Military Question
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The Military Question was a series of incidents between officers of the Imperial Brazilian Army and civilian authorities of the Empire of Brazil that occurred between 1884 and 1887. This clash between military and civilians worsened the empire's political crisis and gave new impetus to the republican movement in the country. Just like abolitionism and the Religious Issue, the so-called military question contributed to the crisis of the imperial regime in Brazil, culminating in the proclamation of the republic in 1889.[1]
The Imperial Brazilian Army had little political power in the Empire of Brazil until the Paraguayan War (1864–1870). This lack of influence was evident in the 1850 reform, when the then minister of war, Felizardo de Sousa e Melo, determined that promotions would be made based on merit rather than aristocratic origin and established a degree at the Military Academy as a requirement to reach the officer corps. In this way, the elite lost interest in military careers, and positions began to be filled by the children of military personnel and small employees.[2]
The Brazilian victory in the Paraguayan War was decisive both for the consolidation of the army and for the formation of an institutional consciousness among the military.[3] Furthermore, the five-year stay of the regular army and volunteer corps in the Platine republics also contributed to the spread of republicanism among the troops.[4] Once the conflict was over, army officers had high expectations regarding recognition of their sacrifices and achievements during the long campaign. The imperial government, in turn, afraid that a group of ex-combatants, armed and influenced by their superiors, could become involved in violent clashes against the regime, opted for a discreet reception and measures for a rapid demobilization and fragmentation of the units. In the officers' view, such attitude represented a disregard for military honor and merits.[4]
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In 1871, a group of 40 officers founded the Military Institute to fight for improvements in the army. They offered the institute's presidency to Gaston, the Count of Eu, who was married to princess Isabel, the emperor's daughter and heir to the Brazilian throne. The Council of State deemed the institute a threat to discipline, however, and Gaston refused the offer, ending the group. Over the course of the decade, low ranking officers who had fought in the war received few promotions and cuts in their pay. The army's budget was also reduced. The military feared that the army would be supplanted by the National Guard. Students at the Military School of Praia Vermelha were becoming increasingly ideologically tied to the army as an institution. They lacked prestige among the civilian elite, but their formation was robust. Their teaching at the school was influenced by positivism, which had as one of its main advocates Benjamin Constant, a teacher at the school.[2]
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