#20356 - L3 Imperial Brazil - Modern Latin American History

IMPERIAL BRAZIL AND THE FALL OF THE EMPIRE

Brazil, empire and monarchy: periodisation

• 1822 – 1831: 1^st reign (Dom Pedro I)

• 1831 – 1840: Regency period

• 1840 – 1889: 2^nd reign (Dom Pedro II)

Imperial Brazil: 1822 – 1889

• The monarch (or prince regent) at the time of Independence was Dom Pedro I. He was formally granted the powers and status of ‘Emperor’ of Brazil in the constitution of 1824, a status that was not automatically accepted by all the provinces

• Dom Pedro I, like his father, ended up returning to the motherland, Portugal, in 1831, in an attempt to escape his own unpopularity in Brazil and save his daughter’s claim to the throne in Portugal

• As his father had done a decade earlier, Pedro I also left behind his young son as regent. This time, though, there were two differences: this Pedro was Brazilian-born and only five years old

• Pedro II only formally became Emperor in 1840, after a period of political instability marked by bloody regional revolts which scarred every province of Brazil from north to south

• The period between 1831 to 1840 is known as the Regency Period, and the period post 1840 as the Second Empire

• These regional revolts did not end with the formal installation of Dom Pedro as head of state in 1840, but continued until the end of the decade.

• By mid-nineteenth century, though, the regional revolts had been defeated and the established figure of the monarch decided decisively, initiating what is known as a period of ‘conciliation’ politically and bringing an end to two decades of a nation at war with itself

• But, the conciliatory mood of the national politics was relatively short lived, and within a couple of decades Pedro had fallen out of favour and, as the second image illustrates, was regularly mocked in the press during the latter part of his reign

• Main themes;

• Power of the monarch (moderating power)

• Political stability and instability

• Territorial integrity

Imperial Brazil, first reign: 1822 – 1831

• Monarchy and government;

• Constitutional monarchy (1824 Constitution)

• Parliament, bicameral (Senate, Chamber of Deputies)

• Indirect elections, male suffrage, over 25, property & income requirements

• Electoral college, votes for chamber of deputies

• Monarch and “moderating power:” to dissolve cabinet & veto government decisions

• Senate appointed for life by monarch

• Council of state: 3 nominated by each province

• Provincial presidents, royal appointment

• These features provide hints as to why the role of the monarch was a cause of political instability during this First Reign

• The three features in bold were the source of continuous tension between central and provincial governments as well as between the monarch and his government, especially the use of his ‘moderating power.’

• Even before the constitution was agreed, there was a severe split in the political elite about the extent of the moderating power of Dom Pedro which resulted in the dissolution of the first Constituent Assembly in 1823, the arrest of Jose Bonifacio de Andrada and his brothers who were then banished to France

• Dom Pedro’s own political convictions were regarded with constant suspicion by the Brazilian political elite, first for his absolutist tendencies, and second for his disposition to protect Portuguese interests which in Brazil meant merchants

• Although there was a degree of political stability in so much that Dom Pedro had remained in Brazil, the lack of trust between him and the Brazilian political elite meant that when he was faced with having to decide (not unlike his father) between a political crisis in Portugal or one in Brazil, he would abdicate and return to Portugal

First reign: instability

• Monarchy;

• Wars of Independence 1822-24

• Death of João VI (1826)

• Dom Pedro I assumes throne

• Liberal Wars/War of Two Brothers (Portugal, 1828-1834)

• Increasing pressure from Portugal: return of Dom Pedro I

• 1831, Dom Pedro I abdicates, returns to Portugal to save crown for daughter: Maria (minor)

• Nation/Empire;

• Cisplatine War (1825-1828): major loss, financial, political, territorial

• Economic crisis: increasing dependence on Britain; British protectionism; British trade treaties; loans secured through Bank of London

• First Brazilian bank closes 1829

• Devaluation of Brazilian currency

• Fall in value of Brazilian coffee world markets

• Fall in government revenues

• Firstly, the main cause of instability in the aftermath of Independence in September 1822 was the resulting wars which continued into 1824 in some regions

• Then we have the trials and tribulations of royal succession following the death of Dom Joao VI in 1826. What followed is known as the War of Two Brothers, or The Liberal Wars, which ran from 1828 and 1834

