Treaty of Mutual Defense (Peru-Bolivia)
Encyclopedia
The Treaty of Mutual Defense was a secret treaty
signed in Lima
, Peru
, on February 6, 1873 by the representative of Peru, Jose de la Riva-Aguero and Bolivia
, Juan de la Cruz Benavente. The treaty contains 11 articles in order to guarantee the integrity, independence, and sovereignty of the contracting parties. Formulated and signed in secrecy, the treaty outlines a system of mutual defense between Peru and Bolivia.
During the 19th century there was a lot of disputes about boundaries between South American countries. Bolivia had disputes with Argentina over Tarija
, with Brazil and Peru over the Amazon, and with Chile over the territories between the 23°S and 24°S latitude. Peru had disputes with Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil over the Amazon. Both Bolivia and Peru feared the growing Chilean influence and interest over their mineral rich territories in the Atacama Desert
.
Despite the treaty was signed in secrecy, by 1879 the treaty's existence was known by Brazil and Argentina. Chile knew the pact short before the War of the Pacific
. In the months prior to the start of the War of the Pacific
, Argentina
(who was involved in border disputes with Chile) was invited to join the alliance and the Chamber of Deputies
approved the law but the Argentine Senate
postponed the matter to 1874. Argentina would go on to settle disputes with Chile in the Boundary treaty of 1881.
They guarantee their independence, their sovereignty and the integrity of their territories respectively, obliging themselves by the terms of the treaty to defend themselves against all foreign aggression.
should emerge by:
For the casus foederis, a protocol
should enumerate the subsidies
, military and naval elements, order of superior command
, etc.
between the latitude 24°S and 27°S of Chilean territories
.
The interpretation of the pact is still very controversial. Some Peruvians and Bolivians historians see the pact as defensive. In contrast, Chileans considerer that the pact as the preamble
of the War of the Pacific and a wildcard for Bolivia to provoke Chile by violating agreed treaty conditions. As the pact was signed, 1873, the Peruvian navy was stronger than the Chilean navy and that would be deciding in any confrontation.
The Chilean historian Gonzalo Bulnes writes:
Six years after the agreement, in 1879, the military balance had changed since Chile got the ironclads
Cochrane and Blanco Encalada
, superior in fire power and Iron armour
to all Peruvian navy ships.
Argentina never entered the pact.
Secret treaty
A secret treaty is a treaty between nations that is not revealed to other nations or interested observers. An example would be a secret alliance between two nations to support each other in the event of war...
signed in Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, on February 6, 1873 by the representative of Peru, Jose de la Riva-Aguero and Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, Juan de la Cruz Benavente. The treaty contains 11 articles in order to guarantee the integrity, independence, and sovereignty of the contracting parties. Formulated and signed in secrecy, the treaty outlines a system of mutual defense between Peru and Bolivia.
During the 19th century there was a lot of disputes about boundaries between South American countries. Bolivia had disputes with Argentina over Tarija
Tarija, Bolivia
Tarija or San Bernardo de la Frontera de Tarixa is a city in southern Bolivia. Founded in 1574, Tarija is both the capital and largest city within the Tarija Department, with an airport offering regular service to primary Bolivian cities, as well as a regional bus terminal with domestic and...
, with Brazil and Peru over the Amazon, and with Chile over the territories between the 23°S and 24°S latitude. Peru had disputes with Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil over the Amazon. Both Bolivia and Peru feared the growing Chilean influence and interest over their mineral rich territories in the Atacama Desert
Atacama Desert
The Atacama Desert is a plateau in South America, covering a strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes mountains. It is, according to NASA, National Geographic and many other publications, the driest desert in the world...
.
Despite the treaty was signed in secrecy, by 1879 the treaty's existence was known by Brazil and Argentina. Chile knew the pact short before the War of the Pacific
War of the Pacific
The War of the Pacific took place in western South America from 1879 through 1883. Chile fought against Bolivia and Peru. Despite cooperation among the three nations in the war against Spain, disputes soon arose over the mineral-rich Peruvian provinces of Tarapaca, Tacna, and Arica, and the...
. In the months prior to the start of the War of the Pacific
War of the Pacific
The War of the Pacific took place in western South America from 1879 through 1883. Chile fought against Bolivia and Peru. Despite cooperation among the three nations in the war against Spain, disputes soon arose over the mineral-rich Peruvian provinces of Tarapaca, Tacna, and Arica, and the...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
(who was involved in border disputes with Chile) was invited to join the alliance and the Chamber of Deputies
Argentine Chamber of Deputies
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Argentine National Congress. This Chamber holds exclusive rights to create taxes, to draft troops, and to accuse the President, the ministers and the members of the Supreme Court before the Senate....
approved the law but the Argentine Senate
Argentine Senate
The Argentine Senate is the upper house of the Argentine National Congress. It has 72 senators: three for each province and three for the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires...
postponed the matter to 1874. Argentina would go on to settle disputes with Chile in the Boundary treaty of 1881.
Objective
The preamble of the treaty said that Bolivia and Peru, mutually guaranteeing certain rights, formulating a "Treaty of Defensive Alliance".They guarantee their independence, their sovereignty and the integrity of their territories respectively, obliging themselves by the terms of the treaty to defend themselves against all foreign aggression.
