Manuel de Brito Camacho
Encyclopedia
Manuel de Brito Camacho a military officer, writer, publicist and politician, who among other positions, was Minister of Public Works, Commerce and Industry (1910–1911) and Republican High Commissioner to Mozambique
(1921 and 1923). He was the founder of the Partido Unionista (English: Union Party), and director of the newspaper A Luta (English: The Struggle), the mouthpiece of the same Party.
, to a rural family of farmers. He was the half-brother of Inocêncio Camacho Rodrigues, the governor of the Bank of Portugal involved in the scandal caused by the thefts of Alves dos Reis
.
After primary studies in Aljustrel
(1876–1880), he attended the Beja secondary school, afterward leaving for Lisbon where he attend preparatory studies at the Escola Politécnica, as a ward of uncle in Lisbon. Upon concluding his studies, he entered into the faculty of Medicine in the School of Medical-Surgery of Lisbon, completing his course in 1884, where he began his career in the parish of Torrão, Alcácer do Sal
.
In 1891 he joined the Portuguese Army as surgeon-adjunct, and assigned to the military units in Tancos
and later Torres Novas
, a career that would ultimately make him a colonel
.
on the Republican electoral list. At that time he published Nove de Junho (English: Ninth of June), which questioned monarchist institutions. Following the election, he was disciplined, suspended for a year and transferred to the 2nd Division in Viseu
. Shortly afterward he was reassigned to the Azores
for his republican ideals, where he remained for a year.
In 1894, he returned to Viseu, and began regularly contributed as a correspondent, becoming one of the more notable figures in the Republican camp. By 1894 he had founded, with Ricardo Pais Gomes and Ribeiro de Sousa, the magazine O Intransigente (English: The Intransigent), a Republican publication that criticized the politics and propaganda of the time, which he maintained regularly until June 1895.
From 1896 to 1897 he dedicated himself to publishing and collaboration with other Republican periodicals, and developed in Évora
a political action committee, realizing several conferences and commissions.
In 1902 he presented a doctoral thesis in Medicine at the University of Paris
, but abandoned his practice definitively as military medic, dedicated himself completely to journalism and politics. He promoted a conference titled A Coroa substituída pelo chapéu de côco (English: The Crown Substituted by the Hat), wherein he violently attacked institutional monarchism. Although disconnected with medical practice, he did run for a professorship at the Escola Médico-Cirúrgica de Lisboa (English: Medical-Surgery School of Lisbon) in 1904.
Brito Camacho founded, with other like-minded Republicans, the magazine A Lucta, which began printing on January 11, 1906. The publication quickly turned into an influential republican source, transforming itself into an official organ of the Partido Unionista (English: Unionist Party).
he was elected as Republican deputy, transforming himself in the National Assembly and the press into the principal paladin
for the removal of the monarchy (the throne then occupied by young King Manuel II
). Camacho was one of the leaders of the movement that created the conditions for the implantation of the First Portuguese Republic on October 5, 1910
. In preparation for these events, Brito Camacho was an important connection between the Republican movement and segments of the Army with republican ideals. His political actions and connection with the Republican movement allowed him to mediate during the process of forming the Provisional Government that followed.
On November 23, 1910 he was named the Ministério do Fomento (English: Minister of Public Works, Commerce and Industry) in the Provisional Government of Teófilo Braga
. In this function he was responsible for several reforms, including the division of the Instituto Industrial e Comercial de Lisboa
(English: Lisbon Industrial and Commercial Institute) a Portuguese school of vocational education founded in 1852, to form the engineering school Instituto Superior Técnico
(at the niversity of Lisbon) and the economics/business management school Instituto Superior de Comércio (at the Technical University of Lisbon
. On the creation of the Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) he invited Professor Alfredo Bensaúde, to teach the first Engineering classes, today still one of the first specialized engineering programs in the country (for mining, civil, mechanical, electrical and chemical engineering). Courses in these fields were also standardized with a general period of study lasting two-years followed by a three-year period of specialized study. In December 1910 Camacho was responsible for the creation of the Associação de Classe Industrial de Veículos e Artes Correlativas (English: Association Industrial Vehicle Classes and Associated Arts), the precursor to the Associação Automóvel de Portugal (English: Automobile Association of Portugal).