• Upon his father’s death, Dom Pedro I, abdicated as heir apparent to the Portuguese throne, namely because no one wanted a reunification of Portugal and Brazil

• What Dom Pedro I did instead, though, was no less complicated an affair. He named his 7 year old daughter, Maria, as heir in waiting, and his sister Isabel as regent

• But his younger brother, Miguel, claimed he was rightful heir arguing that Pedro had forfeited his right to the throne anyway when he declared Brazilian Independence. The absolutists (in Spain and Portugal) supported Miguel’s claim as they hoped for a full return to monarchical rule on the Iberian Peninsular

• Miguel was, after all the son of a Spanish mother, Carlota and Spain had recently and successfully suppressed its own liberal revolts

• The Absolutists seemed to have their way, as Miguel assumed the throne usurping Maria in 1828

• Liberals in Oporto declared loyalty to Dom Pedro I and Maria and set about a rebellion

• In 1831, Dom Pedro I abdicates his role as emperor of Brazil to return to Portugal to secure the throne for his daughter

• Maria was declared queen of Portugal at 12 years old and her father became regent

• Not un-related to these external and dynastic problems were the economic ones. In fact, the new nation of Brazil was no more stable economically or financially, thanks in no small part to the increasing reliance on British trade treaties, which protected British business interests in Brazil, at the same time as committing the Brazilian government to ending that most profitable of commercial activities – the trans-Atlantic slave trade

• Dom Pedro I had led a costly and ultimately failed war on the southern borders of his empire, which resulted in the formation of Uruguay as an independent nation state in 1828, thereby diminishing the territorial integrity of Brazil, and losing control of access to the all-important Rio de la Plata

• This weakened the production and value of Brazilian coffee on world markets too. As you can see, the financial situation was as unsustainable as the political position was precarious, and the first and only Brazilian bank closed in 1829

• Although we have described the historical situation up to 1831 as one which leads Dom Pedro I to leave Brazil due to external pressures, perhaps these conditions collectively indicate why some historians have argued that his position as ruler of Brazil had become untenable and that he was, instead, forced to leave Brazil

Wars of independence, 1822 – 1825

• Casualty estimates are based on contemporary reports of battles and historical data, and range between a total of 5,700 to 6,200. As you can see, the main battles took place in the North and Northeast of Brazil – with one important exception, the Siege of Montevideo

• The battle lines were not drawn strictly between Portuguese and Brazilians, rather than those who were pro- and anti-Brazilian Independence

• Some sugar planters in Bahia, for example, were in favour of the status quo, along with the majority of Portuguese merchants

• Wars were fought on land and sea and involved both regular forces and civilian militia. Land and naval battles took place in the provinces of Bahia and Rio de Janeiro as well as in the region of the Rio de la Plata, or Cisplatina (where there was a Portuguese garrison)

• Portuguese forces were able to overcome local militias relatively speedily in certain cities like Salvador but were much slower to defeat the type of guerilla warfare that characterized battles in rural areas

• In the case of Bahia, when the Portuguese took the city, they found themselves cut off from the interior and supplies which left the city under threat of starvation and therefore uprisings

• The Siege of Salvador, as it is known, lasted from March 1822 until July 1823 was ended when the city was final taken by Brazilian forces under the command of Pierre Labatut whose services had been hired by Prince regent. Other than the Cisplatine battle, the Wars of Independence ended in Bahia in 1823

The rebellion of the Confederation of the Equator

• This took place in Pernambuco and was against what the rebels regarded as the anti-liberal and absolutists Brazilian constitution of 1824

• The most notorious of the leaders was a Carmelite brother known as Frei Caneca who had served four years in prison for his part in the 1817 Revolution. His real name was Joaquim da Silva Rabelo and as well as a religious leader, was known for taking part in many uprisings in the Brazilian northeast in the nineteenth century

• While the movement accepted the monarchy the members rejected the absolutist tendencies and increased centralisation of power in the Emperor and Rio

• Those that were in favour of the monarchy and the 1824 Constitution were known as the legalists. Those who were against who were regarded as liberals, and some were outright republicans.

• The legalists not only had the backing of Rio but...