July 9th holiday: what was the Constitutionalist Revolution of 1932

The Constitutionalist Revolution of 1932 was the largest armed conflict that occurred in Brazil between the Proclamation of the Republic and the Second World War.

Beginning on July 9 of that year, the main objective of the insurrection was to pressure the provisional government of Getúlio Vargas to reestablish the constitutional order, calling for a National Constituent Assembly and returning to the country a regime based on the separation of Powers and legality.

Although it was defeated militarily after almost three months of fighting, the movement is considered by part of the historiography to be a milestone in the redemocratization of the country, as it accelerated the convening of the Constituent Assembly that would draft the 1934 Constitution.

The start date of the revolution became the main civic holiday in the state of São Paulo. July 9th was established as a state holiday by Law No. 9,497, of 1997, based on Federal Law No. 9,093, of 1995, which allows states to establish a major date related to their own history.

What motivated the Constitutionalist Revolution
To understand the revolution, it is necessary to go back to 1930. That year, Getúlio Vargas came to power after preventing the inauguration of elected president Júlio Prestes and ended the term of the so-called Old Republic.

With the installation of the Provisional Government, Vargas concentrated powers in the Executive Branch. The National Congress was dissolved, the state legislative assemblies ceased to function and the governors were replaced by interveners appointed directly by the federal government. In practice, the 1891 Constitution ceased to produce effects as an organizing norm of the Brazilian State.

From a constitutional perspective, the country went through an exceptional period, without a constitutional text in force regulating the organization of Powers, the division of powers between the Union and states and the political guarantees that existed until then.

It was precisely against this scenario that the constitutionalist movement emerged.

More than a regional dispute, the main demand of São Paulo leaders was the convening of a National Constituent Assembly, composed of elected representatives, to draft a new Constitution that would reestablish institutional normality.

The beginning of the conflict
The political environment became even more tense after the episodes of May 23, 1932, when a demonstration in São Paulo ended with the death of four students - Martins, Miragaia, Dráusio and Camargo. The initials of their surnames gave rise to the acronym MMDC, which came to identify a clandestine organization responsible for mobilizing volunteers and raising resources for an eventual confrontation against the federal government.

Just over a month later, on July 9, troops from São Paulo began an armed revolt.

The movement included the participation of members of the Public Force, Army soldiers based in São Paulo and thousands of civilian volunteers. Various sectors of São Paulo society collaborated with the campaign, whether through donations, production of equipment, assistance to combatants or enlistment.

A civil war lasting almost three months
The expectation of constitutionalist leaders was that other states would join the movement, increasing pressure on the federal government. However, this support did not occur to the extent expected.

Militarily isolated, the São Paulo forces faced federal troops on different combat fronts, mainly on the borders with Minas Gerais, Paraná and Rio de Janeiro.

After around 87 days of fighting, São Paulo surrendered in October 1932. The conflict left hundreds dead, thousands injured and became the largest civil war in Brazilian republican history.

Was there defeat or victory?
From a military point of view, the Constitutionalist Revolution ended with the victory of federal troops. From an institutional aspect, however, some historians maintain that the movement achieved part of its political objectives.

In 1933, Vargas called elections for the National Constituent Assembly, which promulgated the 1934 Constitution the following year. The new Charter reestablished the constitutional organization of the State, redefined the powers' competences, expanded political and social rights and marked the end of the period of provisional government.

For this reason, the Constitutionalist Revolution remains one of the main symbols of the defense of constitutionalism in Brazil. Although there are historical divergences about the political motivations of the movement - also interpreted by some scholars as a reaction by São Paulo elites to the loss of influence after 1930 -, there is a consensus that its developments directly influenced the process of rebuilding the Brazilian constitutional order.

Source: CNN