November 15, Brazil’s Republic Day, is far from being highly celebrated. Schools and military academies hold parades on September 7, our Independence Day, but most people pass on any celebratory activities on November 15. The date takes a backseat to regional holidays that celebrate local rebellions, like July 2 in Bahia (the expulsion of the Portuguese from Salvador), March 13 in Piauí (Jenipapo battle, one of the bloodiest for the Independence), September 20 in Rio Grande do Sul (the secessionist Farrapos War), or July 9 in São Paulo (the Constitutionalist Revolution of 1932).
Part of that is due to the fact that the Republic was not the result of a popular uprising. It was instead a military coup d’état staged with the support of economic elites. In the last Parliamentary election under the Brazilian Empire, the Republican Party had won the...
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