Historically, the ambitions of leaders have often had devastating consequences for nations. During World War II, Japan nearly mobilized its entire population in an attempt to mount desperate resistance, but this futile effort did not materialize until the United States dropped two atomic bombs. However, there was a time when a historical country, Paraguay, really engaged the entire population in the fight. There were hardly enough troops on the ground, but the spectacle of the country's leaders ordering that the age of military service be lowered to 12, that even 10-year-olds volunteered to join the army, and that two 10-year-olds operated a machine gun together. This was the Paraguayan War.
In 1862, Francisco López became president of Paraguay, by which time Paraguay was already flourishing under its predecessor. After López came to power, he promoted large-scale infrastructure projects to further enhance the country's prosperity. As Brazil and Argentina grew in power, the two countries began to see Paraguay as a threat and tried to limit its expansion. They even claimed that López had territorial ambitions and tried to expand to Uruguay.
López protested the support of the Uruguayan rebels in both countries, calling it a concrete manifestation of "imperialist policy," and he firmly refuted the accusations of both countries. Argentina, Brazil, and the Paraguayans who supported the Uruguayan rebels were officially involved in the Paraguayan War.
At the beginning of the war, Paraguay's army numbered 50,000, which was the size of the army of the "Triple Alliance". However, in terms of logistical supplies, Paraguay was far behind the three countries that jointly attacked, weapons and military rations began to be increasingly scarce, and the entire country was in crisis. Although the morale of the Paraguayan army is high and the fighting style is fierce, they are constantly dwindling in the face of the increasing military strength and combat resources of the three countries.
After Paraguay was no longer able to recruit young men, President López began to forcibly recruit his nationals to fight. Most of his army consisted of ten-year-olds, thin and weak, not even the height of a machine gun. On August 16, 1869, Paraguay fought the most brutal final battle with the "Three Powers". How did López and the coalition feel after the battle, an army of Paraguayan "scouts" facing a strong, well-equipped and well-equipped Triple Alliance, with rows of children falling until the last soldier was killed?
After the war, Paraguay ceded large swathes of territory to Argentina and Brazil. According to data, Paraguay lost nearly 60% of its population and 90% of its men in this war, leaving only about 150,000 people in the country, less than 30,000 men. In order to rapidly increase its population, Paraguay had introduced polygamy (now abolished) and the country had fallen into chaos, seriously delaying the country's development process.