Brito Camacho was one of the members of the government, along with Joaquim Teófilo Braga, António José de Almeida
, Afonso Costa
, José Relvas
, António Xavier Correia Barreto, Amaro de Azevedo Gomes and Bernardino Machado, who signed the Law of Separation specifying the separation of Church and State (on April 20, 1911).
On September 1911, in the first post-Revolutionary elections, he was returned to the government benches.
But, as Brito Camacho resumed the directorship of A Lucta, his support for the Portuguese Republican Party
had begun to dissolve. He eventually led a faction on the right of the political spectrum whom split from the Republican Party to form the Partido da União Republicana (English: Republican Union Party), later abbreviated to the Partido Unionista (English: Unionist Party). The newspaper, A Luta began to function as an organ of the Party. Manuel then began to develop an intense journalistic and political program to counter the hegemony
of the Portuguese Republican Party
, which was rechristened the Partido Democrático (English: Democratic Party
); the Unionists would assume the role of opposition in successive governments.
In 1818, after the election of António José de Almeida
as President, the Unionist and Evolutionist Parties decided to merge, creating the Partido Liberal Republicano (English: Liberal Republican Party). As a consequence, Brito Camacho slowly reduced his political activity and finally abandoned the leadership of the Party; in his reduced capacity, Brito Camacho even refused the invitation to form a government supported by the Liberal Republican Party.
Between March 1921 and September 1923 he exercised functions as the Republican High-Commissioner in Mozambique
, taking residence in Lourenço Marques
until 1922.
Because of his militant atheism, he was commonly forgotten by the regime of the Estado Novo. A close study of his writings makes it difficult to reconcile some of his libertarian ideas. Although Camacho, did promote the national Strike Law which created conflict between the working and bourgeois classes, he did not generally side with one group or the other; he was a defender of all his constituents in the Alentejo, and defended their interests against the central power. His actions in the development of the Crédito Agrícola were due to the development of a policy on cereals, then the Estado Novo concern for the economic development of small and medium-size farms.
In 1925, continuing his role as deputy, he made it clear his interest in abandoning active politics. He continued to promote the defense of the democratic ideals and political stability within the Republic. As a consequence of the May 28, 1926 Revolution, he was forced to abandon politics and retreated into private life.
He died in Lisbon on September 19, 1934.
. The strong presence of rural Alentejan imagery were so common in his works that Aquilino Ribeiro
titled his study of the politicians life Brito Camacho nas Letras e no Seu Monte (English: Brito Camacho in Letters and on His Mountain). In addition to several journalistic writings and political commentaries, Brito Camacho is the author of:
unveiled a commemorative plaque in Brito Camacho's home in Aljustrel
, where he had lived until his death. In 1999, the local school, where the young Manuel had attended, was renamed in his honor (Escola Básica Doutor Brito Camacho).
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
(1921 and 1923). He was the founder of the Partido Unionista (English: Union Party), and director of the newspaper A Luta (English: The Struggle), the mouthpiece of the same Party.
Biography
Manuel de Brito Camacho was born on Monte das Mesas, in the vicinity of Rio de Moinhos, a few kilometers from the village of AljustrelAljustrel
Aljustrel is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 458.3 km² and a total population of 9,940 inhabitants.During the Roman era, Aljustrel was known as Metallum Vispascense....
, to a rural family of farmers. He was the half-brother of Inocêncio Camacho Rodrigues, the governor of the Bank of Portugal involved in the scandal caused by the thefts of Alves dos Reis
Alves dos Reis
Artur Virgílio Alves Reis was a Portuguese criminal who perpetrated one of the largest frauds in history, against Banco de Portugal in 1925, often called the Portuguese Bank Note Crisis.- Early life :...
.
After primary studies in Aljustrel
Aljustrel
Aljustrel is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 458.3 km² and a total population of 9,940 inhabitants.During the Roman era, Aljustrel was known as Metallum Vispascense....
(1876–1880), he attended the Beja secondary school, afterward leaving for Lisbon where he attend preparatory studies at the Escola Politécnica, as a ward of uncle in Lisbon. Upon concluding his studies, he entered into the faculty of Medicine in the School of Medical-Surgery of Lisbon, completing his course in 1884, where he began his career in the parish of Torrão, Alcácer do Sal
Alcácer do Sal
Alcácer do Sal is a municipality in Portugal, located in Setúbal District. It has a total area of and a total population of 13,624 inhabitants.-History :-Earliest settlement:...
.
