Riograndense Republic (RRG)

Background
The region that would become Rio Grande do Sul was first explored by Spanish Jesuit missionaries in the early 17th century to convert the native Guaraní to Roman Catholicism. The natives were settled into autonomous missiones, which were destroyed and rebuilt over the century. Portuguese colonization began in earnest in the 18th century when numerous settlements were founded on the Atlantic coast. The arrival of Portuguese colonizers in the region led to clashes with the Guaraní and Jesuits in the Guaraní War (1754 to 1756) in which the natives were defeated and the entire modern-day Rio Grande do Sul was officially recognized as Portuguese territory in 1801.

In this period, the region's economic life depended on cattle as it was used to produce beef jerky, which was subsequently exported to the rest of Brazil to feed its massive slave population. While cattle raising came to be associated with the gaúchos the market was dominated by large latifundia, large ranches that exploited slave labor. By the 1830s the dominance of Riograndense beef on the Brazilian market was rapidly fading as Argentinian and Uruguayan jerky exports gained ever more popularity in Brazil, leading local landowners to demand the implementation of tariffs that would protect the Riograndense economy.

The economic downturn was coupled with frustration over a lack of political representation of the region in the Brazilian government, leading to calls for local autonomy from the central government. In addition, the republican movement gained prominence among the dissatisfied local elites that organized themselves into federalist clubs such as the Continental Society. The passage of the "Ato Adicional" (1834) did little to stop the already dissatisfied republicans as they gained control over the province's new legislature in the 1835 election.

Independence
The growing resentment against the Brazilian government culminated in a standoff between the provincial legislature and Provincial President Fernandes Braga when he accused numerous members of the liberal and republican Farroupilha Party of plotting to separate the province from Brazil and uniting it with Uruguay. This event marked the breaking point as the monarchist president activated the rebellion movement in the province. On September 20, 1835, the Farroupilhas rebelled and took over large swaths of the country, including Porto Alegre, forcing the provincial government to flee. While they initially wanted to negotiate with the Brazilian government to appoint a more popular provincial president, the actions of the newly appointed anti-Farroupilha José de Araújo Ribeiro dashed the hopes of the liberals and plunged the province into a full-on rebellion against the Empire of Brazil.

The failed imperial attacks of the summer of 1836 would seal the fate of Brazilian rule over Rio Grande as the local liberals, which had previously demanded mere autonomy now pivoted towards independence. Ultimately, Colonel Antônio de Sousa Netto would proclaim the independence of the Riograndense Republic on September 11 after his victory over the imperials in the Battle of Seival. Netto's proclamation of the Republic was inspired by democratic and abolitionist ideals. While Rio Grande was declared independent, the republican ideals of its founders extended towards the rest of Brazil as other provinces were invited to join together in a confederal republican system. The proclamation of an independent republic enjoyed large support among liberals, cattle ranchers, landowners, and soldiers with the added sympathy of the urban middle class.

War of the Rags
The War of the Rags, which had already begun in September 1835, entered into a new phase following the province's declaration of independence. While the early capture of President Gonçalves dealt a blow to the rebellion, its capture of settlements in the neighboring province of Santa Caterina gave them back the initiative in the war. In addition, the exodus of Brazilian army officers to the Farroupilhas and the capture of the provincial president in March 1837 secured their control over the entire country. Throughout 1837 and 1838 the rebels scored additional victories as they gradually took over the remaining Brazilian-controlled towns and President Gonçalves escaped prison and returned to Rio Grande. The culmination of this success was the capture of Laguna, Santa Catarina, and the proclamation of the Juliana Republic, a sister republic that would enter into a confederation with Rio Grande.

The early years of the War of the Rags were also marked by the diplomatic successes of the Riograndense government as it managed to secure financial support from Uruguay and Argentina. The crown jewel of the country's diplomacy was the Treaty of Rio Grande (1839), in which Great Britain and France recognized the country's independence in exchange for opening Riograndense ports to European trade. Faced with growing diplomatic pressure the Brazilian government found itself unable to take back Rio Grande despite their reconquest of Santa Catarina in November 1839 as the war came to a stalemate thanks. Brazil and Rio Grande would finally negotiate a ceasefire after the defeat of Brazil's last offensive into the south of the country in November 1841. The independence of the Riograndense Republic and its borders would be recognized by Brazil with the Treaty of Porto Alegre on March 25, 1842.

First Republic
The last years of the War of the Rags were marked by the election of a Constituent Assembly that, despite the stalling of some high politicians and the delays caused by the ongoing conflict, would ultimately adopt the country's first constitution on February 8, 1843. Despite the liberal leanings of some revolutionaries, the 1843 Constitution proved to be a victory for the conservative landowners as it did not address the issue of slavery and established an elitist republic that would be dominated by the interests of the wealthy.

Not unlike its other South American neighbors, the politics of the First Republic rapidly divided into a faction of liberals (Radical Party) and conservatives (National Party) over the issues of democracy, secularism, and land reform. While the country abolished slavery in 1844, the liberals remained dissatisfied, leading them to plot a military coup that would overthrow the First Republic. These movements coalesced around General Antônio de Sousa Netto who would ultimately lead the 1851 Riograndense coup d'état and suspend the constitution.