Vintage Images Of Brazilian History

Brazil

Brazil is the largest country in South America, and it is the fifth largest nation in the world with a total land area of 3,265,080 square miles. Between 1763 and 1960 Rio de Janeiro was the capital of Brazil, but in 1960 Brasilia was inaugurated as the new capital of Brazil. When this article was written Brazil's population was approximately 216 million people, and the official spoken language in Brazil is Portuguese, interestingly, there are currently roughly 228 different spoken languages across the nation. Brazil possesses about one-third of the world's remaining rainforests (the Amazon rainforest), in addition, it is by far the most biodiverse nation on earth. According to the official statistics one-tenth of the world's overall species resides within Brazil, and there are more than 46,000 species of plants, over 1,800 species of birds, over 900 described amphibians, over 600 described mammals, and over 700 described reptiles. Brazil is currently the world's foremost sugar and coffee producer, and it is also admired for having a variety of exquisite beaches and spectacular waterfalls. This culturally diverse nation has arguably the greatest passion for football in the world, as well as beach volleyball, meanwhile, the Rio Carnival is forever heralded around the world as the lord of all carnivals, and this most spectacular event is well-known internationally for being a major tourist attraction each year.

Vera Cruz (True Cross) (1519)

Pedro Álvares Cabral (born 1467 - died 1520) was a Portuguese nobleman, military commander, and explorer, who was said to be the first European to discover Brazil, in 1500, and the first Portuguese settlers that inhabited the New World were encountered by a wide variety of indigenous South American Indians, according to historians, before the first arrival of Europeans, Brazil was the home to an estimated 11 million indigenous Indian tribes, and this number was thought to include about 2,000 different tribes. However, within the first century of European contact, an estimated 90 percent of the indigenous Indian population were decimated, it is believed that they contracted European diseases such as the flue, measles, and smallpox, for which their immune system had very little or no defence against. The Tupinambá people are considered one of the well-known indigenous tribes that had inhabited the New World, they originally resided on the eastern coast of Brazil from Ceará in the north to Porto Alegre in the south, and they were comprised of the Potiguara, Tupiniquim, Tupinambá, Guaraní and Caeté tribes, all of whom were collectively known as the Tupinambá people, and their common spoken language was Tupian. The Tupinambá people were semi-nomadic tribes that employed seasonal agriculture and subsisted by hunting various land animals as well as a variety of marine species and birds. Meanwhile, the first Portuguese settlement in Brazil was at São Vicente in 1532, at which time numerous European immigrants went on a voyage to Brazil with great hopes to fulfil their dreams for a better life, while some were seeking adventure, and others were escaping religious persecution. The first European settlers established colonies along the Brazilian coasts and initially Portugal called this new region Vera Cruz (1519), which is Portuguese for 'True Cross'. However, Vera Cruz was soon renamed Brazil, mainly because of the abundance of brazilwood (pau-brasil) found within the Amazon forests. It was also discovered that brazilwood yielded a very attractive and valuable red dye, which was economically important because it was utilized for dyeing a wide variety of items, and Brazilwood, which became the national tree of Brazil, soon became famous across the globe for producing a highly prized timber that is used to create bows for musical instruments such as violins and cellos.

The Treaty Of Tordesillas (1494)

The Treaty of Tordesillas was an agreement established between the Spanish Empire, also referred to as the Crown of Castile, and the Portuguese Empire to prevent war over territories in the newly discovered lands outside of Europe, particularly the Americas, specifically, the Treaty of Tordesillas stipulated demarcations along a meridian 370 leagues west of the Cape Verde islands off the west coast of Africa, and this agreement had effectively divided the New World into Spanish and Portuguese spheres of influence. The treaty was signed in Tordesillas, Spain, on 7 June 1494, and then authenticated in Setúbal, Portugal. Nonetheless, over the ensuing centuries there were territorial disputes between Spain and Portugal over the demarcated regions within the Americas. Moreover, during that era there was fierce competition between other European Empires, whose objectives were to colonize new lands within that region, meaning that the Portuguese foothold in the New World was precarious and very costly, as this region was challenged aggressively by other nations on numerous occasions. However, Portugal held possession of Eastern South America which eventually became known as Brazil.