In 1891 he joined the Portuguese Army as surgeon-adjunct, and assigned to the military units in Tancos
Tancos
Tancos is a Portuguese parish, located in the municipality of Vila Nova da Barquinha. It has a population of 295 inhabitants and a total area of 1.56 km².Tancos is the location of a major air base and a military academy....
and later Torres Novas
Torres Novas
Torres Novas is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 270.0 km² and a total population of 37,155 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of 17 parishes, and is located in the district of Santarém. The city of Torres Novas has about 15,000 inhabitants. This city has a castle...
, a career that would ultimately make him a colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
.
Political career
His political career began in the 1893 General Elections, when he was a candidate for the district of BejaBeja
Beja may refer to:*Beja , a city in Portugal, or**Beja Municipality, its municipality**Beja District, the district it is in**Beja Airbase, the nearby airbase*Béja, a town in Tunisia, or...
on the Republican electoral list. At that time he published Nove de Junho (English: Ninth of June), which questioned monarchist institutions. Following the election, he was disciplined, suspended for a year and transferred to the 2nd Division in Viseu
Viseu
Viseu is both a city and a municipality in the Dão-Lafões Subregion of Centro Region, Portugal. The municipality, with an area of 507.1 km², has a population of 99,593 , and the city proper has 47,250...
. Shortly afterward he was reassigned to the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
for his republican ideals, where he remained for a year.
In 1894, he returned to Viseu, and began regularly contributed as a correspondent, becoming one of the more notable figures in the Republican camp. By 1894 he had founded, with Ricardo Pais Gomes and Ribeiro de Sousa, the magazine O Intransigente (English: The Intransigent), a Republican publication that criticized the politics and propaganda of the time, which he maintained regularly until June 1895.
From 1896 to 1897 he dedicated himself to publishing and collaboration with other Republican periodicals, and developed in Évora
Évora
Évora is a municipality in Portugal. It has total area of with a population of 55,619 inhabitants. It is the seat of the Évora District and capital of the Alentejo region. The municipality is composed of 19 civil parishes, and is located in Évora District....
a political action committee, realizing several conferences and commissions.
In 1902 he presented a doctoral thesis in Medicine at the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
, but abandoned his practice definitively as military medic, dedicated himself completely to journalism and politics. He promoted a conference titled A Coroa substituída pelo chapéu de côco (English: The Crown Substituted by the Hat), wherein he violently attacked institutional monarchism. Although disconnected with medical practice, he did run for a professorship at the Escola Médico-Cirúrgica de Lisboa (English: Medical-Surgery School of Lisbon) in 1904.
Brito Camacho founded, with other like-minded Republicans, the magazine A Lucta, which began printing on January 11, 1906. The publication quickly turned into an influential republican source, transforming itself into an official organ of the Partido Unionista (English: Unionist Party).
After the Revolution
In elections following the Lisbon RegicideLisbon Regicide
The Lisbon Regicide was the name given for the assassinations of King Carlos I of Portugal and his heir, Luis Filipe, the Prince Royal by assassins sympathetic to republican interests...
he was elected as Republican deputy, transforming himself in the National Assembly and the press into the principal paladin
Paladin
The paladins, sometimes known as the Twelve Peers, were the foremost warriors of Charlemagne's court, according to the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. They first appear in the early chansons de geste such as The Song of Roland, where they represent Christian martial valor against the...
for the removal of the monarchy (the throne then occupied by young King Manuel II
Manuel II of Portugal
Manuel II , named Manuel Maria Filipe Carlos Amélio Luís Miguel Rafael Gabriel Gonzaga Francisco de Assis Eugénio de Bragança Orleães Sabóia e Saxe-Coburgo-Gotha — , was the last King of Portugal from 1908 to 1910, ascending the throne after the assassination of his father and elder brother Manuel...
). Camacho was one of the leaders of the movement that created the conditions for the implantation of the First Portuguese Republic on October 5, 1910
5 October 1910 revolution
The revolution of 1910 was a republican coup d'état that occurred in Portugal on 5 October 1910, which deposed King Manuel II and established the Portuguese First Republic....
. In preparation for these events, Brito Camacho was an important connection between the Republican movement and segments of the Army with republican ideals. His political actions and connection with the Republican movement allowed him to mediate during the process of forming the Provisional Government that followed.
