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'''Bahia''', officially the '''Bahia Republic''' (Portuguese: ''República da Bahia''), is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lusophone Lusophone] country in eastern South America bordered by [[Pernambuco]], [[Equador]], and [[Brazil]]. It is considered the birthplace of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonial_Brazil colonial Brazil], as the first Portuguese ship landed in the Bahian city of Porto Seguro. It is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse countries in the world and is a bastion of Afro-Portuguese culture. |
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'''Bahia''', officially the '''Bahia Republic''' (Portuguese: R''epública da Bahia'') is a country in northeast South America. It is considered the birthplace of Lusophone America, as it was in the Bahian city of Porto Seguro where the first Portuguese voyage to reach the continent arrived. Bahia is bordered to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, the north by Pernambuco, the west by Equador and the south by Brazil. It comprises eight states and the Capital District of Salvador. Bahia is considered one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world, it’s culture comprises influences from native Americans, European settlers and enslaved Africans. This junction of cultures can be seen in the country's religions, food and festivities. The country also has a diverse landscape, with lush and flat coastlines, a hot semi-arid interior, where part of the Caatinga(a biome that only exists in Bahia and Pernambuco) can be found. And a subtropical hilly southern region. Economically, Bahia has the largest Luso-American GDP, with its economic sectors including industry, mining, tourism and the export of livestock and agricultural products to all over the world. |
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== Etymology == |
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The word ''Bahia'' is the archaic spelling of the Portuguese word for bay, specifically the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_of_All_Saints Bay of All Saints]. Bahian is the English demonym for the country, while ''baiano'' and ''baiana'' are the Portuguese variants. |
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== History == |
== History == |
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==== Premodern history ==== |
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Prior to the arrival of the Portuguese in 1500, the territory that today comprises the Bahia Republic was inhabited by a variety of native groups, |
Prior to the arrival of the Portuguese in 1500, the territory that today comprises the Bahia Republic was inhabited by a variety of native groups, mainly the Tupinamba and the Jê. |
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Organized under the colonial Captaincy of Bahia, it was responsible for the large-scale production of sugar and cotton. Much of the labour force consisted of enslaved Africans brought from West African and Central African empires, leading to Bahia having the largest and most culturally significant black population in South America. The city of Salvador was, until the late 17th century, the capital of colonial Brazil and the biggest city on the colony. This title was lost after Rio de Janeiro was established as capital in 1763. |
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==== The birth of modern Bahia (1800-1845) ==== |
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===== War of Independence ===== |
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During the 1830s, both Europe and the Americas saw a series of republican and liberal revolutions. Of the various colonial revolts in both the Spanish and Portuguese empires, Bahia was one of those that managed to succeed. Slave rebellions, becoming increasingly more common since 1800, began to threaten the slaver class in a tangible way. In the middle of 1835, a clique of freed slaves and intellectuals began an insurrection and demanded the abolition of slavery and economic reform. Merchants and soldiers soon joined the rebellion too. |
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The rebellion quickly spread through the [https://www.britannica.com/place/Reconcavo Reconcavo] and soon spread to rural areas. The Bahia Republic was proclaimed by a coalition of slaves, freed slaves, merchants, and soldiers by the end of the year. In 1836, in response to the failure of local forces to control the rebellion, reinforcements were sent directly from Portugal to deal with the situation. The insurgents were not able to resist and as a last resort, they fled to rural ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quilombo quilombos]'' and adopted guerrilla tactics. The war became stationary by 1843. In that year, the southernmost captaincy of Brazil also rebelled, forcing imperial forces to focus on a new front, moreover, at that time there was a feeling that victory had already been secured in the north, which made the monarchist forces reduce concern for the region, giving the republicans an advantage. Now with two wars to deal with and the Bahians receiving support from the newly independent Colombia, the war became very costly for Portugal. In 1845 a peace treaty was signed in Salvador confirming the newly sovereign Bahia Republic. |
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==== ''Oligarquia'' (1851-1884) ==== |
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The first Bahian president was [[João Ribeiro da Costa]], a General of the Bahian army during the independence war. He was installed as president by the Bahian aristocracy, though he maintained his power by appealing to the public. For 33 years, popular elections in Bahia influenced by the landed gentry, aristocracy, foreign companies, and financial institutions such as Genoese banks. |
