November 15th is an important date in Brazil, as this day celebrates the Proclamation of the Republic. This event took place in 1889 and was the result of the mobilization of the Army and civilian republicans against the monarchy installed in the country since 1822. from a coup, the republic was established in Brazil and the royal family was expelled.
The Proclamation of the Republic was the result of a long military dissatisfaction with the monarchic government. Historians currently treat this event as a blow because it was a forced regime transition without popular participation. November 15 is currently considered a national holiday.
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What caused the Proclamation of the Republic?
The Proclamation of the Republic is the result of a political process that stretched back to the 1870s. Dissatisfaction with the monarchy gained strength at the end of the
Paraguay War, both in military and civilian environments. This dissatisfaction only grew, and the emergence of republican parties contributed to this.The large dissatisfied group, however, was the Army Brazilian. The Armed Forces considered themselves little recognized after having carried out the entire effort of the Paraguay War. The military was dissatisfied with their salaries, they wanted improvements in the career promotion system and permission to express their opinions on their political positions, something prohibited at the time.
This contributed to the republicanism being ventilated in its interior. Nevertheless, dissatisfaction with the monarchy was not exclusive to the military, the coffee growers paulistas and the churchCatholic they were also dissatisfied.
Still, the weakening of the monarchic regime in Brazil is directly related to the advance of abolitionist agenda. The relationship was proportional and inverse: as abolitionism gained strength, monarchism lost its influence in the country. Politically, debates were heated up throughout the 1880s, both on the issue of abolition as in republicanism. The situation in Brazil was of chronic crisisin the 1880s, and the polarization only contributed to reinforce this picture.
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With the loss of support from the Church and from the slavers, the monarchy was left without the large groups that supported it, especially the latter. Thus, its support became extremely difficult, since the republican movement was very strong in the late 1880s. As republicanism advanced, a new agenda was aired: the federalism.
This agenda was inspired by the federalism that existed in the United States and advocated greater government decentralization, that is, the republican parties grouped themselves regionally and started to defend greater autonomy for the states. At one point, it was thought that the monarchy would apply some decentralization, but this did not happen.
Another factor of dissatisfaction with the monarchy was related to the economy. After the Paraguay War, the Brazilian economy weakened, after all the country spent much more than it could to beat the Paraguayans. The impacts of the global crisis in the capitalism of 1873, which had little impact on Brazil, but had its reflexes in the country.
The last factor is the succession question, because, even among the monarchists, there was a certain discomfort with the fact that the successors to the throne were Princess Isabel and her husband, Count D’ Eu.
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How was the Proclamation of the Republic?
The Proclamation of the Republic was made more on the basis of improvisation than, in fact, on the basis of planning. However, historian Boris Fausto suggests that, since 1887, there were meetings that debated the possibilities of overthrowing the monarchy in Brazil. In 1889, there was a group formed by great names of the time, such as aristides wolf, solonbrook, QuintinoBocaiuva, among others, that had advanced debates about the overthrow of the regime.
In November 1889, the political crisis was advanced, mainly because there was already a perception that the Viscount of Ouro Preto would not solve the great demands of that moment. Thus, great names of republicanism at the time secretly met with the marshal Deodoro da Fonseca, a very influential military at the time, for him to join the movement.
After being convinced, Deodoro da Fonseca led a raisemilitary, on November 15, which surrounded the Ministerial Cabinet, dismissed the Viscount of Ouro Preto from the post and arrested him. Throughout that day, a series of events led to the Proclamation of the Republic, officially, after an announcement made by José do Patrocínio, a councilor from Rio de Janeiro.
Count D’Eu tried to lead a resistance on the 15th, and the emperor tried to form a new cabinet, but the actions were unsuccessful. The monarchy was effectively overthrown, d. Pedro II he ceased to be emperor of Brazil, and a provisional republican government was installed. On the 17th of 1889, the royal family fled from Brazil and left for Europe.
Is November 15 a national holiday?
Every year the 15th of November is considered a national holiday by determination of Brazilian law. On January 14, 1890, the first law was passed recognizing the day as a holiday. This law was the Decree No. 155-B, who determined the holiday as a day for celebrate the “Brazilian homeland”.
This action, however, was one of many to ensure legitimacy to the newly established republic in Brazil and to guarantee that the day and republicanism were impregnated in the popular imagination. Other laws that enforced November 15 as a holiday were enacted during the It was Vargas and the Fourth Republic.
Currently, the day in question is considered a holiday by virtue of a recent law. On December 19, 2002, during the government of Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Law nº 10.607 was approved, which mentions all the national holidays in Brazil, being the 15th of November one of them.
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Republicanism in Brazil today
First, Brazil's status is assured by the 1988 Constitution, which assures our country as a “federative republic”. In addition, in the promulgation of the Constitution, a transitional constitutional provision about a referendum that should be held in September 7th 1993 (and in fact it was done, but in April 21st 1993).
That plebiscite questioned the population about the form and system of government that would be adopted in Brazil. The Brazilian population was asked whether the country would be a republic or a monarchy, and the popular choice (with 66% of votes) determined that the country would be a republic.
By Daniel Neves Silva
Graduated in History