History of Rio Grande Do Sul
First a quick refresher course in Brazilian History
"Discovered" by Pedro Alvares Cabral in 1500.
Colonized by Portugal. French and Dutch tried to colonize but were driven out.
Spain controlled Brazil from 1580-1640 because Spain had conquered Portugal.
Colonization took several decades. Did not get into its full swing until after 1650. Rio Grande do Sul was one of the last parts of Brazil to be colonized by Europeans. It was for many years the scene of a territorial struggle between Spain (Argentina) and Portugal (Brazil). In 16th Century the Jesuits began to build missions and schools throughout the country. In 1759 The Jesuits were expelled from the New World, in Brazil by the Marques de Pombal
When Napoleon captured Lisbon in 1808, the Royal family fled to Brazil and established Rio de Janeiro as the seat of the Portuguese Empire. At this time Brazil ceased to be a colony, but was apart of the kingdom of Portugal and Brazil.
Royal family returned to Brazil in 1821, leaving son Dom Pedro I behind to keep things in order.
Dom Pedro I declared Brazilian independence in 1822 after Portugal demanded it return to its former subordinate underling colonial status.
Now, about Rio Grande do Sul, the Southern Province
The years of the "Regencia" by Dom Pedro were characterized by numerous internal struggles and steady but slow economic development. After almost 200 years of dispute with Argentina, Brazil relinquished its hold on the Cisplantina Province, which by agreement with Argentina was allowed to declare independence as Uruguay, a buffer state between its two large neighbors.
Farrapos War
Between 1835 and 1845 the Farrapos war spread throughout Rio Grande do Sul. This was the most important rebellion in the southern province, and is fondly remembered even today. The Farroupilhas were liberal (or republican) forces revolting against the monarchy. The Farroupilhas set up the Piratini Republic, with Bento Gonçalves as President. Guiseppe Garibaldi, in Brazil at this time, helped and supported this movement. In 1842 Dom Pedro had had enough of the rebellion and sent the Duque de Caxias to pacify the region. Although he achieved some significant victories, Caxias only forced the Farroupilas to sign a peace treaty when Uruguayan forces threatened then from the South. Caxias very generous terms resulted in bringing a lasting peace to the region.
Triple Alliance and War with Paraguay
In the War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70), also known as the Paraguayan War, Paraguay confronted an alliance of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. Hostilities began when Uruguayan conservatives convinced the dictator of Paraguay, Francisco Lopez, that Brazil and Argentina were about to invade Paraguay. Lopez declared war (January 1865) on Brazil and then on Argentina when Argentine president Bartolome Mitre refused him permission to cross Argentine territory. Uruguay, which had made a secret alliance with Brazil and Argentina, declared war on May 1, 1865. Alliance armies defeated the vastly outnumbered Paraguayan forces on land and sea and then blockaded all river traffic, but the Paraguayans fought back, subduing the alliance at Curupayty (September 1866). In 1868, Brazilian troops took river fortresses, and at the beginning of 1869, Brazilian forces under Caxias sacked the Paraguayan capital at Asuncion. Lopez was shot (Mar. 1, 1870) by the allies, and the bloody war ended shortly thereafter. Paraguay, whose population was severely reduced, took decades to recover.
Don Pedro I's son Dom Pedro II was deposed in 1889 by a Republican forces with strong military support. During his reign, Dom Pedro aggressively courted European Settlers, offering many incentives for coming to Brazil. In this period millions of Germans and Italians migrated to the south of Brazil.
From 1890 to 1930 the main event in Brazilian politics was the ever present struggle for dominance by São Paulo and Minas Gerais. This led to a sharing of power between the two regions (Coffee and milk politics).
Getulio Vargas
Dictator Getúlio Vargas ruled from 1930-1945 after which elected presidents governed. Vargas (1930-45, 1951-54), promoted the modernization of Brazil. Having studied law, Vargas served his home state of Rio Grande do Sul as national congressman (1922-26) and governor (1928-30). From 1926 to 1927 he was finance minister in the national cabinet. Unsuccessful in his bid for the presidency in 1930, Vargas led a revolt that overthrew the government. Over the next 15 years, he effected massive transformations in the public and private sectors. His style was authoritarian and his appeal populist: unionization, industrialization, and social welfare programs gained him the working- and middle-class backing. Vargas gave support to the Allies during World War II, but his popularity declined as democratic sentiment grew. In 1945 he was ousted by the army. Vargas won election as president in 1950, but his second tenure was beset with scandals and economic difficulties. Faced with growing opposition and expecting a coup, he resigned and then committed suicide.
Joao Goulart and Brizola
Joao Goulart was president of Brazil from 1961 to 1964. A protege of Vargas, Goulart served (1953-54) as Vargas's minister of labor, industry, and commerce and was vice-president (1956-61), first under Juscelino Kubitshek and then under Janio Quadros. After Quadros's resignation in August 1961, Goulart became president. His reputed Communist leanings led the military to insist on restricting his presidential powers, but a plebiscite in 1963 restored them. Goulart's administration was marked by inflation and labor unrest. He was ousted by a military coup in April 1964. Most of the senior generals that were to control Brazil for the next twenty years were Gauchos, as are called the natives of Rio Grande do Sul.
The Gauchos are proud of their traditions and their European background. Even today many traditional Italian and german festivities are celebrated throughout the state. From time to time, there is even good natured talk of secession from the rest of Brazil.