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==== ''Estratocracia'' (1884-1927) ==== |
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===== Reconcavo Conspiracy ===== |
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Since the 1850s, the Bahian army had already felt neglected by the government. Salaries were low and military equipment was in poor condition. The military were persuaded to participate in faciliating Pernambucan independence with the promise of increased salaries, military funding, and imported technologies. The war in Pernambuco ended in 1882, and yet, the military was still in poor condition. General [[Antônio Peçanha da Fonseca]], along with a hundred soldiers, stormed the State Palace on March 31, 1884. [[Arthur Moreira]], president at the time, was exiled to the Riograndense Republic. |
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===== Fonseca's rule ===== |
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The military takeover was initially popular due to the failures of the Moreira administration. However, it soon became apparent that the military had no intention of restoring civilian rule, agitating the population. In 1885, General Fonseca used his influence to be officially installed to the office of President with the support of his allies in the aristocracy. The parliament was dissolved, and to ensure his position, the army was on a tight leash. |
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During Fonseca's rule, the Bahian army received their promised reforms. This period also marked the first steps on Bahian industrialization, as the new military regime shed connections with the restrictive agrarian elite. A textile processing industry began booming around Salvador. Loans taken from foreign banks plunged the nation into debt, creating economic distress and delaying industrialisation. |
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==== ''Dores dos Década de Vinte'' (1922-1927) ==== |
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In 1900, only 10-20% of the Bahian population was eligible to vote under the 1846 Constitution. Since 1884, the military class appropriated democratic propaganda to maintain their dominance. This status quo was shattered during the 1920s, a time of major economic and sociopolitical change. |
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===== [[European Economic Crisis|1922 economic crisis]] ===== |
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In 1922, Europe was hit by a heavy economic crisis. Britain and Portugal, Bahia's biggest economic partners, faced major economic decline, heavily affecting Bahia as well. Sugar and cotton plantation products were devalued. Imports were drastically reduced. To control the prices, many plantation owners ordered the burning kilograms upon kilograms of sugar and cotton. Unemployment skyrocketed, and the few working class industrial workers were subjected to dire conditions due to the absence of employment and worker rights laws. |
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Communardism, popular among the lower and intellectual classes, exploded in popularity. The three main demands were a new constitution, universal suffrage for men and women over 18, and land redistribution. The Bahian aristocracy began to crack down on dissent, leading to a polarized situation. |
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===== 1924 Porto Seguro election fraud ===== |
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In November 1924, Bahia held the presidential and state governor elections. The presidency was won by the general Emílio Castelo, who started his second term. In the dispute for the southern state of Porto Seguro, the candidate João Augusto Albuquerque, an important figure in the Bahian Democratic Party (''Partido Democrático Baiano''), which sold itself as a less radical solution, was the most popular. Due to his eloquent speeches, he easily gained support from the people. |
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In December, the results were disclosed. Former sergeant Fernando de Andrade ended up victorious with more than 60% of the votes. Albuquerque didn’t accept the results, and asked for a recounting. After the recounting, the same result was reached. |
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Public demonstrations soon started to happen in the city of Porto Seguro, demanding fair elections. The branch of the national guard in the state also declared support for Albuquerque. The main reason was the unequal treatment of the force when compared to the military. In the matter of days, the situation got more and more violent, obligating governor Andrade to flee the city. |
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During the colonial period, the region became one of the most important in the former Colony of Brazil. At that time, the Captaincy of Bahia, was responsible for the large-scale production of sugar and cotton. Much of the labor force was enslaved Africans brought to South America by Atlantic Slave Trade. This forced immigration granted to the country the biggest black population outside Africa. |
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===== Bahian Civil-War (1924-1927) ===== |
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For most of the colonial period, the city of Salvador was the center of the government of the colony. This title was lost after the transfer of the government to Rio de Janeiro in the late XVIII century. |
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After taking control of the state, Albuquerque declared Porto Seguro as the capital of the Second Bahia Republic, popularly called “South Bahia”. In the matter of a few weeks, most of the southern states joined along Porto Seguro. |
