Delfim Moreira , 10th president of Brazil, ruled from 11.15.1918 to 07.28.1919.
Despite the short period in the presidency, his term coincided with a rebellion in the former state of Goiás, strikes and the end of the First World War.
Biography
Delfim Moreira was born in Minas Gerais where he studied at the Mariana Seminary and, later, Law at the Faculty of São Paulo.
He developed his entire political career in Minas being a deputy and governor of this state.
Within the logic of the café au lait policy, Delfim Moreira was chosen to be vice-president of Rodrigues Alves in the 1918 elections.
However, Rodrigues Alves did not even take office, as he contracted and died from the Spanish Flu before taking office.
As stipulated in the 1891 Constitution, the vice president should only assume the presidency if the incumbent had died after completing two years in office.
As this did not happen, Delfim Moreira assumed the presidency on an interim basis, until new elections were called.
Read more about the café au lait policy.
Conflict in Goiás
Between December 1918 and January 1919, a dispute between local colonels broke out in the city of São José do Duro, present-day Tocantins. It is also known as Massacre of the Nine or Massacre of the Duro.
The case was a disagreement over an inheritance issue. Despite the intervention of the Delfim Moreira government, the families involved carried out kidnappings. The police, in turn, carried out arbitrary arrests that included nine suspects who were tied to logs.
The conflict reveals the difficulties of local powers, the so-called "colonels", in accepting the centralizing power of the Brazilian Republic.
Learn more about coronelismo.
Strikes
Driven by the first General Strike of 1917, which took place in São Paulo, several sectors of the Brazilian industry went on strike at that time.
Generally, demands were not met and demonstrations ended in confrontation with the police.
The Delfim Moreira government's policy followed the line of the previous ones and the police repressed strikes. In Brazil, the first labor laws would only be enacted during the government of Epitácio Pessoa (1919-1922).
End of World War I
In April 1917, German submarines bomb a Brazilian ship off the coast of France. Brazil comes out of its non-belligerent position and declares war on Germany. It sends to Europe a contingent of nurses, doctors, aviators who helped the allied troops. In addition, Brazilian ships patrolled the Strait of Gibraltar.
Thus, it was up to the Delfim Moreira government to organize the Brazilian participation in the Peace Conference (1919), in Versailles. Represented by Epitácio Pessoa, Brazil asked for compensation for material damage caused by the Germans.
Read about Brazil in World War I.
End of the Delfim Moreira government
Delfim Moreira would still be responsible for re-editing the Brazilian Civil Code and organizing the administrative structure of the state of Acre.
In the elections held in 1919, Epitácio Pessoa emerged victorious and Delfim Moreira returned to the post of vice president.
He died on July 1, 1920 as vice president of Brazil.