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{{Nation|common_name=
1922: Kingdom of Brasil
1981: Brasilian Republic|map=Locator Brasil.png}}
Brasil shares borders with [[Bahia]] to the north, [[Equador]] to the northwest, [[Peru]] to west, [[Paraguay]] to the southwest and the [[Riograndense Republic]] to the south.
== Etymology ==
The etymology of the word Brasil is a tricky topic. Some historians and linguistics trace the origin of the word to the celtic word of Hy-Brasil, a mythical island of old Irish folklore. But the most accepted one is that Brasil comes from the Portuguese for brasilwood trees (pau-brasil) which, due to its strong red color, received the adjective of “red like fire” (vermelho como brasa). Throughout its existence
== History ==
=== List of Rulers ===
[[List of the Rulers of Brasil.]]
=== Establishment ===
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==== Clashes in the Southern Cone (1750-1762) ====
===== '''War on Rio de La Plata''' =====
During the Great Silesian War (1750-1755), Spain and Portuguese forces clashed in the Rio de La Plata over the control of the Colônia de Sacramento. A Portuguese outpost on the upper bank of the river.Sacramento was taken by the Spanish in 1752. The colony is kept under occupation for the rest of the conflict.
In the Treaty of Vienna (1755), it's decided that the colonial situation in the Southern Cone should come back to what was before the war, but due to Spain unwilling to have a Portuguese colony so close to Buenos Aires, the country decided to sign a treaty apart from Vienna with Portugal.
===== '''Treaty of Seville (1756)''' =====
[[File:Treaty of seville.png|thumb|Situation around Rio de La Plata before and after the Treaty of Seville.]]
The Treaty of Seville was signed in
===== '''The Luso-Indian War (1757-1762)''' =====
In the upper Uruguayan west bank, Spanish Jesuits built a series of settlements in the mission to convert natives to Catholicism still in the 17th century. By 1755, these settlements grew to the point to become towns of thousands of inhabitants.
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In 1756, the Vicentine Ultimatum was declared by Portugal, which gave the order to the Spanish Jesuits to leave the region immediately, or troops from São Vicente, in the Captaincy of São Paulo, would soon take them away by force.
The war happened mostly by raids on both sides. Through the 5 years of conflict, farms, villages and towns were sacked and destroyed. By 1759, three years after the purchase of Carolina by Britain, the British joined the Portuguese against the
The bloodshed of the conflict only ended in
==== Revolutionary 19th century ====
===== '''Brasil during the Spring Of Nations''' =====
The 1830s and 40s were a turbulent period for Brasil. The colony faced secession movements across the majority of its territory. Although many attempts were made, in the early to mid 19th century, only Bahia and the Reiograndense Republic managed to achieve independence.
From 1836 to 1838, the Captaincy of Pernmabuco, along other northeastern captaincies proclaimed the short-lived Caatinga Republic. In the Captaincy of Maranhão and Piauí, revolutionary governments lasted only a few months. The same in Grão-Pará.
===== '''The Vila Rica Conspiracy (1837-1838)''' =====
[[File:MINAS REPUBLIC.png|thumb|Minas Republic at its peak (1837)]]
On nowadays Brasilian territory, the major secession movement happened in the Captaincy of Minas Gerais, more specifically in the town of Vila Rica, the captaincy capital.
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==== Path for decolonization (1877-1879) ====
===== '''Abolsihment of slavery and independence of Equador''' =====
After the independence of Bahia, Brasil was cut in half. To better manage what lasted from its former holdings, the colony was divided in two. Brasil in the south, comprising Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Minas Gerais e Mato Grosso. While the northern captaincies were reorganized as the colony of Equador.
In 1877, Portugal abolished slavery in the totality of its territories. In South America, where most of the empire slave labor was located, plantations owners, after many disagreements about economic reparations over their former slaves rebeled across the colony.
===== '''Creation of the Autonomous Territory of Brasil (1879)''' =====
Revolts happened in São Paulo, and Minas Gerais, two major coffee growing regions, although they weren't successful, differently from the North, where the rebels were capable of establishing the Republic of Equador in 1877. Although the country was only recognized in 1879.