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In February, Brasil started to directly support the southern government. Brasil also prioritized imports from the south rather than from the north. To choke the northern economy, Albuquerque sent various messages to other south american countries, as well European and north american countries, asking for support by cutting economic ties with the military rule in the north. In exchange, southern production would be exported with the lowest reasonable taxation during the conflict. By 1925, several American nations declared support for the Second Bahian Republic by ending economic ties with the north. |
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=== War for Independence === |
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During the 1830s, both Europe and the American continent saw a series of revolutions based on liberalism, republicanism and nationalism, the Spring Of Nations. Of the various colonial revolts in both Spanish and Portuguese possessions, Bahia was one of those that managed to succeed. In the middle of 1835, a rebellion began in Salvador, formed by freed slaves seeking the abolition of slavery, liberals who could no longer support the centralizing policies of power in the hands of the Portuguese crown and bourgeois, especially merchants, who, although rich, had no political power, and low-ranking Brazilian military personnel who had no possibility of corporate ascension due to Portuguese laws. |
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By 1926, the southern army started to gain advantage, as the north suffered from an economic downfall and many minor revolts. Slowly, towns started to be either conquered or joined the Second Bahian Republic willingly. In march 1927, Salvador government asked for peace, since it became too harsh to deal with the war. |
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The rebellion quickly spread through the city, and soon after through the captaincy. With great success in its beginnings, the Bahia Republic was proclaimed at the end of the year. In 1836, in response to the failure of local forces to control the rebellion, reinforcements were sent directly from Portugal to deal with the situation. The insurgents were not able to resist and as a last resort, they fled to the interior and adopted guerrilla warfare as a way to continue fighting. |
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Emílio wasn’t exiled or arrested, but he along with many members of the former government and many former military were banned from any future elections. |
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With almost no advance from either side, the war became stationary until 1843. In that year, the southernmost captaincy of Brazil also rebelled, forcing imperial forces to focus on a new front, moreover, at that time there was a feeling that victory had already been secured in the north, which made the monarchist forces reduce concern for the region, giving the republicans an advantage. Now with two wars to deal with and the Bahians receiving support from the newly independent Colombia, it became very costly for Portugal, which for many decades was no longer the power it once was, to continue to fight. In 1845 a peace treaty was signed in Salvador recognizing the Bahia Republic. |
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==== Bahian Democratic Party reign ==== |
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In 1928, new elections were held. Albuquerque was elected president for the next four years with more than 65% of the votes. Also, the Bahian Democratic Party won with ease the most number of parliamentary seats. |
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==== Constitution of 1846 ==== |
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In 1846, the first Bahian constitution was granted. Among many articles, the main points of the constitution were: abolishment of slavery( slavery was already out of practice since the beginning of the war, but the ban was never inserted in a official documents), suffrage for every men literate men above 20 years old, secularity of the state and a presidential mandate of five years with the possibility of second term. |
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The main accomplishments of the first four years were: |
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==== Relation with other nations: ==== |
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* Improvement of the former constitution, which was labeled as the 1929 constitution; |
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===== Colombia ===== |
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The first country Bahia established relations with was Colombia. Colombia supported Bahian independence and was one of the first nations to recognize the new luso-american country. In 1846, Colombian figureheads attended to the ratification of the constitution and made economic deals with the Bahian government. |
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* Creation of a public agency with the duty of guarantee fair elections in the future, the Bahian Transparency Agency; |
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===== Riograndense Republic ===== |
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Bahia established friendly relations with the Riograndense Republic. Being for most of the century the two only Lusophone nations in the continent, a partnership soon started. Bahia was the second country to recognize the southern republic (only behind Paraguay), and right after their independence, established economic and mutual defense agreements. |
