cruz Benavente
Treaty of Defensive Alliance (Bolivia–Peru) in the context of War of the Pacific

Treaty of Defensive Alliance (Bolivia–Peru) in the context of War of the Pacific

The War of the Pacific (Spanish: Guerra del Pacífico), also known by multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought over Chilean claims on coastal Bolivian territory in the Atacama Desert, the war ended with victory for Chile, which gained a significant amount of resource-rich territory from Peru and Bolivia.

The direct cause of the war was a nitrate taxation dispute between Bolivia and Chile, with Peru being drawn in due to its secret alliance with Bolivia. Some historians have pointed to deeper origins of the war, such as the interest of Chile and Peru in the nitrate business, a long-standing rivalry between Chile and Peru for regional hegemony, as well as the political and economical disparities between the stability of Chile and the volatility of Peru and Bolivia.In February 1878, Bolivia increased taxes on the Chilean mining company Compañía de Salitres y Ferrocarril de Antofagasta [es] (CSFA), in violation of the Boundary Treaty of 1874 which established the border between both countries and prohibited tax increases for mining. Chile protested the violation of the treaty and requested international arbitration, but the Bolivian government, presided by Hilarión Daza, considered this an internal issue subject to the jurisdiction of the Bolivian courts. Chile insisted that the breach of the treaty would mean that the territorial borders denoted in it were no longer settled. Despite this, Hilarión Daza rescinded the license of the Chilean company, seized its assets and put it up for auction. On the day of the auction, 14 February 1879, Chile's armed forces occupied without resistance the Bolivian port city of Antofagasta, which was mostly inhabited by Chilean miners. War was declared between Bolivia and Chile on 1 March 1879, and between Chile and Peru on 5 April 1879.

View the full Wikipedia page for War of the Pacific

↑ Return to Menu