5 October 1910 Revolution | |||||||
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Contemporary commemorative illustration of the Proclamation of the Portuguese Republic on 5 October 1910. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Kingdom of Portugal | Republicans | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Strength | |||||||
About 7,000 men |
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Casualties and losses | |||||||
37 dead and dozens wounded, with at least 14 more dying in the following days. |
Part of the Politics series |
Republicanism |
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Politics portal |
The 5 October 1910 revolution was the overthrow of the centuries-old Portuguese monarchy and its replacement by the First Portuguese Republic. It was the result of a coup d'état organized by the Portuguese Republican Party.
By 1910, the Kingdom of Portugal was in deep crisis: national anger over the 1890 British Ultimatum,[1] the royal family's expenses,[2] the assassination of the King and his heir in 1908, changing religious and social views, instability of the two political parties (Progressive and Regenerador), the dictatorship of João Franco,[3] and the regime's apparent inability to adapt to modern times all led to widespread resentment against the Monarchy.[4] The proponents of the republic, particularly the Republican Party, found ways to take advantage of the situation.[5] The Republican Party presented itself as the only one that had a programme that was capable of returning to the country its lost status and place Portugal on the way of progress.[6]
After the reluctance of the military to combat the nearly two thousand soldiers and sailors that rebelled between the 3rd and 4th October 1910, the Republic was proclaimed at 9 a.m the next day from the balcony of the Lisbon City Hall in Lisbon.[7] After the revolution, a provisional government led by Teófilo Braga directed the fate of the country until the approval of the Constitution in 1911 that marked the beginning of the First Republic.[8] Among other things, with the establishment of the republic, national symbols were changed: the national anthem and the flag. The revolution produced some civil and religious liberties.