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* Approximation with North American nations such as Mexico and New Netherland; |
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===== Equador and Pernambuco ===== |
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In the late 19th century, Bahia supported Pernambucan independence. This act made the relation with the neighboring Equador bitter. Belém government cut relations with Salvador and started to boycott Bahian products in response to its support to Pernambuco. |
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* Creation of a program for increase literacy levels to at least 50% on the next 20 years; |
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On the other hand, Pernambuco was recognized as independent by Bahia in 1880, two years prior to the end of its war for independence. The country received Bahian monetary support in the aftermath of the conflict and volunteers to assist in rebuilding the affected regions. Due to the cultural similarities between the two nations, they were known as the “sister republics of South America”. |
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* A program of public investments over industrial buisiness; |
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===== Other nations: ===== |
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After independence, Bahia lacked resources and infrastructure. During colonial times, Portugal wasn't interested in developing Brazil, and for more than three hundred years, the colony didn’t have any school or university. The road infrastructure was almost nonexistent. Portuguese law forbade the construction of new roads after 1733 due to the traffic of diamonds and gold. The colony also lacked postal service and juridical organs. It was necessary to make the country capable of having its own public services, but due to the little amount of monetary resources, the only solution was to borrow money from foreign powers. |
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The agrarian reform didn't pass through the parliament, as it was seen as too radical and would affect the relationship with the Bahian landowners. This decision disappointed the Communard parties and associations, which declared the end of support to the Bahian Democratic Party. |
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In 1847, the Bahian government borrowed money from Venetian and Genoese banks. Those loans made the country fall into debt for the entirety of the 19th century and part of the 20th century, and got in the way of the country's development. |
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== Government and Politics == |
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Portugal and Britain became the two main economic partners of the Bahia Republic. These two nations alone received almost half of the Bahian exports. |
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== Economy == |
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The first Bahian president was João Ribeiro da Costa, a sergeant major during colonial times, and general of the Bahian Army during the war. He was elected without popular vote, but was able to keep in power due to his deeds during independence. After the end of his mandate, the first popular election took place. From 1851 to 1884, Bahia passed through a period known as the Oligarch Rule or Rule of the Land. During this time, elections to a variety of public offices were influenced by the large landowners of the country. Those rich farmers used their power to rig the elections to their favor using methods such as: buying votes, manipulating ballots count and threatening communities. |
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== Demographics == |
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During this period, the Bahian government invested little in other economic sectors, focusing on the sugar and cotton plantations, therefore benefiting the landowners. |
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== Culture == |
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==== 1884 Military Coup ==== |
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Since the 1850s, the Bahian army was already feeling underprivileged by the government. Payments were low and their equipment outdated. In 1877, Bahia started to support the Pernambucan independence, equipment and men to fight in the north. To be capable of doing such a thing was necessary to firm an accord with the military, which was unwilling to participate. The government promised new uniforms, equipment and rise on the payments when the conflict became over. |
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== Religion == |
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The war in Pernambuco ended in 1882, but two years later, the promises weren’t kept. Not willing to keep this situation, General Antônio Peçanha da Fonseca, along with a hundred men, stormed the government palace in Salvador in march the 31th of 1884. Arthur Moreira, president at the time, was exiled to the Riograndense Republic. |
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==== Christianity ==== |
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The public opinion to the military was favorable due a scheme to promote them as the liberators from the old politics, and that their rule would only be of about a few months and new elections would be held soon. |
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===== Roman Catholicism ===== |