Casus foederis
The casus foederisCasus foederis
Casus foederis alternatively spelled Casus fœderis is derived from the Latin for "case of the alliance". In diplomatic terms, it describes a situation in which the terms of an alliance come into play, such as one nation being attacked by another....
should emerge by:
- the attempt to subject one of the contracting parties to any supremacy, right or predominance, which tends to lessen the full and complete exercise of its sovereignty.
- the attempt to oblige one of the parties to vary the laws which it emits in the exercise of its sovereignty.
Right to decide to enter the war
The article III says that each party reserves to itself the right of deciding whether the offence received by the other is comprehended among the casus foederis. That is a very important clause as it affects the responsibilities of Peru in the War of the Pacific.For the casus foederis, a protocol
Protocol (diplomacy)
In international politics, protocol is the etiquette of diplomacy and affairs of state.A protocol is a rule which guides how an activity should be performed, especially in the field of diplomacy. In diplomatic services and governmental fields of endeavor protocols are often unwritten guidelines...
should enumerate the subsidies
Subsidy
A subsidy is an assistance paid to a business or economic sector. Most subsidies are made by the government to producers or distributors in an industry to prevent the decline of that industry or an increase in the prices of its products or simply to encourage it to hire more labor A subsidy (also...
, military and naval elements, order of superior command
Superior (hierarchy)
In a hierarchy or tree structure of any kind, a superior is an individual or position at a higher level in the hierarchy than another , and thus closer to the apex. It is often used in business terminology to refer to people who are supervisors and in the military to people who are higher in the...
, etc.
Restricted right to celebrating treaties
Furthermore the pact restricted the right of celebrating treaties affecting Boundaries, or other territorial arrangements, without previous knowledge of the ally. Boundary Treaties could only be celebrated between Bolivia and Chile, because they were the only countries bordering on one another. Consequently, this clause had for its object to introduce Peru into any convention or Treaty of this class that might be agreed upon.Others
The treaty should remain secret. Other countries should be invited to enter the pact. Argentina would get an access to the Pacific OceanPacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
between the latitude 24°S and 27°S of Chilean territories
Analysis
At that time, 1873, the relations of the contracting parties to Chile were troubled because of the overlapping demands of Chile and Bolivia over the rich Niter fields of AntofagastaAntofagasta
Antofagasta is a port city in northern Chile, about north of Santiago. It is the capital of Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region. According to the 2002 census, the city has a population of 296,905...
.
The interpretation of the pact is still very controversial. Some Peruvians and Bolivians historians see the pact as defensive. In contrast, Chileans considerer that the pact as the preamble
Preamble
A preamble is an introductory and expressionary statement in a document that explains the document's purpose and underlying philosophy. When applied to the opening paragraphs of a statute, it may recite historical facts pertinent to the subject of the statute...
of the War of the Pacific and a wildcard for Bolivia to provoke Chile by violating agreed treaty conditions. As the pact was signed, 1873, the Peruvian navy was stronger than the Chilean navy and that would be deciding in any confrontation.
The Chilean historian Gonzalo Bulnes writes:
- … it was convenient for Bolivia to take advantage of Chile's lack of maritime forces and of the fact that Peru was in condition to impede the mobilisation of troops in defence of the disputed territory. Moreover, she would have to move quickly because Chile was having two ironclads constructed in England.
- …
- Bolivia was to declare that she would not respect the [Boundary] treaty of 1866 [with Chile], then in force, and should occupy the territory over which she claimed to have rights, that is to say, the salitre zone. Chile, naturally, would not accept the outrage and would declare war. It was necessary that the initiative of the break should come from Chile. After requesting England to embargo the Chilean ships in construction in the name of neutrality, Peru and Argentina would come into action with their fleets. I mention Argentina because the co-operation of that country formed part of PardoManuel PardoManuel Pardo y Lavalle was a Peruvian politician and the first civilian President of Peru.Born in Lima, Peru, he was the founder of the most important political party of the era...
's plan.
Six years after the agreement, in 1879, the military balance had changed since Chile got the ironclads
Ironclad warship
An ironclad was a steam-propelled warship in the early part of the second half of the 19th century, protected by iron or steel armor plates. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells. The first ironclad battleship, La Gloire,...
Cochrane and Blanco Encalada
Chilean frigate Blanco Encalada (1875)
Blanco Encalada was an armored frigate built by Earle's Shipbuilding Co. in England for the Chilean Navy in 1875. She was nicknamed El Blanco...
, superior in fire power and Iron armour
Iron armour
Iron armour was a type of armour used on ironclad warships. The earliest material available in sufficient quantities for armouring ships was iron, wrought or cast. The use of iron gave rise to the term ironclad as a reference to a ship 'clad' in iron....
to all Peruvian navy ships.
Argentina never entered the pact.
See also
- Chile-Peru relationsChile-Peru relationsChile–Peru relations refers to international relations between the Republic of Chile and the Republic of Peru. Peru and Chile share a long history of international diplomacy starting from the times of the Inca Empire in the 15th century. Under the Viceroyalty of Peru, Chile and Peru had...
- Bolivia-Chile relationsBolivia-Chile relationsBolivia–Chile relations refers to interstate relations between the Republic of Chile and the Bolivian Republic. Bolivia and Chile have had strained relations ever since independence in the early 19th century because of the Atacama border dispute...