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South America · Successor states and civil wars

Brazilian Republic

from 1889

The First Brazilian Republic ("Old Republic," República Velha, 1889–1930) was proclaimed by the military coup of 15 November 1889 that deposed Pedro II. Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca became the first president, and the Constitution of 1891 established a federal presidential republic modeled partly on the United States, with the positivist motto "Ordem e Progresso" ("Order and Progress") emblazoned on the new flag.

Existed
from 1889
Shown on the map
1890–1931, 1946–1966 (2 periods)
Peak area
8.7M km²
Region
South America

Overview

The First Brazilian Republic ("Old Republic," República Velha, 1889–1930) was proclaimed by the military coup of 15 November 1889 that deposed Pedro II. Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca became the first president, and the Constitution of 1891 established a federal presidential republic modeled partly on the United States, with the positivist motto "Ordem e Progresso" ("Order and Progress") emblazoned on the new flag.

History

The Old Republic was dominated by the coffee and dairy oligarchies of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, in an arrangement known as "café com leite" ("coffee with milk") politics, whereby the two states rotated the presidency. It was a period of oligarchic rule under a narrow franchise, punctuated by rebellions (Canudos, the Contestado, the Revolt of the Lash) and the rise of tenentismo (junior-officer reformism).

Decline and legacy

The 1929 crash and a disputed 1930 election precipitated the Revolution of 1930, which brought Getúlio Vargas to power and ended the Old Republic (see entry 31). The broader trajectory of the Brazilian Republic thereafter runs through the Vargas era, the democratic period of 1946–1964, the military dictatorship of 1964–1985, and the current New Republic — covered in the following entries.

Common questions

What was the Brazilian Republic?
The First Brazilian Republic ("Old Republic," República Velha, 1889–1930) was proclaimed by the military coup of 15 November 1889 that deposed Pedro II. Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca became the first president, and the Constitution of 1891 established a federal presidential republic modeled partly on the United States, with the positivist motto "Ordem e Progresso" ("Order and Progress") emblazoned on the new flag.
When did the Brazilian Republic exist?
The Brazilian Republic existed from 1889. On this map it is drawn 1890–1931, 1946–1966.
How large was the Brazilian Republic?
At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Brazilian Republic covered about 8.7 million km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
Who ruled the Brazilian Republic?
The Old Republic was dominated by the coffee and dairy oligarchies of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, in an arrangement known as "café com leite" ("coffee with milk") politics, whereby the two states rotated the presidency. It was a period of oligarchic rule under a narrow franchise, punctuated by rebellions (Canudos, the Contestado, the Revolt of the Lash) and the rise of tenentismo (junior-officer reformism).
How did the Brazilian Republic end?
The 1929 crash and a disputed 1930 election precipitated the Revolution of 1930, which brought Getúlio Vargas to power and ended the Old Republic (see entry 31). The broader trajectory of the Brazilian Republic thereafter runs through the Vargas era, the democratic period of 1946–1964, the military dictatorship of 1964–1985, and the current New Republic — covered in the following entries.

Sources

This compendium cites its sources once for the whole document rather than per territory. It names English Wikipedia, Encyclopaedia Britannica and the World History Encyclopedia as the basis of these profiles, supplemented by academic and museum sources and, for recent events, by reputable news outlets. The article this entry is anchored on:

This entry was last updated .

This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made

Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.

Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).

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