Republic of the Sword

The Republic of the Sword was the early time of the First Brazilian Republic, when it was ruled by Marshals Deodoro da Fonseca and Floriano Peixoto. It started in 1889 when Deodoro da Fonseca began a military coup against the Empire of Brazil, which led to the Proclamation of the Republic. For the first two years, Fonseca ruled with a lot of power, until a new constitution was created in 1891, and he was elected president. However, Fonseca could not work well with Congress and dissolved it in November 1891, causing big problems.

The time was also hard for the economy because of something called the Encilhamento. The government tried to help industry grow, but this led to too much spending and high prices, causing trouble for many people.

Floriano Peixoto became president during this difficult time. He was known as the "Iron Marshal" because he used strong ways to keep control. His time as president had many fights, like the Federalist Revolution and the Second Naval Revolt in 1893. Some people still wanted the old monarchy back and wanted new elections. Peixoto had to use emergency powers to stay in control. Even though his time was tough, it helped prepare Brazil for a more peaceful time when Prudente de Morais, the first civilian president, took over in 1894. After Peixoto left, Brazil started to move toward a government led by civilians, though power was still held by certain groups from places like Minas Gerais and São Paulo.

Background

Main articles: Decline and fall of Pedro II of Brazil and Proclamation of the Republic (Brazil)

After a big war called the Paraguayan War, the military in Brazil became more powerful. Emperor Pedro II was getting older and could not take an active role in running the country. This caused problems between the old leaders and the military.

In 1889, a leader named Deodoro da Fonseca from the Brazilian Army was asked to start a change against the old monarchy. On November 15, 1889, he led a peaceful takeover. Because of this, Brazil became a republic.

1889–1891, Deodoro da Fonseca

After a military coup in 1889, leaders wanted to show they acted for Brazil's good. For two years, Deodoro da Fonseca ruled with strong control.

Orders were used to change things, like letting educated people vote and separating church from government. But economic problems grew, causing a crisis. By 1891, a new constitution was made, setting up a government led by a president, a National Congress, and a Judiciary. Voting was allowed for men over 21, but not for women or those who couldn’t read.

Deodoro had disagreements with Congress and closed it, causing protests. He resigned in 1891, and Floriano Peixoto became president.

Constitution

Main article: Brazilian Constitution of 1891

Election

Main article: 1891 Brazilian presidential election

After the constitution was made, an indirect election was held. Deodoro became president, and Floriano became vice president.

1891–1894, Floriano Peixoto

Further information: Revolta da Armada § Second revolt, and Federalist Revolution

When Floriano Peixoto became leader, he changed state leaders to his own supporters because there was no legal way to change them at the time. Many people did not like this, including powerful groups who disagreed with the new government. Some people said he wanted to rule forever, but this was not true. The biggest problem for him was parts of the military who did not agree with him.

Soon after he took power, some soldiers stopped following orders. Later, many army leaders asked him to leave, but he did not. There were uprisings in several places, including Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul, Maranhão, Amazonas, and Mato Grosso. In 1893, sailors also rebelled but were stopped with help from foreign friends. There was also a big fight in the south of Brazil, but it ended a few years later.

End of term

Main article: 1894 Brazilian general election

In 1894, Floriano Peixoto’s time in power ended. An election was held, and a new leader, Prudente de Morais, took over. This marked the end of a five-year period when Brazil was mainly ruled by military leaders.

Aftermath

After Prudente de Morais became leader, the army had less power. The Clube Militar closed between 1896 and 1901. Tensions stayed high between soldiers and civilians, but no military leaders led the country for the rest of the First Republic, except for Hermes da Fonseca in 1910. After a time of economic trouble called the Encilhamento, the next two leaders, Prudente de Morais and Campos Sales, made changes to help Brazil's economy. The economy began to fully recover by the end of Campos Sales' time in office.