Brazil's participation in World War I was established as a result of a series of episodes involving Brazilian vessels in Europe. In April 1917, German forces shot down the ship Paraná near the English Channel. Six months later, another Brazilian vessel, the battleship Macau, was attacked by Germans. Indignant, popular demanded a forceful response from the Brazilian authorities.
At the time, President Venceslau Brás signed an alliance with the countries of the Triple Entente (United States, England and France), in opposition to the Triple Alliance group, formed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Germany and the Empire Ottoman Turk. Without relying on expressive military technology, we can consider the Brazilian participation in the First World War quite timid. Among other actions, the government of Brazil sent some airplane pilots, offering military ships and medical support.
Charged with protecting the Atlantic from possible attacks by German submarines, seven vessels were used in World War I: two cruisers, four destroyers and another auxiliary ship. The small crew of these ships, even though they played a brief role, were victims of the Spanish flu epidemic that swept Europe during this period. The most successful Brazilian experience in the conflict happened with the groups sent to fight alongside French and British soldiers.
Brazilians participated in the conflicts of troops on the western front and in the Jutland region. The best known case of Brazilian participation refers to the military officer José Pessoa Cavalcanti de Albuquerque. Reports say that this soldier was responsible for commanding French cavalry platoons and a small tank unit. The experience he acquired opened the door for Brazil to acquire its first armored cars shortly thereafter.
Brazilian support was much more present with the sending of agricultural supplies and raw materials sought by the conflicting nations. In Brazil, World War I had significant implications for our economy. The economic downturn suffered by the great European industrial nations opened doors for the industrial park to develop.
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By Rainer Sousa
Master in History
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SOUSA, Rainer Gonçalves. "Brazil in the First War"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historiab/brasil-primeira-guerra.htm. Accessed on June 28, 2021.
