In Recife, the Revolution of 1930 ousted the Pernambuco government—led by Estácio Coimbra—and brought opposition leader Carlos de Lima Cavalcanti to power. From 4 to 6 October, loyalist forces from the Army, the Public Force, and irregular units clashed with civilians organized by a small group of conspirators. Even before revolutionary reinforcements arrived from Paraíba, the state president (governor) abandoned the Government Palace. The revolutionary campaign then extended to neighboring states.
The revolutionaries' plan called for simultaneous uprisings across the country, including in Recife, then Northeastern Brazil's principal port city. Telephone lines were to be cut, and the city quickly seized through a mutiny involving the Public Force—where Captain Muniz de Faria was conspiring—and the local Army unit, the 21st Light Infanty Battalion (21st BC). Due to a communication error, the uprisings in Rio Grande do Sul and Minas Gerais began a few hours earlier. The Pernambuco government was alerted, and military units were placed on high alert, thwarting the original plan. The revolutionaries' only available troops were a few Tiros de Guerra (local military training unit) recruits called up by conspiring sergeants.
In the early hours of 4 October, the revolutionaries seized the munitions depot at the Soledade barracks and distributed the stockpiled weapons to hundreds of civilians—an event historian Barbosa Lima Sobrinho described as the only genuinely popular uprising of that phase of the 1930 Revolution. Led by Carlos de Lima and a handful of officers, the revolutionaries repelled every attack. The populace rallied to the revolution, and reinforcements from Paraíba were soon to arrive. By day's end, the fighting was drawing closer to the 21st BC barracks and the Government Palace. Authorities abandoned the city; Estácio Coimbra briefly considered mounting a resistance in Barreiros but ultimately left the state for good.
On the 5th, reinforcements arrived, and the last loyalist strongholds were besieged. At the House of Detention, prisoners were released on the 6th. João Duarte Dantas and Augusto Caldas—held there since the assassination of João Pessoa in July—died; there are conflicting accounts suggesting either suicide or an act of revenge. The fighting resulted in 38 deaths and 120 injuries, and the homes of representatives of the deposed government were ransacked. Juarez Távora, the military leader of the revolution in the Northeastern Brazil, confirmed Carlos de Lima's assumption of the governorship of Pernambuco, a position he would hold until 1937.
Background
Recife in the 1930s
The capital of Pernambuco was a port metropolis oriented toward Europe and fueled by the hinterland—not only of Pernambuco itself but of an entire sphere of influence across the states of the Brazilian Northeast. Railways from the Zona da Mata and the Agreste regions converged on the port of Recife—the third-largest by volume in the early Republic and the primary shipping hub for Alagoas, Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte, and parts of Ceará and Piauí. Pernambuco held a dominant position in the Northeastern economy.
Recife's population was more than six times that of the state's second-largest municipality, and the city accounted for 60% to 70% of state income. Ambitious young members of the Northeastern elite settled in Recife to attend the Law School or pursue careers in business, journalism, and related fields. Society there had a cosmopolitan flair, contrasting with the austerity of the countryside—a region urban Northeasterners associated with backwardness and savagery. Many foreign governments maintained consulates or consular representatives, and foreign communities were numerous. Amidst repeated political crises, clashes involving police, militias, and hired gunmen, along with federal interventions, earned the city the nickname "Bloody Recife".
The capital's urban population growth rate was 3.3% between 1900 and 1960, compared to 6.8% for Belo Horizonte and 7% for São Paulo. Northeastern Brazil as a whole was declining relative to the Center-South in terms of demographic, economic, and political power. Regarding sugar—a key export through the port of Recife—Pernambuco's share of national production fell from 41.5% in 1907 to 25.2% in 1937.
Political context
In the arena of interstate politics, by the 1930s, Pernambuco had seen a significant decline from the prestigious position it held during the Brazilian Empire, mirroring the decline of the Northeast as a whole. It was a state of moderate importance—comparable to Rio de Janeiro and Bahia, yet less influential than Minas Gerais, São Paulo, and Rio Grande do Sul—though it wielded more influence than mere statistics might suggest. It maintained a respectful stance toward the federal government and the more powerful states of the Center-South, while asserting hegemony over its Northeastern neighbors and positioning itself as the region's champion. By the 1930s, however, the state could no longer even ensure its interests prevailed over its weaker neighbors.
The State President (governor) in 1930 was Estácio Coimbra, elected for the four-year term that began in 1926. The political climate was relatively calm. Prior to holding this office, Estácio had served as vice-president of Brazil under Artur Bernardes (1922–1926), thereby maintaining an appearance of state power on the national stage. In the 1930 presidential election, Pernambuco—like the majority of states—had supported the incumbent-backed candidate, Júlio Prestes of São Paulo. The losing ticket was that of the Liberal Alliance, led by Getúlio Vargas (President of Rio Grande do Sul) and João Pessoa (President of Paraíba). Campaign speakers for the Liberal Alliance had already alluded to the possibility of enforcing their platform by force of arms if the ballot box failed to yield the desired result.
