Jose Gaspar Rodriguez de Francia

See also: Francia

Jose Gaspar Rodriguez de Francia (January 6th 1766 with Rise - September 20th 1840) dictator of Paraguay.

Born from a Portuguese father and a Creole, he studied initially theology, followed then the occupation of lawyer, and was named secretary of the Junte at the time of the revolution which drove out the Spanish S of Buenos Aires, in 1811.

He was made soon elect consul with the Paraguay, then dictator temporarily in 1814, finally dictator with life in 1817, and exerted during long years an absolute power, which he consolidated by the torments and the imprisonments.

Until 1840, year of its death, Francia controlled the country in Autocrate. This odd character, with the contradictory aspects, behaved on the one hand in Obscurantiste by closing the country and by imposing restrictions in the cultural field to him, on the other hand as a fanatic defender of political and economic independence, as a mystic of the public property.

Of an absolute honesty, rare quality at the Latin-American Caudillo S of the time, its greater desire was to ensure the country a total autonomy. Rigorous insulation to which it subjected it on the one hand made it possible him to conclude its policy vis-a-vis the other countries and to release it from the influence imperialist, mainly that of the England which, at that time, reigned on the countries of the Rio of Plata; in addition, an economy ready supported to satisfy the needs for the domestic consumption. Cut rest of the world, the Paraguay is sufficed for itself.

Paraguay owes him its organization, its manufactures, its trade. Cruel, suspicious and odd, Francia saw only conspiracies everywhere; it had closed its empire with all the foreigners, and did not let more-set out again those which had once penetrated there. Similar in addition to one point to Louis XI, this tyrant made of his barber his confidant.

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