1865 Riograndense general election (Rags to Riches)

The 1865 Riograndense general election was held on August 20, 1865 to elect the Republic's fifth president and the fifth Chamber of Deputies. The election was held during the Liberal Consensus, a period of one-party rule by the Liberal Party. However, the Party ran on a platform of major social reforms that included compulsory education and a constitutional amendment on the separation of Church and State, leading to a loss of popularity among the rural communities of the country. This led to the splitting off of the conservative-liberal candidate Joaquim Neves that supported liberal ideals while opposing the new reforms that would marginalize the Church.