The War of the Triple Alliance was a military conflict in South America fought from 1864 to 1870 between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, Brazil, andUruguay. It caused more deaths than any other war in modern South American military history, and particularly devastated Paraguay, killing most of its male population.

Several theories exist regarding the origins of the war. The traditional view emphasizes the aggressive policy of Paraguayan president Francisco Solano Lópeztowards Platine matters. Conversely, the Paraguayan traditional view and Argentine revisionism (1960s) give a preponderant role to the interests of the British Empire. The war began in late 1864 with combat operations between Brazil and Paraguay; from 1865 onwards, one can properly refer to the "War of the Triple Alliance".

The conflict is commonly known by the name "War of the Triple Alliance" (Spanish:Guerra de la Triple Alianza) in Argentina and Uruguay. It is also known in both countries and Brazil as the "Paraguayan War" (Portuguese: Guerra do Paraguai;Spanish: Guerra del Paraguay), while in Paraguay itself it is known as the "Great War" (Spanish: Guerra Grande) or the "War against the Triple Alliance" (Spanish: Guerra contra la Triple Alianza).

Courtesy: Wikipedia http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Triple_Alliance