History 307 – Latin America – October 24, 2003

 Brazil: Colony to Empire to Republic

 

I.                   1808 - Portuguese Royal Family (Braganzas) flee to Brazil; BRAZIL DOES NOT WAGE A WAR OF LIBERATION

 II.                1822 - Dom Pedro, heir to thrown, refuses to return to Portugal!

a.       Brazil’s CONSERVATIVES push Dom Pedro to declare independence from Portugal, in order to preserve the Authoritarian order

 

III.           FIRST EMPIRE (1822-31)

a.       ironic survival of colonial Brazil:  emperor; authoritarian state; plantation (“fazenda’) economy; Fazendeiros as virtual warlords; SLAVERY

b.      Thus: Independence as a way to AVOID Republican Values

c.       “Cry of Ipiranga”: “Independence or Death!”

d.       Dom Pedro I

e.       Liberals & Conservatives

 

Liberals	Conservatives
Commercial classes Big cities Change, experiment Democracy (at least for them!)	Fazenda Agricultural elite Country-side Tradition Authority/ elite rule (rule by them!)

  

IV. SECOND EMPIRE (1830-1889) - Brazil as regional Great Power

a.        1831: Abdication of Pedro I (Liberal triumph?)

b.        1831-40: Regency Years; child Dom Pedro II is Emperor; Conservative triumph?

c.        CONSERVATIVE BRAZIL:

Liberals	CONSERVATIVES
Commercial classes Big cities Change, experiment democracy	Fazenda Agricultural elite Country-side Tradition Authority/ elite rule (rule by them!)   Powerful Army Centralized State Rigid Social Hierarchy All Power to the Traditional Agricultural Elite!

 d.        1825-28 - First Argentine War - over Uruguay

·          Uruguay becomes independent nation (with strong Argentine flavor)

 

e.        1843-51 - Second Argentine War - over Uruguay

 

f.        1864-5 - renewed intervention in Uruguay

 

g.        1865-70 – War of the Triple Alliance/ Paraguayan War (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay v. Paraguay

 

 IV.   FIRST (‘Old’) REPUBLIC (1889-1930)

a.        industrialization à growing middle class à impatience with authoritarian, Fazenda economy

b.        Liberals Ascendant

 

LIBERALS

CONSERVATIVES

Commercial classes Big cities Change, experiment Democracy   Among urban, commercial classes, deep discontent with rule by rural plantation landlords.   Yearning to be “modern,” “industrial,” “international”   SLAVERY BECOMES THE KEY ISSUE: it’s inhumane and immoral;  it’s an international embarrassment; it’s terrible inefficient; it’s politically dangerous because it provokes rebellions; as radically cheap labor, it gives landlords a huge economic advantage; it only continues an outdated Master/Slave mind-set among both Masters & Slaves

Fazenda Agricultural elite Country-side Tradition Authority/ elite rule (rule by them!)   Powerful Army Centralized State Rigid Social Hierarchy All Power to the Traditional Agricultural Elite!

c.        1888 - SLAVERY FINALLY ABOLISHED; “Golden Law” – WITHOUT CIVIL WAR!

d.        1889 Coup à Empire Abolished/ Republic Created

e.        LIBERALS push urban, industrial, middle-class agenda à “Modern Brazil”

f.        BUT – Just How “Liberal” is the First Republic?

(1)      Liberals never really attack Fazenda system – even after slavery, a kind of Master/Slave system survives

(2)     Liberals never really try to mobilize democratic forces among freed slaves, workers, the poor;  Liberals remain very middle class

(3)     Liberals invest very little in “social infra-structure”  (schools, hospitals, housing, public health, job safety)

(4)     Most Brazilians – poor, workers – still excluded from political process à little loyalty to the government à chronic problem with lawlessness

(5)     Economy remains an elite economy: wealth is pumped upward

(6)     Economy remains a colonial economy: wealth is pumped outward

(7)     A Jeckyl/Hyde Brazil:

 

Democratic “Dr. Jeckyll”	Anti-Democratic “Mr. Hyde”
Abolition of Slavery – without Civil War Lots of talk about democracy, human rights Rapid economic growth – factories, cities,         immigration cultural links to “developed” world – US, Europe	Survival of Fazenda elite: anti-democratic, traditional, hostile to change; strong links to army; eager to abolish democracy and return to Authoritarian Rule

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Modified by:  H.  Kamerling