page_title: Decline and fall of Pedro II of Brazil
section_title: Decline
hierarchical_section_title: Decline and fall of Pedro II of Brazil / Decline
caption_attribution_description: English: "The World's Sovereigns". A photomontage made in Europe in 1889 with the main heads of state in the world. From left to right: Yohannes IV of Ethiopia, Tewfik Pasha of Egypt, Sultan Abdülhamit II of the Ottoman Empire, Naser al-Din Shah Qajar of Persia, Christian IX of Denmark, Luís I of Portugal, William III of the Netherlands, Pedro II of Brazil, Milan Obrenović IV of Serbia, Leopold II of Belgium, Alexander III of Russia, Wilhelm I, German Emperor (deceased 1888), Franz Joseph I of Austria, Victoria of the United Kingdom, Jules Grévy of France (left office 1887), Pope Leo XIII, Emperor Meiji of Japan, Guangxu Emperor of China (not confirmed), Umberto I of Italy, Alfonso XII of Spain, Oscar II of Sweden and Chester A. Arthur of the United States (left office 1885, deceased 1886). Three of the photographers, who provided (willingly or not) photographic-material for the photomontage, are identified: Photo of Abdul Hamid II. by W. &amp; D. Downey, London https://www.liberaldictionary.com/abdul-hamid-ii/ (File used in picture is bottom-left). Franz-Joseph I.`s photo comes from Ferenc Kosmata https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Doctor_Kozmata_Portrait_of_Franz_Joseph_I_1872.jpg, photographed in Schloss Schönbrunn. Umberto I. was photographed by Stereoscopic Coy. London Due to the fact, that Queen Victoria had been photographed by both, W&amp;D Downey and Stereoscopic Coy., it is likely, that her photo comes from one of these sources. Română: Fotomontaj din anul 1889 prezentând mai mulți șefi de stat ai timpului. De la stânga la dreapta, Yohannes al IV-lea (Împărat al Etiopiei), Tevfik Paşa (Kedivatul Egiptului), Abdul-Hamid al II-lea (Sultan otoman), Naser al-Din Shah Qajar (Padișah), Christian al IX-lea (Rege al Danemarcei), Luís I (Rege al Portugaliei), Willem al III-lea (Rege al Țărilor de Jos), Pedro al II-lea (Împărat al Braziliei), Milan I (Rege al Serbiei), Leopold al II-lea (Rege al Belgiei), Alexandru al III-lea (Împărat al Rusiei), Wilhelm I (Împărat german și Rege al Prusiei), Franz Joseph (Împărat al Austriei și Rege al Ungariei), Victoria (Regină a Regatului Unit și Împărăteasă a Indiei), Jules Grévy (Președintele Republicii Franceze), Leon al XIII-lea (Papă), Meiji (Împărat al Japoniei), Guangxu (Împărat al Chinei), Umberto I (Rege al Italiei), Alfonso al XII-lea (Rege al Spaniei), Oscar al II-lea (Rege al Suediei și al Norvegiei) and Chester A. Arthur (Președinte al Statelor Unite).
context_page_description: The decline and fall of Pedro II of Brazil occurred over the course of the 1880s, with the underlying factors accumulating and coming increasingly into focus after 1881. This period paradoxically coincided with a time of unparalleled economic and social stability and progress for Brazil, during which the nation had achieved a prominent place as an emerging power within the international arena.
  The roots of the collapse of the monarchy can be traced as far back as 1850, upon the death of Pedro II's youngest male child. From that point onward, the Emperor himself ceased to believe in the monarchy as a viable form of government for Brazil's future, as his remaining heir was a daughter. Although constitutionally permitted, a female ruler was considered unacceptable by both Pedro II and the ruling circles. This issue was deferred for decades, during which the country became more powerful and prosperous. So long as the Emperor enjoyed good health, the matter of succession could be ignored.
  From 1881 on, Pedro II's health began failing. He gradually withdrew from public affairs as time passed.
context_section_description: During the 1880s, Brazil continued to prosper and social diversity increased markedly, including the first organized push for women's rights. The country had greatly changed in the five decades since Pedro II's accession to the throne. The liberalism adopted by successive Government cabinets favored private initiatives and resulted in decades of economic prosperity. It "had an economy that was rapidly developing in 1880s". Brazil's international trade reached a total value of Rs 79.000:000$000 (see Brazilian currency) between 1834 and 1839. This continued to increase every year until it reached Rs 472.000:000$000 between 1886 and 1887 (an annual growth rate of 3.88% since 1839). Brazilian economic growth, especially after 1850, compared well with that of the United States and European nations. The national revenue, which amounted to Rs 11.795:000$000 in 1831, rose to Rs 160.840:000$000 in 1889. By 1858, it was the eighth largest in the world. To give an idea of the economic potential of the country during the Empire, if "it had been able to sustain the level of productivity achieved in 1780 and managed to increase exports at a pace equal to that verified in the second half of 19th century, its per capita income in 1850 would be comparable to the average per capita income of the Western European nations".
  Development on an immense scale occurred during this period, which anticipated similar initiatives in European countries.  In 1850, there were 50 factories valued at more than Rs 7.000:000$000. At the end of the Imperial period in 1889, Brazil had 636 factories (representing an annual rate of increase of 6.74% from 1850) valued at approximately Rs 401.630:600$000 (annual growth rate of 10.94% since 1850). The "countryside echoed with the clang of iron track being laid as railroads were constructed at the most furious pace of the nineteenth century; indeed, building in the 1880s was the second greatest in absolute terms in Brazil's entire history. Only eight countries in the entire world laid more track in the decade than Brazil." The first railroad line, with only 15 kilometers, was opened on 30 April 1854 at a time when many European countries had no rail service. By 1868, there were 718 kilometers of railroad lines, and by the end of the Empire in 1889, this had grown to 9,200 kilometers (with another 9,000 kilometers under construction), making it the country with "the largest rail network in Latin America".
  "Factories also sprang throughout the Empire in the 1880s at an unprecedent rate, and its cities were beginning to receive the benefits of gas, electrical, sanitation, telegraph and tram companies. Brazil was entering the modern world." It was the fifth country in the world to install modern sewers in cities, the third to have sewage treatment, and one of the pioneers in installing telephone lines. Beyond these, it was the first South American nation to adopt public electric illumination (in 1883) and the second in the Americas (behind the United States) to establish a telegraph line connecting it directly to Europe (in 1874). The first telegraph line appeared in 1852 in Rio de Janeiro. By 1889, there were 18,925 kilometers of telegraph lines connecting the country's capital to distant Brazilian provinces such as Pará, and even linking to other South American countries such as Argentina and Uruguay.
  The Brazilian Empire was admired internationally for its democratic system and for its respect for freedom of speech. In politics there were "solid and competitive parties, an active parliament, a free press, open debate". The Argentine President Bartolomé Mitre called the country a "crowned democracy" and Venezuelan President Rojas Paúl after learning of the Emperor's fall said, "It has ended the only republic that existed in [South] America: the Empire of Brazil." The Brazil of the last year of Pedro II's reign was a "prosperous and [internationally] respected" nation which held unchallenged leadership in Latin America. Its navy was the fifth or sixth most powerful in the world in 1889 with the most powerful battlesh
caption: "The World's Sovereigns". By 1889 Emperor Pedro II (left with dark tunic, white pants, and sash) had achieved a place of prominence on the world stage for both Brazil and himself.
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