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The Republic of the Sword, (Portuguese: República da Espada, Portuguese pronunciation: [ɹɪpˈʌblɪkə dˈɑː ɛspˈɑːdə]), was the era in Brazilian history where the First Brazilian Republic was ruled by Marshals Deodoro da Fonseca and Floriano Peixoto.
| Republic of the Sword | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 November 1889 – 15 November 1894 | |||
| |||
 | |||
| President(s) | Deodoro da Fonseca (1891-1891) Floriano Peixoto (1891-1894) | ||
The period began in 1889 when Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca launched a military coup against the monarchy, which ended the Empire of Brazil and led to the Proclamation of the Republic. The first two years of the republic were dictatorial under Deodoro, until a constitution was promulgated in 1891, and he was elected president. However, Deodoro was not able to adjust to sharing power with congress, and dissolved it soon after he was elected.[1] This resulted in the Vice President, Floriano Peixoto, usurping the presidency. During his presidency, civil and military unrest such as the Federalist Revolution and the Second Navy Revolt was common. He resigned and handed over the presidency to Prudente de Morais, the first civilian president in Brazilian History, in 1894, ending the Republic of the Sword.
Background
[edit]After the Paraguayan War, the military gained political influence.[2] King Pedro II's diabetes removed him from his position as mediator, which caused tension between the imperial elite and the military as there was no moderating force between them.[3] Pedro II's successor, Princess Isabel, had a husband which had a controversial personality.[3] The church also weared down the government to some extent.[3]
A rumor that Deodoro da Fonseca would be arrested, and a meeting with prestigious civilian and military men resulted in him launching a coup'd'tat on 15 November 1891, which was bloodless and unopposed.[2] It is unknown if whether on the day itself he had declared the birth of the republic, or had simply removed the head of the cabinet, the Viscount of Ouro Preto from power. Nonetheless, the republic had been founded.[3]
1889-1891, Deodoro da Fonseca
[edit]The military men who had participated in the coup had sworn an oath to uphold the monarchy and overthrowing it was considered a treasonous act.[1] Hence, after the coup, they needed to legitimize themselves. They decided to do so by stating that their actions were for the sake of Brazil, and not for the sake of regime change.[1]
The military knew that a dictatorship would have to be in place for at least 5 years, and a more patriotic faction led by Floriano Peixoto believed that it should be longer.[4] The new republic did not have enough popular support and could not risk popular elections.[1] The first two years of the republic would be dictatorial under Deodoro da Fonseca.[4]
Deodoro da Fonseca's rule
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Following the coup, Deodoro was chosen to be the leader of the newly created republic.[4][3]
Many of the tasks that the new government had to solve were solved by executive decree, which drew criticism from republicans and non-republicans.[4] The first decree that was issued stated that a federative republic would operate until the promulgation of a constitution. After this, came decrees that gave voting rights to the literate and those who enjoyed civil and political rights.[4] The next decrees dissolved provincial assemblies which had been established under the empire, granted more power to state organs (Eg. Judiciary, Executive, Legislative), separated church and state, and reformed civil law under the judiciary and its code. Many of these reforms would later be added and expanded on in the constitution of 1891. The government would also begin attempting to resolve some of its other problems, with varying decrees of success.[4]
In the finance sector, Ruy Barbosa attempted to solve the finance issues as the monarchy had allegedly financed questionable banking concerns.[4] His strategy was to allow various favored banks with inadequate assets to triple the nation's credit. However, speculation and inflation rose, and an economic crisis began, named the Encilhamento. Following the crisis, Brazil underwent a period of austerity measures, and it's credit was only re-established after several years.[4][1]
Five days after the creation of the new republic, Argentina and Uruguay recognised its sovereignty, followed by Chile in before the end of 1889. In 1890, most nations recognised the new republic, though it was icily received in Europe and with reservations in Britain.[4][3]
Meanwhile, liberal forces continued pressing on the need of a constitution, and a commission to draw up a constitution was established as in 1889 as part of decree No.39. The constitution was promulgated in 1891.[3]
Constitutional government of 1891
[edit]Constitution of 1891
[edit]
Two distinct forces clashed in the constitution of 1891.[1] Those who were strongly opposed to the coffee oligarchy and aimed to intensify presidential authority, the radical Jacobins, and those who aimed to limit presidential power.[1] The new constitution decreed a federation that was governed by a president, a National Congress and a Judiciary, and built on and expanded on earlier decrees that had already been issued.