African Slave Labour (1530s)

When the Portuguese discovered the profitable potential of the pau-brasil trees, they began venturing deeper into the Amazon jungle with the intention of obtaining and manufacturing vast amounts of this timber, which required undertaking a great number of labourers, and for this reason the Portuguese colonizers had attempted to enslave the indigenous Indians for the task, however, a significant amount of the enslaved Indians died after contracting European diseases, and in addition, a great many died because they could not endure the arduous labour forced upon them. As a result, the Portuguese colonizers began capturing and trafficking African slaves to Brazil from about the 1530s, after which they soon became aware that African slaves possessed a comparatively stronger immune system against European diseases, and in addition, African slaves possessed more stamina and physical endurance, which sustained them through the relentless and punishing work schedules exacted upon them, nevertheless, due to harsh conditions and barbaric treatment the mortality rate of the African slaves was said to be extremely high. The Portuguese systematically increased the importation of African slaves for plantation work such as cotton, coffee, tea, and sugar productions, also, the vast and varied natural resources that was discovered in Brazil provided Portugal with its most lucrative colony between the 16th and 19th centuries.

Brazil's First Capital (1549)

The New World posed many difficult challenges for the Portuguese Empire, and in the beginning, the Portuguese Crown tried but failed to establish a central government in Brazil. According to historians, during the initial stages of colonized Brazil, the Portuguese had established a system of rule called 'captaincies', the term given to low-ranking nobles and merchants, who were granted authority over large areas of land in Brazil. Unfortunately, it soon became apparent that this system of governance had failed, therefore, the King of Portugal John III (born 1502 - died 1557), appointed Tomé de Sousa (born 1503 - died 1573) to be appointed Governor-General over the Portuguese colonized lands in Brazil, in 1549. Tomé de Sousa, also known as Thomé De Souza was a Portuguese nobleman and soldier, who was commanded to sail to Brazil with numerous ships and hundreds of Portuguese soldiers and settlers, including missionaries, architects, builders, stonemasons, and sculptors, with a mission to construct a fortification against foreign invaders, Christianise the indigenous Indian population, and establish order within the colonies by restoring the king's authority. Prior to Sousa's mission, colonized Brazil was not prioritized by the Portuguese Empire, instead, Portugal had concentrated much of their resources and attention on the spice trade in India. Unfortunately, Portugal suffered a decline in trade on spices from India and increasing threats occurred around Brazil's borders from various foreign forces, including, numerous threats posed by the surrounding Spanish colonies. As a result, the Portuguese decided to concentrate on establishing much stronger defensive measures across its colonies. After Tomé de Sousa had completed the construction of Portugal's colonies in Brazil later in 1549, he named that region the city of Salvador, which was situated at Bahia on the Atlantic coast between São Paulo and Pernambuco. Importantly, Salvador de Bahia, became Brazil's first capital city and it remained as such until 1763.

Brazil's Second Capital (1763)

The city of Salvador was established as the first capital of Brazil in 1549, however, in 1763, the capital of Brazil was moved from Salvador to Rio de Janeiro for a variety of economic, and political reasons. African slaves assisted with the production of cotton, tobacco, sugar, cocoa, tobacco, coffee, and agriculture. Importantly, Brazil possessed huge natural resources and after Portugal discovered great quantities of gold nuggets, as well as precious stones in Minas Gerais, such as diamonds, aquamarine, and emeralds, Portugal began to profit from those acquisitions by creating a very successful mining industry and it exported large quantities of precious stones to different regions of its Empire. Meanwhile, Portugal cultivated, coal, copper, and a variety of other important natural minerals and because Rio de Janeiro was the closest port to each of those mining regions, the Portuguese government decreed Rio de Janeiro to be the capital city of Brazil in 1763.

The Twin Capitals Of Brazil (1808 - 1821)

In 1807, King John VI of Portugal along with other members of the royal family, and the Portuguese aristocracy, escaped to the capital city of Brazil (Rio de Janeiro), after Napoléon Bonaparte's army had invaded Portugal in the same year. Napoleon began a war with Portugal because Portugal's regime refused to comply with his demand for the Portuguese navel fleet to join forces with the French fleet to disrupt the trading network of the British Empire across continental Europe, which was a foreign policy contrived by Napoleon and aptly termed, the Continental Blockade. Portugal's predicament was that Portugal had benefited greatly from their longstanding and highly profitable trading arrangements with Britain, as a result, following painstaking deliberation, Portugal's council decided to temporarily relocate Portugal's central government, which was based in the capital city of Lisbon, in Portugal, to Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil, where the centre of Portugal's government would continue its administration on Brazilian soil. This unprecedented arrangement had lasted for about thirteen years spanning 1808 - 1821, and importantly, this had allowed Portugal to retain its governing independence.

