Brazilian Oligarchy and Political History

• The oligarchy in Brazil during the 1890s and early 1900s was characterized by the alternating of power between the coffee oligarchies of Minas Gerais and São Paulo.

• The presidents of this era were usually elected by the Paulista Republican Party and the Mineiro Republican Party.

• From the 1930s onwards, some historians call this period the First Republic, the Old Republic, or the Republic of Coffee and Milk.

• The word oligarchy comes from the Greek and means "government of few." An oligarchy is a government that is dominated by a group of people or families who are united by the same economic activity or political party.

• As oligarchies form closed groups that reject any form of different thought, even in democracy, it is possible for there to be cases of oligarchic government.

• During the oligarchy, there were no national political parties as there are today, only state parties.

• The exception was the Conservative Party of Rio Grande do Sul, which had support in the north and northeast of Brazil.

• Despite not being able to elect a president, the Republican Party of Rio Grande do Sul was very important in Brazilian politics.

• Prudente de Morais was the first civilian president elected after Marshal Floriano Peixoto, and his term lasted from 1894 to 1898.

• Campos Salles was the president elected after Morais and served from 1898 to 1898.

• Getúlio Vargas was the candidate who was defeated in the 1930 elections and he became the dictator of Brazil in 1931.

• With the 1930 Revolution, other social actors enter the political scene, changing some of the ways government was conducted.

Test your knowledge of Brazilian political history during the oligarchic period, including key figures and political parties. Learn about the dominance of coffee oligarchies, the formation of closed political groups, and the transition from the First Republic to a new political era.