Brazilian Independence…..And Empire

1. Brazilian Independence…..And Empire Baker Bean Bless Blum

2. Achieving Independence • By the end of the 18th century Brazil had grown in population and economic exports • European demand for products : • Sugar • Cotton • Cocoa

3. Slaves Take Over? • Planters, merchants, and miners longed for more open trade and fewer taxes • They feared they may upset the political system • It could have lead to a social revolution or a slave uprising • However, their attempts at this were unsuccessful

4. Brazil=Portugal • In 1807 French troops invaded Portugal • The entire Portuguese royal family and court fled from the country and sailed to Brazil under the protection of British ships • New court established at Rio de Janeiro • Became the capital of the Portuguese empire

5. Son of Dom Pedro I who was forced to abdicate his throne in 1831 in favor of Dom Pedro II When he came into power he was too young to rule so a series of regents directed the country in his name Proved to be an enlighted man of middle-class habits who was anxious to reign over a tranquil and progressive nation His nation was based upon slave labor Dom Pedro II

6. COFFEE!!! • Coffee provided a new basis for agricultural expansion in southern Brazil • By 1840, coffee made up more than 40% of Brazils exports • By 1880, coffee made up more than 60% of their exports • Along with the expansion of coffee growing came an intensification of slavery

7. Slavery • It was Brazil’s primary form of labor • More than 1.4 million Africans were imported to Brazil in the last 50 years of the trade • Even after the trans-Atlantic slave trade ended, slavery continued • At mid-century, about ¼ of Brazil’s population was still enslaved • Brazil finally abolished slavery in 1888

8. Urbanization • Railroads, steamships, and the telegraph began to change communication and transportation • Foreign companies invested in banking and these new forms of communication and transportation • Less land-holding and slavery occurred

9. Peasant Revolt • The change to a republic economic hardship and the secularization of society provoked peasant unrest • The peasants were unhappy in rural areas • They were lead by Antonio Conselheiro, a religious mystic • The government feared this peasant army and sent 4 military expeditions against them • The fighting was bloody, and the casualties were in the thousands