Tenentes

On July 5, 1922, a group of young Brazilian Army officers known as tenentes (lieutenants), staged several revolts in Brazil against the regime of "The Old Republic". The men were fed up with the incompetence of the current regime and wanted to take action and initiate change. Major revolts broke out in Rio de Janeiro and in São Paulo, but were unsuccessful when the government forces suppressed the tenentes. By the late 1920s the challenges of army officers, middle-class groups, and urban workers threatened the stability of the regime. This forced the regime to reform policies and get involved in more economic changes for Brazil.

The actions and ideas that grew out of the revolts inspired other individuals, such as Getulio Vargas, to lead a revolt against the Brazilian Government in 1930. With the support of followers and Tenentes, Vargas was able to gain control in 15 of 20 states in Brazil. With this control, Vargas was able to scare the regime into removing President Washington Luís Pereira de Sousa (1926-30). The senior generals in Rio de Janeiro realized that the government was finished, and that they would be too if they did not at least keep hold of what remained of the army in the capital. This allowed Vargas to gain control of Brazil. The revolutionaries were successful in 1930 largely because the army lost its will to defend the regime.