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1885 arrived, but no democratic election as it was promised was held, actually, the total opposite happened. Unwilling to leave power, and fearing Bahia, once again, elect some oligarch for the presidency by a fraudulent election, Fonseca used his influence to be elected indirectly as president. The parliament was dissolved, and to ensure his position, the army was also under his control to respond to any rebelions. During Fonseca's rule, the Bahian army received new equipment, new uniforms and a raise on their payments, especially to those higher in the hierarchy. This period also marked the first steps on Bahia industrialization, since the former governments were heavily connected with the agrarian elite. A few textile industrial facilities were built around Salvador. Using foreign loans, these actions only made Bahia fall even deeper into debt. |
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The oldest organized faith in Bahia, the first Mass was celebrated in Bahia in 1500. It was the established religion of colonial Brazil and permeated every facet of society, becoming heavily associated with the Portuguese. In 1846, with the constitutional ''de jure'' separation of church and state, the Catholic Church gradually began to loose power to the state and other public institutions. However, half of Bahians still identified as purely Catholic a century later, and many are still deeply religious. |
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===== Protestantism ===== |
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The 1884 coup and the 1885 election marked the beginning of more than 40 years of military men occupying the executive power in the country. |
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A minor Calvinist presence was established in Bahia in the late 16th century by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huguenots Huguenots]. It reached its premodern peak with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Brazil New Holland] in the 17th century. In the early 1800s, the economic influence of [[New Netherland]] and the [[Dutch Gold Coast]] was accompanied by an influx of missionaries. With freedom of religion becoming normalised in the 1850s, many nominal Catholics began converting to Calvinism and to a much lesser extent, Lutheranism and Baptism. Today, most Bahian Protestants belong to the Dutch Reformed Church. |
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==== Syncretism and African religion ==== |
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===== Candomblé ===== |
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This Afro-American syncretic faith, joining Roman Catholicism and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoruba_religion Isese], is practiced in some capacity by 1 in 5 Bahians. Oppressed during colonial and martial rule, it has become one of the most easily recognizable traits of Bahian society. Most practitioners identify as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagos Nagôs] - the Ioruba diaspora in Bahia. Its liturgical language is a dialect of Ioruba. |
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===== Zoekerism ===== |
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In the 1860s, first [[Zoekerism|Zoekerist]] missionaries arrived in Salvador. The religion was adopted by a few hundred Afro-Bahians but slowly grew into the thousands in the 1910s as the religion became more socially accepted. Most Zoekerists live in the capital of Salvador. |
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The Bahian constitution states that every literate men above 20 years old has the right to vote and be elected to public offices. The problem was that the country around the beginning of the 20th century had an literacy rate around only 20% of the whole population, thus, more than half of the country didn’t have the right to vote. This inequality made the country ruled by the wealthy elites, the only ones that could give proper education for their children, since much of the people lived outside urban centers, and education would reach these areas only decades later. |
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==== Islam ==== |
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Also, since 1884, the executive power has been controlled by high ranking military personnel. Using a false sensation of democracy, generals were capable of winning every single election since this year. Of course, those victories were achieved by the use of unconstitutional ways. |
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===== Malê Islam ===== |
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Malês (French: ''Mallais''), also known simply as Bahian Muslims, form around ten percent of the population. Muslim slaves, usually of Hausa and Ioruba origin, led and participated in most slave revolts of the colonial era. After independence, they became a distinct black community with their own subculture and traditions. Often discriminated against by the majority Catholic population, they form the largest Muslim population in South America next to [[Guiana]]'s. |
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In 1922, Europe was hit by a heavy economic crisis. At this period, European nations such as Britain and Portugal were the biggest economic partners of Bahia, thus the drop in GDP of these countries strongly affected the South American nation. Plantations of sugar and cotton, the two biggest economic activities, suffered from overproduction and devaluation of the price. Also, many customers of Bahian products either focused on local productions rather than the foreign or reduced the quantity of imports. To control the prices, many plantation owners ordered the burning of tons of sugar and cotton. Others focused on the internal market. |
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===== Mestico communities ===== |
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Business closed and thousands lost their jobs. One alternative to keep the employees used by some businessmen was to reduce the wages. Since job laws weren’t a reality yet, thousands of employees were subdue to work in slave-like conditions for pitiful payments. |