Article 14 decreed the army and navy as permanent national institutions which were responsible for maintaining law and order and for ensuring the survival of the 3 constitutional powers.[1] The army was intended to the moderator of the system, and military officers were the only state elite that were constitutionally mandated.[1] The article also allowed the army to be disobedient to president if they decreed that his actions were illegal, though loyal otherwise.[1]
The election of 1891
[edit]With the promulgation of the new constitution, an indirect election was held shortly after. Unlike future elections, presidential and vice-presidential elections were held simultaneously. For the presidential election, Deodoro won the presidency with 129 votes against Prudente de Morais' 97, while Floriano won the vice-presidency with 153 votes against Eduardo Wandenkolk's 57.[4]
Coup of 3 November
[edit]
For 8 months after he assumed office, bickering and disagreement between Deodoro da Fonseca and the new congress was a common occurrence.[4] He had difficulty adjusting to sharing power with congress and dissolved it, which provoked civilian and military protests in the 20 days that followed.[4][1] In Pára, a uprising occured, and in Rio Grande Do Sul, a rebellion broke out, while a revolt also occurred in the Navy.[1] In order to mollify the opposition, he resigned in favour of his vice-president, Floriano Peixoto, on the 23rd of November.[1][4]
1891-1894, Floriano Peixoto
[edit]_(Cropped).jpg?lang=en)
Upon taking office, Floriano Peixoto ousted all state governors that supported Deodoro da Fonseca, and replaced them with state governors that were loyal to him. He did so by using the military to oust the original state governors, as he lacked a constitutional way to replace them.[1][4] As a result of his unconstitutional actions, factions of opposition stood against him, headed by the ousted state governors and their partisans.[4] There was also opposition from powerful conservative groups, who were threatened by the unsound fiscal policies that the new government had taken up.[4] However, it was the military revolts that posed the most danger to the Peixoto administration.[4]
In January 1892, the personnel of two forts in the federal capital revolted against the government, and in April, 13 generals of the army submitted a manifesto which called for the resignation of Floriano. They were imprisoned or exiled as a result. In Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande Do Sul, Maranhao, Amazonas, and Mato Grosso, revolts broke out.[4] In 1893, a second navy revolt occured, where the rebels, led by Admiral Custódio José de Melo had threatened to shell São Paulo.[3] Salvador Mendonça, Brazil's diplomat to the United States, with the help of American businessesman Charles Flint, assembled a fleet commanded by American crewmen, who managed to defeat the rebellion.[3][1]
On land, a civil war broke out in Rio Grande Do Sul, which later spread to Santa Catarina and Paraná. Though the conflict had local origins, Floriano Peixoto turned it into a national conflict by siding with the republican governor Júlio de Castilhos.[1] The civil war ended in 1895, and was remarked on by Brazilian historian José Maria Bello as: "The cruelest of Brazil's civil wars." [1]
Resignation of Floriano Peixoto
In 1894, Floriano Peixoto reached the end of his term and resigned, due to his illness and the military's disunity.[4][1] A direct election was held shortly after, and Prudente de Morais, a civilian spokesperson for the Sao Paulo coffee oligarchy, won the election, which ended the 5-year long period of uninterrupted military rule in Brazil, and ended the Republic of the Sword.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Brazil - The Old or First Republic, 1889-1930". countrystudies.us. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
- ^ a b Meade, Teresa A. (2010). A brief history of Brazil (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Checkmark Books. ISBN 978-0-8160-7788-5.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Fausto, Boris; Brakel, Arthur (2014). A concise history of Brazil. Cambridge concise histories (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-63524-1.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Hill, Lawrence (1947). Brazil. United Nations.