Coluna Prestes
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The ''Coluna Prestes'', also known as ''Coluna Miguel Costa-Prestes'', in English Prestes Column, was a social rebel movement that broke out in Brazil between 1925 and 1927, with links to the
Tenente revolts Tenentism ( pt, tenentismo) was a political philosophy of junior army officers ( pt, tenentes, , ''lieutenants'') who significantly contributed to the Brazilian Revolution of 1930. Background The first decades of the 20th century saw marked econ ...
. The rebellion's ideology was diffuse, but the main issues that caused it were the general dissatisfaction with the oligarchic
First Brazilian Republic The First Brazilian Republic, also referred to as the Old Republic ( pt, República Velha ), officially the Republic of the United States of Brazil, refers to the period of Brazilian history from 1889 to 1930. The Old Republic began with the de ...
, the demand for the institution of the secret ballot, and the defense of better public education. The rebels marched some 25,000 km (15,534 mi) through the Brazilian countryside. They did not aim to defeat the forces of the Federal government in battle, but rather to ensure their survival and their ability to continue threatening the government.


Uprising

On 5 July 1924, on the second anniversary of the "18 of the Copacabana Fort revolt", armed revolt exploded in
São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
. The ''Tenentes'' (English: lieutenants), young army officers that were deeply dissatisfied with the country's political and social landscape, under the command of General
Isidoro Dias Lopes Isidoro Dias Lopes (30 June 1865 – 27 May 1949) was a brigadier general of the Brazilian army, often styled the "Marshal of the Revolution of 1924". Early life Lopes was born in the city of Dom Pedrito, Rio Grande do Sul, on 30 June 1865, son ...
, occupied large parts of the city. However, they were soon besieged by increasingly numerous federal troops. After 3 weeks under heavy bombardment the rebels abandoned their positions. Filling a train with men and supplies, they retreated into the countryside eventually reaching and occupying the city of
Foz do Iguaçu Foz do Iguaçu (''Iguazu River Mouth'') () is the Brazilian city on the border of Iguaçu Falls. The city is the 7th largest in the state of Paraná. The city's population is approximately 258,000. It is approximately 650 km (400 mi) wes ...
in the state of Paraná, on frontier with
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
. There the rebels established a powerful defense line, and waited for their enemies, soon to arrive under command of General
Cândido Rondon Marshal Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondon (5 May 1865 – 19 January 1958) was a Brazilian military officer most famous for his telegraph commission and exploration of Mato Grosso and the Western Amazon Basin, as well as his lifelong support ...
. In support of the revolutionaries similar uprisings broke out in the states of Amazonas and Sergipe, but they were quickly suppressed. In the state of Rio Grande do Sul, however, events took another turn. As it happened, 3 months after the retreat of the ''Tenentes'' from the city of São Paulo, numerous army units also rebelled in the cities of Alegrete,
Cachoeira do Sul Cachoeira do Sul () is a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, southernmost Brazil. Its Marian Catedral da Nossa Senhora da Conceição http://www.gcatholic.org/churches/brazil/2666.htm GCatholic is the episcopal see of the Roman Cathol ...
,
Uruguaiana Uruguaiana is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. It is located on the eastern shore of the Uruguay River bordering Argentina. Opposite to Uruguaiana, and joined to it by a road/railway bridge, lies the Argentine city of P ...
, São Luíz Gonzaga,
Santo Ângelo Santo Ângelo is a municipality located in northwestern Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. It has about 77,568 inhabitants (according to 2020 IBGE estimate) and the total area of the municipality is about 679 km². It borders Giruá to the no ...
and
São Borja São Borja is a city in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. São Borja is the oldest municipality in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul and was founded in 1682 by the Jesuits as the first of the Seven Points of the Missions, and name ...
. An energetic response by the state government meant that soon the rebels were in disarray. Only in the region of São Luiz Gonzaga they were able to resist under the leadership of Captain
Luís Carlos Prestes Luís Carlos Prestes (January 3, 1898 – March 7, 1990) was a Brazilian revolutionary and politician who served as the general-secretary of the Brazilian Communist Party from 1943 to 1980 and a senator for the Federal District from 1946 to 19 ...
of the 1st Frontier Battalion of Santo Ângelo. Under his orders, the remaining rebel forces were reorganized. In December 1924 fourteen thousand men loyal to the government marched towards São Luíz Gonzaga and started to fortify positions around the rebels. By then, Prestes had made contact with an envoy of General Isidoro, João Franscico, a veteran of the
Federalist Revolution The Federalist Revolution ( Portuguese: ''Revolução Federalista'') was a civil war that took place in southern Brazil between 1893 and 1895, fought by the federalists, opponents of Rio Grande do Sul state president, Júlio de Castilhos, seeki ...
known as "Hiena do Cati", who informed him of his promotion to colonel by the revolutionary command, gave him full control of the rebel forces in Rio Grande do Sul and ordered him to march north with his men in order to join forces with the ''paulistas'' on the shores of the Paraná river. Breaking the siege on 27 December 1924 and escaping his pursuers, Prestes and his column arrived in April 1925 in the city of Santa Helena.


Meeting in Foz do Iguaçu

The leaders of the revolution held a meeting in Foz do Iguaçu to discuss their course of action, with General Isidoro manifesting his desire to cease hostilities. The proposal of Miguel Costa and Prestes was victorious: it was decided that the revolutionary action would continue, but a war of movement would be pursued: the column would invade Mato Grosso. The rebel armies were reorganized into the 1st Revolutionary Division numbering 1500 ordinary infantrymen, 800 ''gaúchos'' and 700 ''paulistas''.


Exile in Bolivia

Between February and March 1927, after crossing the
Pantanal The Pantanal () is a natural region encompassing the world's largest tropical wetland area, and the world's largest flooded grasslands. It is located mostly within the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, but it extends into Mato Grosso and ...
, part of the column led by Siqueira Campos arrived in
Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
while the rest entered Bolivia. Upon seeing their precarious conditions, General Dias Lopes' instructed the revolutionaries to go into exile. Miguel Costa went to
Paso de los Libres Paso de los Libres is a city in the east of the province of Corrientes in the Argentine Mesopotamia. It had about 44,000 inhabitants at the , and is the head town of the department of the same name. The city lies on the right-hand (western) sh ...
while Prestes and two hundred more men headed for Gaiba. On 5 July 1927, the exiles inaugurated a monument in Gaiba in honor of the dead in the column's campaign.


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Citations

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External links


Artigo
sítio da Fundação Getúlio Vargas. * PRESTES, Anita Leocádia
A Coluna Prestes- Uma Epopeia Brasileira
First Brazilian Republic Rebellions in Brazil