The Geopolitics of Brazil in the 19th Century and the Imperial Navy as a Strategic Weapon

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The Brazilian Defense Maritime Coast Plans

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The defense plans of the Brazilian Coast during the 19th century, in the period of the Empire of Brazil, were closely linked to the stories of cooperation between the Spanish and Portuguese Empires.

These plans considered an intimate cooperation between Portugal and Spain that was later replaced by common defense plans between the Empire of Brazil and the Republic of Argentina. As the Panama Canal did not exist yet, these military strategies allocated long-quadrant marine resources from the Caribbean Region near Puerto Rico to the north; to the Magellan and Beagle Canals to the south.

These quadrants were well defined by Longitude lines beginning at approximately 61° West, heading north-south direction from the Caribbean near Puerto Rico and Cuba to the north; descending through the Islands of Montserrat, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago; also passing through Ciudad Guayana in Venezuela, Manaus in Brazil until reaching Santa Fe, Rosario, Buenos Aires and Bahia Blanca already in Argentina following southward directions. In the East-West direction, it followed the bulge of the Brazilian coast over the Atlantic starting at the mouths of Orinoco and Amazon rivers until reaching Rio de La Plata at the entrance of Parana River’s basin.

From Macapá at the mount of the Amazon river at zero-degree latitude through which passes the equator, at the longitude of 51º West, the times and distances necessary to allocate resources to within these quadrants are measured, defining an abacus of possible positions for the marine installations whether as a fixed or moving support bases or just only as barges for the transferring of materials and equipment.

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The Geopolitical Strategies for the Brazilian, Argentinean and Spanish Armadas

The combined efforts of both the Argentine Republic's and the Empire of Brazil's marine resources made this alliance a powerful weapon in defining military and sovereignty strategies in the geopolitics of the South Atlantic region during the most of 19th century.

At first, communications were precarious and made through flags, whiting’s, beacons and lighthouses, but from the end of the Paraguayan War and with the advent of telegraph and other measuring instruments it was possible in a simple touch of warning signal, from the Admiralty in Rio de Janeiro or Buenos Aires, practically close all the South Atlantic region’s maritime traffic to any ship from Caracas to the North until Magellan and Beagle straits to the south, blocking the passage of commercial and military ships between the Atlantic and Pacific coast of the American continent.

At the end of the 19th century, this Brazil-Argentina alliance strengthened Spain's position in the Caribbean in relation to European powers and it represented a fierce opposition to the growing power and influence of the United States from Mexico toward the Caribbean, reinforcing Cuba and Puerto Rico as impregnable Spanish naval bases against U.S. ambitions in the Gulf of Mexico.

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The Military Coup and The North American Intervention in Rio de Janeiro

The Military Coup against the Empire of Brazil on November 15th, 1889, caused all these strategic plans to collapse at once, destroying the most relevant strategical positions for Brazil, Argentina and Spain all over the South Atlantic and Caribbean region.

The hard blow of betrayal of the joint actions of the Chilean and North American Navies in an attack of infamous villainy with the collaboration of perfidious Brazilian General Floriano Peixoto destroyed the history of Brazil, reducing us to this brothel carnival and football yard and in a total state of submission and vassalage. We practically cease to exist as an independent nation. To this day, the Brazilian Government has purely administrative functions, receiving orders directly from the within of the American Embassy.

The vilest action of the Brazilian Generals involved in this shameful conspiracy against the Empire of Brazil was to have delivered to the American Ambassador details of this defenses plans of the Imperial Navy of Brazil. Without this, despite the blockade and bombardment that the Imperial Admiralty suffered at its place in Niteroi at the Guanabara Bay, with just only a touch of fingers the Plan could be triggered to neutralize any claims of these terrorists’ actions performed by the Chileans and North Americans in Rio de Janeiro. As this was actually done, it was perceived that the whole plan was compromised and did not return response, also compromising the defenses of both the Argentine Republic and the Kingdom of Spain.

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The Geopolitics of the End of the World

The immediate result of this historic betrayal, that will remain on the records as the day of infamy, was the knock down of Argentina’s strategic supremacy over Magellan and Beagle straits; becoming vulnerable to both the bad deeds of the British Empire from the Falklands and the possible joint evil actions of Chilean and North American Navy in this region.

Soon after that, the North Americans found an opportunity to provoke a war against Spain, completely destroying any serious Iberian influence in the Caribbean region, having losing Cuba and Puerto Rico, as well as the Philippines in Asia, resulting in the military supremacy of United States all over the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean region.

Therefore, the plan undid. At first, Brazil became no more than a North American colony and then Argentina saw itself strategically languishing; until we all became a place that is now known as the "end of the world" without any strategic or geopolitical role or, even any shadow of national sovereignty.

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By Professor Ricardo Gomes Rodrigues

São Carlos, SP, Brazil

February 30, 2021

Additional Schematic Figures: Defense Plans of the 19th Century Imperial Brazilian Navy

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