Brazil's Independence (1822)

King Dom John VI (1767-1826), who was the sovereign ruler of Portugal, together with other members of the Royal family emigrated to Brazil in 1807. The King's intention was to escape from Napoleon's impending invasion of Portugal in the same year. However, a few years later, Napoleon Bonaparte departed Portugal, and subsequently, became engaged in the Battle of Waterloo, in Belgium, on 18 June 1815, his rival was English field General Arthur Wellesley (Duke of Wellington), who had organised a coalition army with Prussian field marshal Gebhard von Blücher. The Battle of Waterloo was a momentous battle in which Napoleon suffered his greatest defeat and did not recover. Meanwhile, in Portugal, in 1820, a great political revolution swept the nation, and as soon as King Dom VI was informed of the events, he felt duty bound to depart Brazil and return to Portugal. But before his departure from Brazil, King Dom John VI handed the reign of Brazil to his young son, Dom Pedro I (born 1798 - died 1834), who was commanded to rule as prince regent in his absence. However, Dom Pedro cradled his own political ideals and ambitions for the future of Brazil, consequently, over the ensuing years a series of tumultuous political and military events erupted across Brazil, after which most of the population rose up demanding Brazil's independence from the Portuguese Empire. Nonetheless, the Portuguese regime rejected the people of Brazil's request for independence, and threatened them with an ultimatum, namely, revoke Brazil's political autonomy, which was established in 1808, by reverting Brazil to its previous colonial status, after deep contemplation, King Pedro decided to defy the Portuguese government and instead sided with the majority of the Brazilian population. As a result, on 7 September 1822, King Pedro declared Brazil to be an independent nation. However, controversially, Don Pedro obstinately ordained to maintain a monarchical system of government in Brazil in order that his heirs could reign after him.

The Brazilian Republic (1889)

On 7 September 1822, Prince Dom Pedro I, proclaimed himself the first Emperor of independent Brazil, and between October 1822 - March 1824, Pedro had successfully defeated all those loyalist military forces within Brazil who had remained faithful to the Portuguese Empire and opposed his rule. However, over the ensuing years, Dom Pedro's popularity began to decline, partly because there was a growing resentment from certain factions within Brazil to the monarchy. Therefore, following his father's death in 1826, and due to his increasing unpopularity in Brazil, there were calls by the Portuguese monarchy for Dom Pedro to return to Portugal to assume the throne. As a result, in 1831 Dom Pedro finally abdicated the throne in Brazil and returned to Portugal, but before leaving Brazil, Dom Pedro had ordained his five-year-old son, Dom Pedro II (born 1825 - died 1891) to be anointed as the emperor of Brazil when he was eventually of rightful age. When Dom Pedro II became sovereign ruler of Brazil, he fathered a daughter called Princess Isabel of Bragança, and when she eventually became of age, Isabel had acted as princess regent on three occasions during her life, but she is most remembered for abolishing slavery in Brazil after she signed The Lei Áurea (Golden Law) in 1888. However, Dom Pedro II also became unpopular, and he was conspired against by certain Brazilian landowners, bureaucrats, and sections of the military, as they were strongly opposed to the Brazilian monarchy and its system of government, as a consequence, Dom Pedro II was eventually overthrown by a military coup d'état in 1889, and this historical event proved to be the permanent abolishment of the Brazilian monarchy, but importantly, this was also the first establishment of a Brazilian Republic in that same year.

The Dictatorship Era (1937 - 1985)