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Small numbers of [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] Syrian and Rumelian immigrants in the 19th and 20th centuries led to the formation of a Muslim community among the mesticoes. The Želal Paša Mezquita in Salvador is the epicenter of mestico Muslim culture. |
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==== Others ==== |
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In late 1922, opposition organizations and unofficial parties, especially communard associations, organized public demonstrations in Salvador. After the revolutions in France in the 1870s, Communardism gained popularity among Bahian academics in the city of Salvador, where the main university of the country could be found. These demonstrations had the goal to gain popular support by blaming the crisis on the flawed and undemocratic government. They advocate a new constitution that would grant more political rights to the common folk, widespread education and an agrarian reform, to give land for those working under large landowners, what was called as “''modern day serfdom''’’. |
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A small number of Jews live in Bahia, descendants of refugees fleeing the Spanish Inquisition. With the independence of Bahia in 1846, several ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Converso conversos]'' began to publicly display their Judaism. A handful of Jewish immigrants from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thessaloniki Salonica] settled in the nation in the 1920s. |
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Orthodox Christians, specifically [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiochian_Greek_Christians Antiochians] from Syria, began settling and opening businesses in Salvador from 1871. While most Syrians converted to Catholicism, a few still adhere to the Greek Orthodox tradition and keep their mother tongue, Arabic, alive. |
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The communards grew strong, and to oppose this rapid growth, the Bahian government started to respond to demonstrations with force and banned any publication that was seen as “rebellion inducing”. |
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== See also == |
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{{Nations of the World}} |
{{Nations of the World}} |
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Latest revision as of 00:33, 7 February 2024
| Bahia | |
|---|---|
| Bahia Republic | |
| República da Bahia | |
 | |
 Location of Bahia | |
| Capital | Salvador |
| Government Type | Federal republic |
| Languages | Portuguese (official) Nagô Ioruba Others |
Bahia, officially the Bahia Republic (Portuguese: República da Bahia), is a Lusophone country in eastern South America bordered by Pernambuco, Equador, and Brazil. It is considered the birthplace of colonial Brazil, as the first Portuguese ship landed in the Bahian city of Porto Seguro. It is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse countries in the world and is a bastion of Afro-Portuguese culture.
Etymology
The word Bahia is the archaic spelling of the Portuguese word for bay, specifically the Bay of All Saints. Bahian is the English demonym for the country, while baiano and baiana are the Portuguese variants.
History
Premodern history
Prior to the arrival of the Portuguese in 1500, the territory that today comprises the Bahia Republic was inhabited by a variety of native groups, mainly the Tupinamba and the Jê.
Organized under the colonial Captaincy of Bahia, it was responsible for the large-scale production of sugar and cotton. Much of the labour force consisted of enslaved Africans brought from West African and Central African empires, leading to Bahia having the largest and most culturally significant black population in South America. The city of Salvador was, until the late 17th century, the capital of colonial Brazil and the biggest city on the colony. This title was lost after Rio de Janeiro was established as capital in 1763.
The birth of modern Bahia (1800-1845)
War of Independence
During the 1830s, both Europe and the Americas saw a series of republican and liberal revolutions. Of the various colonial revolts in both the Spanish and Portuguese empires, Bahia was one of those that managed to succeed. Slave rebellions, becoming increasingly more common since 1800, began to threaten the slaver class in a tangible way. In the middle of 1835, a clique of freed slaves and intellectuals began an insurrection and demanded the abolition of slavery and economic reform. Merchants and soldiers soon joined the rebellion too.
The rebellion quickly spread through the Reconcavo and soon spread to rural areas. The Bahia Republic was proclaimed by a coalition of slaves, freed slaves, merchants, and soldiers by the end of the year. In 1836, in response to the failure of local forces to control the rebellion, reinforcements were sent directly from Portugal to deal with the situation. The insurgents were not able to resist and as a last resort, they fled to rural quilombos and adopted guerrilla tactics. The war became stationary by 1843. In that year, the southernmost captaincy of Brazil also rebelled, forcing imperial forces to focus on a new front, moreover, at that time there was a feeling that victory had already been secured in the north, which made the monarchist forces reduce concern for the region, giving the republicans an advantage. Now with two wars to deal with and the Bahians receiving support from the newly independent Colombia, the war became very costly for Portugal. In 1845 a peace treaty was signed in Salvador confirming the newly sovereign Bahia Republic.
