The Lieutenants

In many ways Brazil's hyper-federal political system failed to govern a country that was undergoing rapid social and economic change. With an impractical constitution and archaic institutions, the government could barely keep pace with the nation's progress, let alone solve its burgeoning problems. By the 1920s the tensions caused by government ineffectiveness erupted into major challenges to the state. Far and away the biggest challenge was a series of military rebellions called the Tenente Revolts (tenente means "lieutenant" in Portuguese). Civil-military relations had not been smooth since the early days of the Old Republic, and in 1922 several hundred officer cadets seized army installations to demand reforms. Their revolt was put down brutally, and those who survived were jailed or fled into exile. In 1924 the cadets captured the capital of Sao Paulo and held it for nearly a month to protest their mistreatment and blocked aspirations. When dislodged, they embarked on the Great March through the Brazilian backlands, which eventually covered 24,000 kilo-meters and lasted over 2 years. The rebels disbanded in early 1927, but their cry for reforms left a potent impression on educated Brazilians.