The Treaty of Petrópolis was a diplomatic agreement between the Brazilian and Bolivian government, signed on November 17, 1903 in the city of Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, which annexed the territory of Acre to Brazil, belonging to Bolivia since 1750.
Composed of 10 articles, the Treaty included the exchange of some territories between the countries, that is, for Brazil it was declared that the lower Acre (142,000 km²) and the upper Acre (48,000 km²) would be annexed to the territory, while the Bolivia would retain part of the region of the state of Mato Grosso, in an area corresponding to 3,164 km.
Abstract
The rubber cycle (rubber trees) was one of the main factors in the development of part of the northern region of the country, especially the state of Acre, in the Amazon Rainforest. At the end of the 19th century, rubber became one of the main export products, which led to the exploration and settlement of the region by Brazilians, mainly from the Northeast, who moved in order to improve their living and working conditions.
Although it was a region belonging to Bolivia, the Bolivians did not worry much about populating the space, which led to greater interest from the Brazilian government, which paid 2 million pounds sterling to annex the territory to the country, rich in forests and rubber plantations. .
This territorial annexation event took place in the mountain town of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Petrópolis, at the beginning of the 20th century and brought together figures from both governments, namely:José Maria da Silva Paranhos do Rio Branco (Barão do Rio Branco), Minister of Foreign Affairs and Joaquim Francisco de Assis Brasil, former governor of Rio Grande do Sul; on the Bolivian side, the President of the Republic Fernando E. Guachalla and Senator Claudio Pinilla were present.
With this, Brazil has advanced in infrastructure works in order to facilitate transport as well as exploration of the region, declared in Article VII:
“The United States of Brazil undertakes to build in Brazilian territory, by itself or by a private company, a railroad from the port of Santo Antônio, on the Madeira River, to Guajará-Mirim, on Mamoré, with a branch that , passing through Vila Murtinho or another point nearby (State of Mato Grosso), arrive at Vila Bela (Bolivia), at the confluence of the Beni and Mamoré. This railroad, which Brazil will endeavor to complete within four years, will be used by both countries with the same rights and tariffs . ”
Thus, we must emphasize that both parties obtained advantages with the Treaty of Petrópolis, which, in addition to strengthening the ties between the two countries, facilitated foreign, commercial, political relations, exemplified in Article III:“Because there is no equivalence in the areas of the territories exchanged between the two Nations, the United States of Brazil will pay an indemnity of £2,000,000 (two million pounds sterling), which the Republic of Bolivia accepts for the purpose of applying it principally to the construction of railways or in other works aimed at improving communications and developing trade between the two countries .”
It is important to highlight that this agreement established friendly relations between the countries, and also avoided a military conflict between the parties. In this sense, Bolivia sent military missions, which were unsuccessful since the territory was already largely occupied by Brazilians.
Others were the attempts to conquer the territory, which lasted from 1899 (when the conflicts began) to 1903, a period known as the “Revolution Acreana ” (War of Acre), which culminated in an agreement of peace and interests of both. Thus, after the Treaty of Petrópolis, the territorial parts annexed to Brazil were occupied by the families of around 60,000 rubber tappers, responsible for the work of extracting rubber (latex).
To learn more:Rubber Cycle.
Curiosities
- In honor of the Baron of Rio Branco, the city formerly called Vila Pennápolis, was named Rio Branco in 1912, the current capital of the State of Acre.
- As a result of the Treaty of Petrópolis, the borders between Peru and Brazil were also re-established, since Acre was disputed between the three countries:Brazil, Peru and Bolivia.
See also :
- Acrean Revolution
- Formation of the Brazilian territory