The first Brazilian Republic was established by a military coup in 1889, but since then, the history of Brazil has witnessed two dictatorship governments. The first was during the Vargas era between 1937 - 1945, and the second occurred under the Brazilian military rule spanning 1964 - 1985. Getúlio Dornelles Vargas (born 1882 - died 1954), who was nicknamed 'the father of the poor', began his career in the military, before becoming a Brazilian lawyer, and it was not long before he developed an interest in politics and eventually became a reputable politician. The Brazilian economy collapsed in 1929, as a result, civilian unrest fermented throughout Brazil, consequently, the Brazilian revolution occurred in 1930, at which time Vargas opportunistically seized power by assuming the presidency, albeit provisionally. A few years later. in 1935, the communist opposition party, which was led by Luís Carlos Prestes, staged a revolt with the objective to establish radical reforms within the government. But, although the uprising was eventually defeated, the communist revolt had provided Vargas with the opportunity to demand more executive powers for himself, which was granted to him by the National Congress of Brazil. Soon after, Vargas collaborated with factions of the Brazilian military to plot a military coup in 1937, this event resulted in the annulment of Brazil’s political constitution, and after Vargas seized authority, he became Brazil's first dictator which spanned 1937 - 1945. During his reign Vargas dissolved parliament, banned all political parties and trade unions, censored the press, and suppressed all opposition. However, Vargas had acquired many enemies in high places during his dictatorship, which eventually led to his deposition by a military coup in 1945. A few years later, Vargas returned undaunted, as a candidate of the Brazilian Labor Party, when he courageously campaigned for the presidency during the 1950 election. Finally, on 31st January 1951, Getúlio Vargas was duly re-elected to bec0me the 17th President of Brazil. Unfortunately, during his final years in office, Vargas became embroiled in corruption and a political crisis, which led to a serious decline in his health, but the culmination of his troubles occurred with 'The Rua Tonelero Street Shooting', which was an attempted assassination on the life of a prominent politician by the name of Carlos Lacerda on 5th August 1954, given that Lacerda was a very stern critic of Getúlio Vargas, immediately following the criminal incident, Vargas was considered as one of the main suspects by parts of the media as well as many people within the general public. Although Vargas had strongly proclaimed his innocence, the accusations against him persisted, and the pressures put upon him was unrelenting, which tragically led to his suicide in 1954. However, since his demise there are some historians, who hold the controversial opinion that Getúlio Vargas was the most influential Brazilian politician of the 20th century.

After the death of Getúlio Vargas in 1954, there was unceasing political infighting and disagreements within Brazil's government, which led to three successive short-lived Brazilian vice presidents taking office, starting with Café Filho, followed by Carlos Luz, and then Nereu Ramos, after which a general election took place on 3 October 1955, when popular Brazilian politician Juscelino Kubitschek (born 1902 - died 1976) was duly elected the 21 President of Brazil in 1956. The first part of Kubitschek's tenure began on a high note after his government achieved political stability and economic prosperity across parts of Brazil. But Kubitschek is particularly remembered for sanctioning the ambitious construction of a city called Brasilia, purposely built for 1.5 billion, and it was inaugurated as the new federal capital of Brazil in 1960, when it replaced the previous capital Rio de Janeiro. Brasilia is situated in central-west region of Brazil, and it is a region that was designed to showcase an impressive array of futuristic architecture and a spectacular visionary metropolis, nevertheless, at the end of Kubitschek's term in office in 1961, his government became very unpopular, as it was tarnished with accusations of corruption, and left the nation with a huge foreign debt. Labour party politician João Goulart (born 1919 - died 1976) was duly elected the 24th President of Brazil on 7 September 1961, and his term in office spanned 1961 - 1964.

The Military Dictatorship (1964 - 1985)

The Brazilian armed forces organized a military coup d'état in 1964 (the Coup of 64), which led to the overthrow of President João Goulart. It is widely believed that the coup was encouraged and supported by Brazilian governors, José de Magalhães Pinto, Adhemar Pereira de Barros, Carlos Lacerda, and the state department of the USA. It is also believed that this coup was masterminded and directed by the most senior generals of the Brazilian army. Consequently, a series of events began on 31 March 1964 and concluded 1 April 1964 resulting in the installation of the Brazilian military, but in 1967, the military regime enacted a new restrictive constitution which suppressed freedom of speech and all political opposition, precisely the opposite of what it had pledged not to do before seizing power. However, despite committing grave injustices and exiling dissidents, Brazil's military dictatorship fostered a very successful economic recovery, which culminated in the so-called 'Brazilian Miracle' in the early 1970s, in addition, Brazil's triumphant football campaign at the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico added to the optimism within the nation, and these events had coincided with a Golden Age of Brazilian development. Unfortunately, from the late 1970s the dictatorship witnessed a dramatic decline of the economy, which led to a recession, chronic inflation, civil unrest, and many industrial strikes across the nation, millions of Brazilians demonstrated on the streets and demanded the restoration of a democratic government, as a result, in 1982, due to increasing pressure, the dictatorship regime allowed free parliamentary elections which was held on 15 November 1982, nevertheless, due to the interference of the military within the election proceedings, many people had viewed the 1982 election as not democratic and unfair, therefore, by popular demand a national election was held in 1985, and on that occasion the new President was elected by the people, and not by the high command of the armed forces. Tancredo Neves (born 1910 - died 1985) became the next democratically elected Brazilian President, but unfortunately, he contracted diverticular disease became progressively ill and died weeks later before he could take office, as a consequence, Tancredo's demise triggered political events that marked the end of the military dictatorship era, and the beginning of a new democracy in Brazil.