Oligarquia (1851-1884)
The first Bahian president was João Ribeiro da Costa, a General of the Bahian army during the independence war. He was installed as president by the Bahian aristocracy, though he maintained his power by appealing to the public. For 33 years, popular elections in Bahia influenced by the landed gentry, aristocracy, foreign companies, and financial institutions such as Genoese banks.
Estratocracia (1884-1927)
Reconcavo Conspiracy
Since the 1850s, the Bahian army had already felt neglected by the government. Salaries were low and military equipment was in poor condition. The military were persuaded to participate in faciliating Pernambucan independence with the promise of increased salaries, military funding, and imported technologies. The war in Pernambuco ended in 1882, and yet, the military was still in poor condition. General Antônio Peçanha da Fonseca, along with a hundred soldiers, stormed the State Palace on March 31, 1884. Arthur Moreira, president at the time, was exiled to the Riograndense Republic.
Fonseca's rule
The military takeover was initially popular due to the failures of the Moreira administration. However, it soon became apparent that the military had no intention of restoring civilian rule, agitating the population. In 1885, General Fonseca used his influence to be officially installed to the office of President with the support of his allies in the aristocracy. The parliament was dissolved, and to ensure his position, the army was on a tight leash.
During Fonseca's rule, the Bahian army received their promised reforms. This period also marked the first steps on Bahian industrialization, as the new military regime shed connections with the restrictive agrarian elite. A textile processing industry began booming around Salvador. Loans taken from foreign banks plunged the nation into debt, creating economic distress and delaying industrialisation.
Dores dos Década de Vinte (1922-1927)
In 1900, only 10-20% of the Bahian population was eligible to vote under the 1846 Constitution. Since 1884, the military class appropriated democratic propaganda to maintain their dominance. This status quo was shattered during the 1920s, a time of major economic and sociopolitical change.
1922 economic crisis
In 1922, Europe was hit by a heavy economic crisis. Britain and Portugal, Bahia's biggest economic partners, faced major economic decline, heavily affecting Bahia as well. Sugar and cotton plantation products were devalued. Imports were drastically reduced. To control the prices, many plantation owners ordered the burning kilograms upon kilograms of sugar and cotton. Unemployment skyrocketed, and the few working class industrial workers were subjected to dire conditions due to the absence of employment and worker rights laws.
Communardism, popular among the lower and intellectual classes, exploded in popularity. The three main demands were a new constitution, universal suffrage for men and women over 18, and land redistribution. The Bahian aristocracy began to crack down on dissent, leading to a polarized situation.
1924 Porto Seguro election fraud
In November 1924, Bahia held the presidential and state governor elections. The presidency was won by the general Emílio Castelo, who started his second term. In the dispute for the southern state of Porto Seguro, the candidate João Augusto Albuquerque, an important figure in the Bahian Democratic Party (Partido Democrático Baiano), which sold itself as a less radical solution, was the most popular. Due to his eloquent speeches, he easily gained support from the people.
In December, the results were disclosed. Former sergeant Fernando de Andrade ended up victorious with more than 60% of the votes. Albuquerque didn’t accept the results, and asked for a recounting. After the recounting, the same result was reached.
Public demonstrations soon started to happen in the city of Porto Seguro, demanding fair elections. The branch of the national guard in the state also declared support for Albuquerque. The main reason was the unequal treatment of the force when compared to the military. In the matter of days, the situation got more and more violent, obligating governor Andrade to flee the city.
Bahian Civil-War (1924-1927)
After taking control of the state, Albuquerque declared Porto Seguro as the capital of the Second Bahia Republic, popularly called “South Bahia”. In the matter of a few weeks, most of the southern states joined along Porto Seguro.
In February, Brasil started to directly support the southern government. Brasil also prioritized imports from the south rather than from the north. To choke the northern economy, Albuquerque sent various messages to other south american countries, as well European and north american countries, asking for support by cutting economic ties with the military rule in the north. In exchange, southern production would be exported with the lowest reasonable taxation during the conflict. By 1925, several American nations declared support for the Second Bahian Republic by ending economic ties with the north.
