O government of Floriano Peixoto it extended from 1891 to 1894, being the second presidential government in Brazilian history. Peixoto was a military man who assumed the presidency after Deodoro da Fonseca resigned from office in November 1891. He became known in Brazilian history as “iron marshal” for his action in repressing two revolts during his administration.
Floriano Peixoto's government was marked by authoritarianism, manifested in the repression of its opponents and critics. However, it was a very popular gift in the lower tiers. Power passed to Prudente de Morais, Brazil's first civilian president.
See more:The culture of Brazil in the period of the Old Republic or First Republic
First Republic
The government of Floriano Peixoto is part of the First Republic, period in Brazilian history that began in 1889, with the Proclamation of the Republic, and finished 1930, with the 1930 revolution. Floriano Peixoto was the secondBrazilian president, and his government began in a scenario of serious political crisis.
Brazil had just been transformed into a republic and was in the consolidation processandstabilization. there was still a lot dispute between groups that defended different ideas for the country. Deodoro da Fonseca had become president through an indirect election, held in 1891, which also elected Floriano Peixoto as vice president.
THE Deodoro's crisis with the Legislature, which led him to close the Congress, and the beginning of the Armada Revolt forced him to to waive to the presidency of Brazil. The Constitution of 1891 provided for the holding of a new presidential election, but a political arrangementled by the Partido Republicano Paulista (PRP) ended up causing Floriano to be nominated for the position.
Floriano Peixoto was sworn in on November 23, 1891. Those who defended his inauguration hoped that his government would be able to stabilize the country and consolidate the republic. Once in office as president, Floriano began a series of actions to neutralize the political influence of the “deodorists”, the defenders of Deodoro.
If you want to know more about this period of Brazilian history, like the other presidents who were part of it, read our text: Old Republic — the period of the oligarchic republic.
Politics in the government of Floriano Peixoto
Brazilian politics in the first decade of the republic were agitated. The two main groups in this context were the deodorists and the florianists, defenders of Deodoro and Floriano, respectively. There were demonstrations against Floriano Peixoto evoking Article 42 of the 1891 Constitution, and, in early 1892, the military signed a document criticizing the government. Floriano had them fired and retired.
The PRP was the party that supported Floriano in power, and he still had the military support who believed that it was necessary to impose an authoritarian republic to modernize the country and guarantee this form of government. There was even a mobilization of parliamentarianss, in which they voluntarily suspended their work in favor of the expansion of presidential powers.
This scenario of political radicalization and fierce dispute between deodorant and florianists contributed to the Peixoto government being centralizer and authoritarian. he was merciless in repression against his opponents and sustained their power with popular support based on actions that benefited the lower strata of society, such as reducing taxes on some items, such as meat. Furthermore, his role in repressing revolts made him known as an "iron marshal".
Armada Revolt
Political disputes within Brazil resulted in riotsand armed movements. One of the most agitated institutions in the period was the Navy, a place with a high incidence of royalists. An armada revolt had led to Deodoro's resignation, and the second had the same objective: to overthrow the president.
In Floriano's case, the situation was aggravating, as the Navy had become strongly antiflorian. The dissatisfaction of its members with Floriano Peixoto led them to rebel in September 1893. The Navy accused Floriano of being a dictator and blamed him as one of the causes of the civil war in the South - the Federalist Revolution.
led by custodianinhoney, the sailors took possession of naval vessels and bombed Rio de Janeiro, capital of Brazil, and the city of Niterói. The coast of Rio de Janeiro witnessed a series of battles between rebel forces and government forces. With the help of US forces, the government managed to break the siege over Rio de Janeiro and put an end to this movement.
You Armada rebelsfled to the south and joined the federalists, who fought against the Castilhistas, allies of Floriano Peixoto, in Rio Grande do Sul. Floriano took advantage of the bombings on Rio de Janeiro to expand his authoritarian measures, decreeing state of siege and restricting individual freedoms.
Accessalso: Prestes Column – the revolt of young lieutenants against the oligarchic government
Federalist Revolution
It was one of the biggest conflicts in the history of Brazil and lasted from 1893 to 1895, dividing Rio Grande do Sul in a fratricidal dispute. This conflict was caused by the attempts to seize power carried out in that state in the last decade of the 19th century. Such attempts were carried out by the BrokenRio Grande Republican, led by Júlio de Castilhos, and by Federalist Party, led by Gaspar Silveira Martins.
This scenario was radicalized when the federalists decided to take up arms to overthrow Julio de Castilhos, president of state since January 1893. This group began its armed rebellion in February of the same year and was militarily led by Guemercindo Tavares and João Nunes da Silva Tavares.
Floriano Peixoto was aware of the rivalry between Castilhistas and Federalists and was aware that this struggle could lead to a major civil war. Thus, he intervened in the situation, sending troops to act in defense of the Castilhistas. Despite this, the first moment of this conflict was marked by the advance of opposing troops.
Federalist troops arrived at advance through Santa Catarina and Paraná, until they were interrupted by the defeat suffered in Lapa, in the interior of Paraná. After that, a recovery of the government-supported Castilhistas began. Disagreements within the federalist leadership also contributed to its loss of strength in the war.
Federalist-occupied sites such as Desterro were reclaimed by government troops as they weakened. The reconquest of Desterro caused the city to be renamed in honor of the president, renamed Florianopolis.
The advance of government troops and Castilhistas, as well as the advance of the Federalists, was characterized by great violence. The last big battle in this conflict was the Combat of Campo Osório, which resulted in the disbanding of federalist troops. To learn more about this great clash, read our text: Federalist Revolution of 1893.
Succession
Floriano Peixoto's government lasted until November 1894. The presidential succession organized by the paulistas led to a civilian being elected president of Brazil in that year's dispute. The one chosen by the oligarchs was Prudent of Morals, which did not please its predecessor.
Image credits
[1] Sergey Kohl and Shutterstock