From February to August 1930, the interior of Paraíba was engulfed by the Revolt of Princesa—an armed uprising by a dissident local political faction led by Colonel José Pereira Lima against the administration of João Pessoa. The area affected by the revolt bordered Pernambuco. Neighboring state governments, including that of Pernambuco, mobilized their Public Forces and closed their borders. Vehicles belonging to individuals linked to the Paraíba government were searched in the border zone. Paraíba troops were denied permission to pass through Pernambuco to attack Princesa. At the same time, the Pernambuco government turned a blind eye to the flow of resources supporting the rebels' war effort. The first weapons to reach Princesa came from the stockpiles of the Public Force of Pernambuco. The Pernambuco municipality of São José do Egito served as headquarters for José Pereira. Princesa also enjoyed the support of Júlio Prestes and the São Paulo state government.
On 26 July, João Pessoa was assassinated in Recife by a political rival from Paraíba, João Dantas. The entire country was gripped by an atmosphere of revolt, and Getúlio Vargas accelerated conspiracy efforts. The federal government concentrated Army troops in Paraíba—including units from the 21st Light Infantry Battalion (21.º BC) based in Recife—and the rebels in Princesa laid down their arms.
Local conspiracy
Captain Juarez Távora assumed military command of the revolutionary conspiracy across Northern and Northeastern Brazil. He delegated the movement's civil leadership in Pernambuco to Carlos de Lima Cavalcanti, assisted by his brothers Caio and Rui. Carlos de Lima was a former Congressman and director of the newspapers Diário da Manhã and Diário da Tarde—the state opposition's primary mouthpieces—through which he openly expressed support for the Prestes Column during the 1920s and disseminated the ideals of the future revolution throughout the Northeast. He and his brother Caio represented a dissident faction of Pernambuco's sugar mill owning elite.
On the military front, the conspirators included Captain Muniz de Faria—a retired officer of the Public Force—along with other high-ranking members of that corps; Lieutenants Sebastião Mendes de Holanda and Aluísio de Andrade Moura and Sergeants Kleber de Morais and José Pessoa of the 21st Light Infantry Battalion (BC); and Sergeants Nelson Cavalcanti and Helly Cavalcanti Gomes Sobrinho of the Tiros de Guerra (local military training detachments). On 12 April, Juarez Távora arrived in Recife and made contact with Carlos and Caio de Lima. They, in turn, had ties to the government of Paraíba.
The plan called for the rapid military occupation of Recife as part of simultaneous military uprisings across the North and Northeast. Under the plan, the 21st BC was to be mobilized for the revolt by Lieutenant Holanda and Sergeants Kleber de Morais and José Pessoa. In the event of failure, marksmen from three Tiros de Guerra units—led by Sergeants Nelson and Helly Cavalcanti to a garden facing the barracks—would fire at the main gate to prevent the battalion from exiting. Simultaneously, armed groups would attack the Government Palace, Police Headquarters, newspaper offices, and the homes of pro-government leaders. Captain Muniz de Faria was to incite an uprising within the Public Force. The Lima Cavalcanti brothers were to disable the Telephone Company. To this end, two weeks prior to the uprising, Caio de Lima visited the station under the pretext of working on a story for the Diário da Manhã.
On 2 October, Sergeant Helly Cavalcanti was tasked with mobilizing the Tiros de Guerra and the 21st BC. At Caio Cavalcanti's home, Carlos de Lima handed him weapons, ammunition, and red lanterns. At the 21st BC barracks, Lieutenant Aluísio Moura informed Sergeant Helly that the uprising would begin at 01:00 on 4 October. This time was relayed to Sergeants Nelson Cavalcanti, Agapito Colares, José Pessoa, and Castor Menezes. Lieutenant Aluísio traveled to Campina Grande, Paraíba, to incite the 21st BC company stationed there to revolt, while Lieutenant Mendes Holanda went to João Pessoa. The start time communicated to the conspirators in the Northeast was actually the result of a communication error between Juarez Távora and Oswaldo Aranha in Rio Grande do Sul. The revolutionary movement began in Rio Grande do Sul and Minas Gerais at 17:30 on 3 October, thereby eliminating the element of surprise in the Northeast.
Armed revolt The Pernambuco government was informed of the outbreak of the insurrection in Rio Grande do Sul and Minas Gerais at 17:30 on 3 October. The Public Force and the Army were placed on alert. However, according to Barbosa Lima Sobrinho, the Pernambuco government's reaction was uncoordinated and inept, and "the state of readiness claimed to have existed in Pernambuco is nonsense." The revolutionaries began with limited resources, and the loyalists could have won had they seized the initiative.
The loyalist commander was General Antenor de Santa Cruz Pereira de Abreu, with his headquarters established aboard the ship Comandante Capela. The Public Force was commanded by an Army officer, Colonel Wolmer da Silveira. This force numbered little more than three thousand men in the 1920s, most of them poorly trained and undernourished recruits from the sertão. Public Forces—which states during the First Republic militarized as a safeguard against federal intervention—were not a significant force in the Northeast. The 3rd Battalion of the Pernambuco force was stationed in Floresta to combat banditry, while another battalion was responsible for distributing troops to detachments in the countryside. In the capital, the only available units were the Derby Battalion and João de Barros' cavalry regiment. The federal contingent consisted solely of the 21st Light Infantry Battalion, commanded by Colonel Negreiros. Command operations were based at the Derby barracks.
Plan execution