Brazil\'s Old, or First, Republic

Brazil's old, or first, republic was born out of the erosion of support for the existing administration. A coup d'etat was carried out by conspirators with the support of the military and a Constituent Assembly organized to write a new constitution and immediately order the separation of church and state as well as other republican reforms. The creation of the constitution was completed in June 1890, and it was voted upon and adopted in February 1891.

Similar to the United States' Constitution, Brazil's document ended the monarchy and set up a federal republic, officially called the United States of Brazil. A congress elected by the people and formed of a house and senate replaced a parliament of senators appointed for life . The new Constitution established an independent judiciary, and an elected Chief Executive (President) as head of the executive branch. The result of all this was a major shift of power from a strong, federal government with most of the power to a system that granted broad powers to the individual states, though not necessarily to the "the people."

How the Old Republic Changed Brazil Politically and Socially

Until the early 1900's, the social structure and economic situation in Brazil mirrored a model set up in the early days of colonial development. A small group of wealthy landowners controlled much of Brazil's riches and authority, while the much larger class of Brazilians -- mostly slaves, their descendents, and the mulatto population -- lived in poverty mostly as farm workers.

However, in 1888 the slave trade was eliminated. The authorities sought out Europeans to come to Brazil because the coffee plantation owners could no longer utilize the abundant supply of slaves they had before, and there weren't enough other workers. So, at the beginning of the Old Republic period, in the last decade of the 19th century, tens of thousands of immigrants from Europe arrived annually. Their numbers increased during the first decades of the 1900's, reaching a peak of well over half a million from 1911 to 1915. Rather than become farm workers, a majority of the immigrants settled in the cities.

Agricultural production continued to thrive and was the staple of the Brazilian economy. But, by the second decade of the twentieth century, industry had begun to develop around urban centers like Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Along with the continued industrialization of the country, came something new to Brazil -- the growth of a small working class and middle class.

Excluded from the power structure developed by landowners to dominate rural workers, the immigrants, particularly Italians who composed about 33% of the immigrant populace, began to insert new political beliefs from Europe, where workers and middle-class citizens were becoming increasingly active in politics. This "new" middle-class was frustrated with its lack of participation or even access to Brazil's politics. They began a movement and demanded a place in the nation's government. Organized unions and strikes by various groups and dissidents encountered intense repression from the government.

Propping up Brazil's Inequalities

There existed a "two-faced" political system in Brazil that took shape at the beginning of the twentieth century -- a "Jekyll and Hyde" government. First, there existed, supposedly, the official system of the constitutional United States of Brazil; then there was the actual system of unwritten agreements among local bosses, or, as they were referred to -- the colonels. Coronelismo it was called, and it stood up for autonomy of the individual states. By another name it was labeled the "politics of the governors." Under it, the local "patron-client networks" chose the state governors, who in turn selected the president.

The wealthier and more populated states exploited the system and exchanged the federal presidency between them for decades. The system fused the state authority groups around the rich, elite families that had been original members of the monarchy.

These oligarchies controlled the economy, the government, the politics and the elections. Records show that, during the 1920's, only 2% - 4% of the population of the country could vote.

Popular Response?

It must first be remembered that the Brazilian republic was not born of popular uprising against a suppressive "foreign" government as was the United States. As a matter of fact, the regime formed in the 1890's could not risk immediate popular elections. It was birthed of military force and maintained itself by military force. This new federal republic was, at best, unstable.