Arthur Bernardes

Arthur Bernardes was the 12th President of the Republic during the period of the Old Republic (1889-1930), and ruled the country from 1922 to 1926.

He was part of the coffee au lait policy , led by the oligarchies of the states of São Paulo (a large producer of coffee) and Minas Gerais (a large producer of milk), which alternated in power.

Biography

Arthur da Silva Bernardes was born in Viçosa, Minas Gerais, on August 8, 1875. Son of the Portuguese Antônio da Silva Bernardes, a civil servant, and of Maria da Silva Bernardes, he attended primary studies in the State of Minas and, later, completed the Law course at the University of São Paulo, graduating in 1910.

He married Célia Vaz de Melo. He died in Rio de Janeiro on March 23, 1955, aged 79.

Arthur Bernardes was the 12th president of Brazil

Arthur Bernardes Government

Arthur Bernardes, of the Partido Republicano Mineiro (PRM) before assuming the presidency of the country, had an important political career, was a deputy and senator for the state of Minas Gerais, and was later elected President of Minas Gerais (1918-1922).

He disputed the position of president of the republic with the carioca Nilo Peçanha , from which he emerged victorious, with 466,877 votes against 317,714 for his opponent. He took office on November 15, 1922, after the government of Epitacio Pessoa .

During his rule, both political and economic instability was marked, as he ruled in a state of siege (a state protection measure), facing different tenentist movements that spread across the country (1924 Revolution, Column Prestes and Commune of Manaus) and labor movements, as well as dealing with rampant inflation, resulting from the end of the First World War.

Overall, Arthur adopted authoritarian measures to combat the outbreaks of revolts across the country, thus marking a repressive government, which restricted the freedom of the press. In order to balance Brazil's economy, he proposed cuts in public spending, made loans and increased taxes. He ended his term on November 15, 1926, being elected Senator of the Republic, a position he held until 1930.

He participated in the Revolution of 1930 being arrested in 1932, as he was involved with the Constitutionalist Revolution , with an anti-Getulist character.

He remained in exile in Lisbon for two years, when he returned to Brazil, in 1934. Until his death, he held other positions in politics:Federal Constituent Representative (1945) and Federal Deputy (1950), a position he held until the end of his life, in 1955. .