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==== The Luso-Brazilian Compromise (1922) ====
The end of the colonial rule in Carolina sparked once again the feeling of nationalism and independence in
The economic crisis hit
On November the 2nd, 1922, in a radio broadcast, the province president of São Paulo, Rafael Tobias, declared a revolt. The province of Minas Gerais followed the same strategy soon later in the same day. The presidents of the two provinces had been in secret talks since September of 1922, the plan was to send an ultimatum to the crown. To prevent a bloody conflict in the continent, the rebel provinces stated openage to dialogue with the crown.
Portugal wasn’t in shape to fight a war thousands of kilometers away, and in telegram, agreed to discuss terms with the new Brazilian Government, which already comprised four of the six provinces of
On December 4th, the Luso-
* Creation of a new
* Secession is permited only if more than 50% of the elegible population show support in an official election passed by the parliament;
* The Kingdom of
* Abolition of the title of Governor of
* Political rights to any man, regardless of his income;
▲* Establishment of a single citizenship. Luso-Brazilian;
▲* Brazilians could be elected to all political offices;
* End of Portuguese influence over local politics.
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On December 21th, the Brazilian-Angolse forces started a siege over Abome, which lasted until January 30th of 1938, when facing supply shortage, the occupation forces surrendered, ending the conflict in Portuguese Africa.
==== Anti-war demonstrations ====
Shortly after the entrance of Portugal, thus Brasil as well, in the Great War on the side of the Cordial League reached Brasilian newspapers, popular demonstrations against Brasil involvement in the global conflict began in the provincial capitals and other city centers of the kingdom. The streets of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, especially, saw marches of thousands of unpleased populars during the four years of fighting.
Among the protesters, people of many political spectrum could be seen. The common folk, not willing to have their husbands, brothers and sons sent to Europe or Africa, Republicans, which advocated the total political emancipation of Brasil from the Lusitanian Realm, Anarchists and non-France aligned Communards. Although these groups had mostly different goals, the totality of them had in common: modify the Luso-Brasilian constitution, ceasing Brasil to be obligated to fight in wars alongside Portugal.
===== Night Of The Thirty Thousand =====
The Night Of The Thirty Thousand was the most numerous demonstration in Brasil during the Great War. Happening in Rio de Janeiro from the evening of the August 8th 1937 to the morning the next day, around thirty thousand people gathered in front of the parliament palace in a vigil against the continuation of Brasilian participation in the conflict and restructuring of the constitution. It was the most numerous popular protest since the establishment of the kingdom in 1922, and one of the major in the history of Brasil.
=== '''Brasil during the Silent War''' ===
After the Great War, Brasil participated along the other members of the Cordial League in the Congress of Amsterdam in 1939 and was one of the two South American nations among the founding members of the Organization of Democratic Nations (ODN) in 1945, therefore, integrating on the British dominated sphere of influence against the newly formed National Republican block led by Russia. Alongside other ODN members such as Carolina and Guiana, the country worked for most of the 20th century on protecting the ODN interests in the continent.
==== '''Role in the creation of the Organization of the Southern Cross (OTSC) (1944-1966):''' ====
In 1944, after the national republican revolutions in Peru and Equador, Brasil played a direct role in the battle against the spread of the ideology through the continent by not recognizing Equador’s new regime and directly supporting the Peruvian monarchy during the country’s civil war (1944-1963). Along Colombia, Carolina and Paraguay, Brasil was a founding member of the Quito Coalition, a group of nations interested in supporting the Peruvian monarchy in the fight against the national republican regime. The coalition was the rudiment form that would become the Organization of the Southern Cross decades later.
'''Asunción Protocol (1966):'''
By 1963, after the conflict in Peru had officially ended, the members of the coalition looked to pave the way to the development of a block of nations with the goal of strengthening and integrating South America to prevent crisis such as the one in Peru from happening again. In 1966, Brasil, Colombia, Carolina, Paraguay and also Chile, signed the Asunción Protocol establishing the Organization of the Southern Cross. Later in 1968, Peru joined the block.
