Wenceslau Braz he was the 9th President of the Republic of Brazil, during the period of the First World War, that is, from 1914 to 1918, who ruled after the term of vice of President Hermes da Fonseca.
Biography
Wenceslau Braz Pereira Gomes was born in São Caetano da Vargem Grande (currently Brasópolis), municipality of Minas Gerais, on February 26, 1868. A descendant of an influential family of Minas Gerais politicians, he was the son of Colonel Francisco Pereira Gomes, who held the position of provincial deputy of Minas Gerais. Wenceslau followed in his father's footsteps and held various positions in politics, until he was elected the country's president.
He studied in São Paulo, and entered the Law course at Largo São Francisco (1886-1890), so that he worked as a lawyer in Minas Gerais. In 1892, he married Maria Carneiro Pereira Gomes, with whom he had seven children. He died in Itajubá on May 15, 1966.
Government of Wenceslau Braz
Wenceslau Braz's political trajectory begins in Minas Gerais, when he was elected councilor and president of the Municipal Chamber of Monte Santo and, later, he held the position of State Deputy (1892). In addition, he was elected Federal Deputy, serving from 1892 to 1898 and Secretary of the Interior, Justice and Public Security of Minas Gerais (1898-1902). Consequently, he was president of the State of Minas Gerais (1908-1910) and vice president of the eighth president of the republic Hermes da Fonseca (1855-1923), who ruled the country from 1910-1914.
Elected on March 1, 1914, for the position of President of the Republic, Wenceslau Braz took office on November 15, 1914, against Rui Barbosa, ruling the country for four years, that is, until November 15, 1918. Note that the political system was manipulated by the oligarchic elites of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, who took turns holding the presidency of the country.
From the beginning, his government was marked by economic difficulties, in addition to having suffered strong influences from the first world war, which was emerging in Europe, which generated a huge industrial boom in the country. Therefore, he faced several strikes (1917 and 1920) which spread throughout the national territory, whose working class fought for better working conditions.
Read Brazil in World War I
As a result, one of Wenceslau's actions was the burning of three million bags of coffee which could not be exported, due to the fall in prices after the outbreak of the First World War. Furthermore, in 1915, he repressed the Contestado War (1912-1916), fought over by the states of Paraná and Santa Catarina, between the caboclos and the Brazilian government.
To learn more:
- Hermes da Fonseca
- Rui Barbosa
- World War I