Resumo de História: SEGUNDO REINADO (Débora Aladim)

The Second Reign in Brazil

The video explains the Second Reign, from Dom Pedro II’s accession in 1840 to the proclamation of the Republic in 1889. The subtitles repeatedly say “Dom Pedro I,” but the emperor discussed throughout this period is Dom Pedro II. They also appear to mislabel the Regency period as a republic.

Consolidation of the Empire

• Dom Pedro II became emperor at age 14 through the Coup of Majority, which ended the Regency before he turned 18.
• His government sought to stabilize Brazil by centralizing authority and limiting the autonomy of provinces. This was partly intended to prevent the country from breaking apart, as Spanish America had.
• The Praieira Revolt in Pernambuco was the last major separatist revolt of the period and was suppressed by the imperial government.
• Dom Pedro II used a system known as “parliamentarism in reverse”: rather than Parliament determining the government, the emperor appointed the prime minister and could dissolve the Chamber. He also alternated between Liberal and Conservative governments to reduce conflict between the parties. His Moderating Power kept him above the parliamentary system.

Tensions with Britain and Economic Changes

• The Christie Affair, a diplomatic dispute involving British citizens and ships in Brazil, led to a serious breakdown in relations between Brazil and Britain.
• The Alves Branco Tariff raised taxes on imported goods. The video presents it as a way to increase government revenue and encourage Brazilian production by making imported goods more expensive.
• Britain’s Bill Aberdeen authorized British action against suspected slave ships in the Atlantic and increased pressure on Brazil to end the slave trade.

Slavery, Land, and Immigration

The video describes abolition as a gradual process shaped by pressure from Britain and abolitionists, alongside resistance from landowners who depended on enslaved labor.

• The Eusébio de Queirós Law effectively ended the transatlantic slave trade to Brazil. The video notes that this increased the domestic trade in enslaved people and added pressure to find alternatives to enslaved labor.
• The Land Law of 1850 made land ownership dependent on purchase. In the video’s account, this restricted access to land for poor people, formerly enslaved people, and immigrants, making many dependent on work for large landowners.
• Immigrants were recruited to supply labor, particularly on coffee plantations. The video describes sharecropping as a system that could trap workers in debt, and the later colonato system as one in which São Paulo helped pay immigrants’ passage and they worked on established plantations.
• Coffee became Brazil’s leading export and a central support of the economy, especially as production expanded in São Paulo.

The Mauá Era

• The video identifies a period of industrial and infrastructure development as the Mauá era, named for Baron Mauá.
• Mauá’s projects included railways, roads, public lighting in Rio de Janeiro, a bank, and industrial ventures.
• According to the video, the coffee-growing elite favored coffee over industrialization and obstructed some of Mauá’s projects. His businesses eventually failed, though the period marked important industrial development.

Decline of the Monarchy and Abolition

The video attributes the monarchy’s loss of support to several groups:

• The Church: Dom Pedro II’s disregard for papal positions, including those associated with the Syllabus of Errors, and the presence of Freemasons in government contributed to tensions.
• The army: The Paraguayan War weakened the army’s support for the monarchy; the video refers viewers to a separate video for details.
• Landowners: Gradual abolition increasingly angered elites who depended on slavery.

Key abolition laws covered in the video include:

• Free Womb Law (1871): Declared children born to enslaved women free, though the video notes that their circumstances remained tied to their owners.
• Sexagenarian Law (1885): Freed enslaved people over 60. The video emphasizes its limited effect, since few enslaved people reached that age and the law did little to resolve broader inequalities.
• Golden Law (1888): Signed by Princess Isabel while acting as regent, it abolished slavery. The video stresses that it did not provide measures to support or integrate formerly enslaved people, who continued to face discrimination and exclusion.

Abolition won Isabel support from abolitionists and others but alienated slaveholding elites. The video presents this as a major factor in the monarchy’s declining political support.

Proclamation of the Republic

• Middle-class groups and landowners increasingly favored a republic, seeking greater political participation or a government more aligned with their interests.
• On November 15, 1889, Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca led the military action that removed the monarchy and proclaimed the Republic.
• The video emphasizes that the change was not a mass popular movement: many people were unaware of what was happening, and the military played the decisive role. The royal family was expelled, and Deodoro became the republic’s first president.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Speaker: Débora Aladim, the video’s presenter and narrator. No interviewees or additional on-screen speakers are evident in the subtitles.
• Historical figures and institutions discussed: Dom Pedro II, Princess Isabel, Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca, Baron Mauá, the Pope and the Catholic Church, the British government, and Brazil’s Liberal and Conservative parties. The video also refers to an unnamed baron’s remark about Isabel and abolition.