'''Brasil in the Portuguese Colonial Wars (1942-1976):'''
After the Great War, the Portuguese Empire reached a second peak after receiving from France the colony of Sainte-Lucie and having a joint mandate of Niger. But this did not last long as instability soon started to shake the empire. From 1942 to 1976, Portugal saw its empire slowly shrink and Brasil participated directly in the efforts of the crown in keeping it on hold.
[[File:ProtesteSP.jpg|thumb|Protesters gather in the Largo de São Paulo demanding the end of Brasil involvement in the Colonial Wars. São Paulo, Brasil, 1974.]]
Due to the 1922 Compromise which established Brasil as a united kingdom under the Lusitanian crown, Brasil was obligated to participate in the colonial wars fought in Portuguese Africa. This situation culminated in discontentment among part of the population who saw the human and monetary resources spent in Africa as unnecessary and called for the decolonization of the empire. At this point, most of this discontentment was directed to the colonial wars. Calls for the complete separation of Brasil from the union, at the time, was a minority formed mostly by supporters of the establishment of a liberal republic.
==== '''Shift of Balance (1976-1980):''' ====
The 1970s were marked by the end of Portuguese imperialism in Africa after the kingdom released all that remained of its possessions in the continent to become independent countries in 1976 by the Act of Free Will. This move, consequently, resulted in Brasil becoming the largest and most populous constituent country of the united kingdom, therefore shifting the balance of the union towards South America.
By this time, the idea of secession from Portugal had strengthened as it was being encouraged by liberals and especially the Republican Party, the main opposition to the monarchist government at the time. The advocates for the obolition of the union with the Portuguese Crown stated that the balance between the two constituent countries was compromised by the significant losses of Portugal in the past decades and the rapid economic growth of Brasil, which was believed to surpass Portugal in the next century. Another key point used massively in propaganda was the influence of the crown in international affairs, since the chancellor office, responsible for the foreign police for both Brasil and Portugal, was appointed by the crown. What was interpreted as the continuation of a colonist heritage still influencing the country.
In 1979, after three years of campaigning, the Republican Party and other Liberals were able to pass a referendum to decide if the population was supportive of continuing under the crown of Portugal or not. The May 15th Referendum of 1980 therefore decided the existence of the second-longest-lasting monarchy in South America.
== Government and politics ==
[[File:PTBR GOVERNMENT .png|thumb|Scheme displaying the functioning of the government of the Luso-Brasilian Union]]Since 1981, Brasil is a federal republic. The government follows three constitutional powers: the Executive, Legislative and the Judiciary. The Executive Power is on the hands of president elected by popular vote every four years. The Legislative Power is divided into a two chamber parliament: the Senate and the House of Deputies. Elected every six and four years, respectively. Judiciary Power is represented by the Brasilian Supre Court where appointed members have an eight years long term.
Brasil is divided into eleven federal units: ten states and the specially administrated city of Rio de Janeiro called Município Neutro (Neutral Municipality). The states and the Município Neutro have a certain degree of autonomy on their interal affairs, although still subjects to the Federal Government.
==== Previous governments ====
===== Autonomous Territory of Brasil (1879-1922) =====
The Autonomous Territory of Brasil was the first Brasilian government after colonial times. Established in 1879, Brasil gained a certain amount of autonomy, but was still under high Portuguese influence and surveillance. During this period, partial suffrage was granted to the population and for this first time, Brasilians could be elected to public offices in the parliament. In practice, only men from the former colonial elite had any of those rights, since vote was not allowed to women, uneducated and bellow a the certain income margin of 100 thousand réis montly. Thus, excluding almost all of the population.
Portugal still appointed the General Governor, title created in place of Viceroy, every five years. The crown could also disolve the Brasilian parliament at any moment.
===== Kingdom of Brasil (1922-1980) =====
From 1922 to 1980, Brasil was constitutional parliamentary monarchy under the House of Braganza. Therefore, the monarchs had their power limited by a constitution and act only as the Head of State of the country. In the case of Brasil, which was in a dual monarchy with Portugall, the monarch took the role of appointing common ministers to both constituent countries. They are the Royal Chancellor for foreign affairs and the minister of defense . The role of Head of Government is put in the hands of the prime minister.
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