|
The decline and fall of Pedro II of Brazil occurred over the course of the 1880s, with the underlying factors accumulating and coming increasingly into focus after 1881. This period paradoxically coincided with a time of unparalleled economic and social stability and progress for Brazil, during which the nation had achieved a prominent place as an emerging power within the international arena. The roots of the collapse of the monarchy can be traced as far back as 1850, upon the death of Pedro II's youngest male child. From that point onward, the Emperor ceased to believe in the monarchy as a viable form of government for Brazil's future, as his remaining heir was a daughter. Although constitutionally permitted, a female ruler was considered unacceptable by both Pedro II and the ruling circles. This issue was deferred for decades, during which the country became more powerful and prosperous. So long as the Emperor enjoyed good health, the matter of succession could be ignored. From 1881 Pedro II's health began failing. He gradually withdrew from public affairs as time passed. Weary of being tied to a throne which he doubted would survive his death, he persevered out of duty and because there seemed no immediate alternative. Nor did his daughter and heir, Isabel, exhibit a desire to assume the crown. Both, however, were overwhelmingly beloved by the Brazilian people, who still supported the monarchy. The indifference towards the Imperial system by the Emperor and his daughter allowed a discontented republican minority to grow more audacious and to eventually launch the coup that overthrew the Empire. Pedro II of Brazil may be considered a rare instance of a head of state who, despite being overwhelmingly beloved by his people, despite international admiration and acclamation, despite having been instrumental in driving forward major liberal social and economic reforms, despite overseeing a period of outstanding prosperity and influence during a reign covering nearly six decades, and despite being considered a highly successful ruler to the end, ultimately was subjected to overthrow and exile. The republican revolution which replaced the Empire led to decades of disruption and dictatorship. == Decline == During the 1880s, Brazil continued to prosper and social diversity increased markedly, including the first organized push for women's rights. The country had greatly changed in the five decades since Pedro II's accession to the throne. The liberalism adopted by successive Government cabinets favored private initiatives and resulted in decades of economic prosperity. It "had an economy that was rapidly developing in 1880s". Brazil's international trade reached a total value of Rs 79.000:000$000 (see Brazilian currency) between 1834 and 1839. This continued to increase every year until it reached Rs 472.000:000$000 between 1886 and 1887 (an annual growth rate of 3.88% since 1839). Brazilian economic growth, especially after 1850, compared well with that of the United States and European nations. The national revenue, which amounted to Rs 11.795:000$000 in 1831, rose to Rs 160.840:000$000 in 1889. By 1858, it was the eighth largest in the world. To give an idea of the economic potential of the country during the Empire, if "it had been able to sustain the level of productivity achieved in 1780 and managed to increase exports at a pace equal to that verified in the second half of 19th century, its ''per capita'' income in 1950 would be comparable to the average per capita income of the Western European nations". Development on an immense scale occurred during this period, which anticipated similar initiatives in European countries. In 1850, there were 50 factories valued at more than Rs 7.000:000$000. At the end of the Imperial period in 1889, Brazil had 636 factories (representing an annual rate of increase of 6.74% from 1850) valued at approximately Rs 401.630:600$000 (annual growth rate of 10.94% since 1850). The "countryside echoed with the clang of iron track being laid as railroads were constructed at the most furious pace of the nineteenth century; indeed, building in the was the second greatest in absolute terms in Brazil's entire history. Only eight countries in the entire world laid more track in the decade than Brazil." The first railroad line, with only 15 kilometers, was opened on 30 April 1854 at a time when many European countries had no rail service. By 1868, there were 718 kilometers of railroad lines, and by the end of the Empire in 1889, this had grown to 9,200 kilometers (with another 9,000 kilometers under construction), making it the country with "the largest rail network in Latin America". "Factories also sprang throughout the Empire in the 1880s at an unprecedent rate, and its cities were beginning to receive the benefits of gas, electrical, sanitation, telegraph and tram companies. Brazil was entering the modern world." It was the fifth country in the world to install modern sewers in cities, the third to have sewage treatment, and one of the pioneers in installing telephone lines. Beyond these, it was the first South American nation to adopt public electric illumination (in 1883) and the second in the Americas (behind the United States) to establish a telegraph line connecting it directly to Europe (in 1874). The first telegraph line appeared in 1852 in Rio de Janeiro. By 1889, there were 18,925 kilometers of telegraph lines connecting the country's capital to distant Brazilian provinces such as Pará, and even linking to other South American countries such as Argentina and Uruguay. The Brazilian Empire was admired internationally for its democratic system and for its respect for freedom of speech. In politics there were "solid and competitive parties, an active parliament, a free press, open debate". The Argentine President Bartolomé Mitre called the country a "crowned democracy" and Venezuelan President Rojas Paúl after learning of the Emperor's fall said, "It has ended the only republic that existed in () America: the Empire of Brazil." The Brazil of the last year of Pedro II's reign was a "prosperous and () respected" nation which held unchallenged leadership in Latin America. Its navy was the fifth or sixth most powerful in the world in 1889 with the most powerful battleships in the western hemisphere. The Emperor was beloved by the Brazilian people and was regarded with "respect, almost veneration" in North America and Europe due to his democratic, liberal and progressive ideals and actions. The remarks made by a former U.S. consul at Rio de Janeiro, who met Pedro II in late 1882, tells much of the general view that foreigners had of Brazil and its Emperor by the end of the 1880s: The British Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone said that Pedro II was "a model to the Sovereigns of the world" and held him as being a "great and good Sovereign". Brazilian writer Machado de Assis would later remember him as "a humble, honest, well-learned and patriotic man, who knew how to make of a throne a chair (his simplicity ), without diminishing its greatness and respect." When he became Emperor in 1831, Brazil was on the verge of fragmentation. Fifty-eight years later, the country had been at peace for more than four decades, slavery had been extinguished, the representative system was consolidated, and the leadership of the military was in civilian hands (something not seen in the Spanish-American countries). Indeed, for "the longevity of his government and the transformations which occurred during its course, no other Head of State has marked more deeply the history of the nation." Even though Brazil was richer and more powerful than ever, though it enjoyed an excellent international reputation, and though Pedro II himself was still extremely popular among his subjects, the Brazilian monarchy itself was dying. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Decline and fall of Pedro II of Brazil」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|