Declaration of the Brazilian Republic

The Declaration of the Brazilian Republic or Proclamação da República do Brasil was of the most important episodes of the history of Brazil. On November 15th,1889, the republic of Brazil was born, toppling the monarchy of the Brazilian Empire and ending the rule of Emperor Dom Pedro II.

The Declaration of the Brazilian Republic took place in Rio de Janeiro, then capital of the Empire, at the Aclamação Square, which is known today as the Praça da República, when a group of military from the Brazilian army led by marshal Deodoro da Fonseca staged a state coup and, without violence, dismissed the Emperor of Brazil, D. Pedro II, and the president of the Council of Ministers of the Empire , the viscount of Ouro Preto.

That day, a republican "Provisional Government" was settled. It was led by marshal Deodoro da Fonseca as president of the republic and chief of the Government, marshal Floriano Peixoto as vice-president, and Benjamin Constant, Quintino Bocaiuva, Rui Barbosa, Campos Sales, Aristides Lobo, Demétrio Ribeiro and admiral Eduardo Wandenkolk as ministers. They were all notorious Brazilian franc masons.

The end of the empire was due to the loss of support: On the conservative side, of the Catholic Church, the powerful ranch owners (or fazendeiros) due to the abolition of slavery declared in 1888, without any compensation to the slave owners.

On the progressive sectors, on the other hand, Pedro II was criticized for the delay in abolishing slavery. The liberals also criticized the lack of measures to develop the country, the support of a caste political regime, and qualified vote based on people yearly income, the lack of a universal state education system, the high illiteracy rates in comparison to the resto of South America and many other issues.

So, as the imperial legitimacy fell, the republican ideals, perceived as a chance to develop the country, gained room. Although Emperor Pedro II was well liked by the population, it was assumed that there would not be a continuity of the ruling family, either by the lack of support or for the public dislike of the heir, Pedro II´s son-in-law, the French count D´Eu.

Historian Maria Tereza Chaves de Mello points out that the new regime had popular support because before and after the Declaration of the Republic it was seen as a political regime that would bring development and prosperity to the country.