By 1926, the southern army started to gain advantage, as the north suffered from an economic downfall and many minor revolts. Slowly, towns started to be either conquered or joined the Second Bahian Republic willingly. In march 1927, Salvador government asked for peace, since it became too harsh to deal with the war.
Emílio wasn’t exiled or arrested, but he along with many members of the former government and many former military were banned from any future elections.
Bahian Democratic Party reign
In 1928, new elections were held. Albuquerque was elected president for the next four years with more than 65% of the votes. Also, the Bahian Democratic Party won with ease the most number of parliamentary seats.
The main accomplishments of the first four years were:
- Improvement of the former constitution, which was labeled as the 1929 constitution;
- Creation of a public agency with the duty of guarantee fair elections in the future, the Bahian Transparency Agency;
- Approximation with North American nations such as Mexico and New Netherland;
- Creation of a program for increase literacy levels to at least 50% on the next 20 years;
- A program of public investments over industrial buisiness;
The agrarian reform didn't pass through the parliament, as it was seen as too radical and would affect the relationship with the Bahian landowners. This decision disappointed the Communard parties and associations, which declared the end of support to the Bahian Democratic Party.
Government and Politics
Economy
Demographics
Culture
Religion
Christianity
Roman Catholicism
The oldest organized faith in Bahia, the first Mass was celebrated in Bahia in 1500. It was the established religion of colonial Brazil and permeated every facet of society, becoming heavily associated with the Portuguese. In 1846, with the constitutional de jure separation of church and state, the Catholic Church gradually began to loose power to the state and other public institutions. However, half of Bahians still identified as purely Catholic a century later, and many are still deeply religious.
Protestantism
A minor Calvinist presence was established in Bahia in the late 16th century by Huguenots. It reached its premodern peak with New Holland in the 17th century. In the early 1800s, the economic influence of New Netherland and the Dutch Gold Coast was accompanied by an influx of missionaries. With freedom of religion becoming normalised in the 1850s, many nominal Catholics began converting to Calvinism and to a much lesser extent, Lutheranism and Baptism. Today, most Bahian Protestants belong to the Dutch Reformed Church.
Syncretism and African religion
Candomblé
This Afro-American syncretic faith, joining Roman Catholicism and Isese, is practiced in some capacity by 1 in 5 Bahians. Oppressed during colonial and martial rule, it has become one of the most easily recognizable traits of Bahian society. Most practitioners identify as Nagôs - the Ioruba diaspora in Bahia. Its liturgical language is a dialect of Ioruba.
Zoekerism
In the 1860s, first Zoekerist missionaries arrived in Salvador. The religion was adopted by a few hundred Afro-Bahians but slowly grew into the thousands in the 1910s as the religion became more socially accepted. Most Zoekerists live in the capital of Salvador.
Islam
Malê Islam
Malês (French: Mallais), also known simply as Bahian Muslims, form around ten percent of the population. Muslim slaves, usually of Hausa and Ioruba origin, led and participated in most slave revolts of the colonial era. After independence, they became a distinct black community with their own subculture and traditions. Often discriminated against by the majority Catholic population, they form the largest Muslim population in South America next to Guiana's.
Mestico communities
Small numbers of Ottoman Syrian and Rumelian immigrants in the 19th and 20th centuries led to the formation of a Muslim community among the mesticoes. The Želal Paša Mezquita in Salvador is the epicenter of mestico Muslim culture.
Others
A small number of Jews live in Bahia, descendants of refugees fleeing the Spanish Inquisition. With the independence of Bahia in 1846, several conversos began to publicly display their Judaism. A handful of Jewish immigrants from Salonica settled in the nation in the 1920s.
Orthodox Christians, specifically Antiochians from Syria, began settling and opening businesses in Salvador from 1871. While most Syrians converted to Catholicism, a few still adhere to the Greek Orthodox tradition and keep their mother tongue, Arabic, alive.
