What was the Old Republic?
“old republic” is the name given to the period in the history of Brazil that began in November 15, 1889, like coup that ended the Empire, and ended in October 24, 1930, when another coup deposed the then president WashingtonLuís. This period was marked by the reorganization of the country's political structure and is usually divided into two phases: the “Republic of the Sword”, from 1889 to 1894, and the “oligarchic republic”, from 1894 to 1930.
Adoption of the republican federative system
The regime change that came with the Proclamation of the Republic, led by Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca (the first president), provoked the decentralization of power in Brazil. In the imperial structure, the country was divided into provinces, which were linked to the central monarchic power. One of the central powers was directly exercised by the emperor himself, the so-called PowerModerator. In turn, inspired by the republican federative system from the United States of America, our Republic transformed the former imperial provinces into states of the Federation, with autonomy for economic and political affairs. To the central power, the
Unity, would fit the role of administrative mediation.This system was legitimized by the first Constitution republican, from 1891, as the historians Lilia M. Schwarcz and Heloisa M. starling in the book Brazil: A Biography:
The Constitution of 1891 defined the institutional bases of the new regime – presidentialism, federalism and the bicameral system – and implemented a series of changes to mark the rupture. The Church separated from the State, and the civil registration of births, marriages and deaths was introduced. The federalist proposal, in turn, organized the new regime on decentralized bases, giving the former provinces, now transformed into states, greater autonomy and fiscal control, and undermined the belief in monarchical centralism as an agent of national cohesion. [1]
However, the decentralization caused by the federative system paved the way for the concentration of power in the oligarchiesregional, notably those of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, and the overlapping of the interests of these oligarchies.
The "politics of the governors", the "coffee with milk policy" and coronelismo
From 1889 to 1894, when the “RepublicgivesSword”, the republican regime went through many turmoils, such as the economic crisis of the “stranding", at Armada Revolts and the Federalist Revolution. In 1894, the first civilian president was elected, Prudent of Morals. It was from there that the search for political balance began, with a view to contemplating the interests of regional oligarchies. The "formula" found for this type of balance was given by the second civilian president, São Paulo fieldsSales, elected in 1898: the “politicsFromgovernors”.
With the “governors' policy”, the figure of the president of the Republic and the federal republican instances were left in the background. The center of power was converted into pacts signed between the states. At the base of these pacts was the action, at the municipal level, of the “colonels”, local leadership that guaranteed to the oligarchs the formation of the “electoral corrals”, of the network of people dependent on the “favors” of the political elites. As historian Boris Fausto says in his history of Brazil:
[…] despite being important for sustaining the base of the oligarchic system, the “colonels” depended on other instances to maintain their power. Among these instances, the state government stood out, in large states, which did not correspond to a gathering of “colonels”. The “colonels” provided votes to the political heads of their state, but depended on them to provide many of the benefits expected by voters. This occurred above all when the benefits were collective, when it came to, for example, repairing roads or installing schools. [2]
The “governors' policy” was led by the oligarchies of Minas Gerais and São Paulo, who alternated in occupying the position of presidency of the Republic. Because the economy of São Paulo had, at the time, the coffee as the “flagship”, and Minas Gerais, the milk, such alternation became known as “latte policy”.
GRADES
[1] SCHWARCZ, Lilia. M.; STARLING, Heolisa M. Brazil: A Biography. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras, 2015. P. 318.
[2] FAUSTO, Boris. history of Brazil. São Paulo: EDUSP, 2013. P. 227.
By Me. Cláudio Fernandes