On November 23, 1910 he was named the Ministério do Fomento (English: Minister of Public Works, Commerce and Industry) in the Provisional Government of Teófilo Braga
Teófilo Braga
Joaquim Teófilo Fernandes Braga ]] 24 February 1843 – 28 January 1924) was a Portuguese writer, playwright, politician and the leader of the Republican Provisional Government after the abdication of King Manuel II, as well as the second elected President of the First Portuguese Republic, following...
. In this function he was responsible for several reforms, including the division of the Instituto Industrial e Comercial de Lisboa
Instituto Industrial e Comercial de Lisboa
Instituto Industrial e Comercial de Lisboa was a former Portuguese school of vocational education founded in 1852 as Instituto Industrial de Lisboa, by Minister Fontes Pereira de Melo decree of 30 December. Its aim was the creation of a technical school of vocational education, whose purpose was to...
(English: Lisbon Industrial and Commercial Institute) a Portuguese school of vocational education founded in 1852, to form the engineering school Instituto Superior Técnico
Instituto Superior Técnico
Instituto Superior Técnico is a reputed school of engineering, part of Universidade Técnica de Lisboa . IST is the largest and the most prestigious school of engineering in Portugal...
(at the niversity of Lisbon) and the economics/business management school Instituto Superior de Comércio (at the Technical University of Lisbon
Technical University of Lisbon
The Technical University of Lisbon is a Portuguese public university. It was created in 1930 in Lisbon, as a confederation of older schools, and comprises, nowadays, the faculties and institutes of veterinary medicine; agricultural sciences; economics and business administration; engineering,...
. On the creation of the Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) he invited Professor Alfredo Bensaúde, to teach the first Engineering classes, today still one of the first specialized engineering programs in the country (for mining, civil, mechanical, electrical and chemical engineering). Courses in these fields were also standardized with a general period of study lasting two-years followed by a three-year period of specialized study. In December 1910 Camacho was responsible for the creation of the Associação de Classe Industrial de Veículos e Artes Correlativas (English: Association Industrial Vehicle Classes and Associated Arts), the precursor to the Associação Automóvel de Portugal (English: Automobile Association of Portugal).
Brito Camacho was one of the members of the government, along with Joaquim Teófilo Braga, António José de Almeida
António José de Almeida
António José de Almeida, GCTE, GCA, GCC, GCSE, , son of José António de Almeida and wife Maria Rita das Neves, was a Portuguese political figure...
, Afonso Costa
Afonso Costa
Afonso Augusto da Costa, GCTE, GCL was a Portuguese lawyer, professor, and republican politician.-Political career:Costa was the leader of the Portuguese Republican Party, and he was one of the major figures of the Portuguese First Republic. He was a republican deputy in the Chamber of Deputies...
, José Relvas
José Relvas
José Maria Mascarenhas Relvas José Maria Mascarenhas Relvas José Maria Mascarenhas Relvas (Golegã, Golegã, March 5, 1858 - Alpiarça, Casa dos Patudos, October 31, 1929; , was a Portuguese politician.-Political career:...
, António Xavier Correia Barreto, Amaro de Azevedo Gomes and Bernardino Machado, who signed the Law of Separation specifying the separation of Church and State (on April 20, 1911).
On September 1911, in the first post-Revolutionary elections, he was returned to the government benches.
But, as Brito Camacho resumed the directorship of A Lucta, his support for the Portuguese Republican Party
Portuguese Republican Party
The Portuguese Republican Party was a Portuguese political party formed during the late years of monarchy that proposed and conducted the substitution of the Constitutional Monarchy by the Portuguese First Republic....
had begun to dissolve. He eventually led a faction on the right of the political spectrum whom split from the Republican Party to form the Partido da União Republicana (English: Republican Union Party), later abbreviated to the Partido Unionista (English: Unionist Party). The newspaper, A Luta began to function as an organ of the Party. Manuel then began to develop an intense journalistic and political program to counter the hegemony
Hegemony
Hegemony is an indirect form of imperial dominance in which the hegemon rules sub-ordinate states by the implied means of power rather than direct military force. In Ancient Greece , hegemony denoted the politico–military dominance of a city-state over other city-states...
of the Portuguese Republican Party
Portuguese Republican Party
The Portuguese Republican Party was a Portuguese political party formed during the late years of monarchy that proposed and conducted the substitution of the Constitutional Monarchy by the Portuguese First Republic....
, which was rechristened the Partido Democrático (English: Democratic Party
Democratic Party (Portugal)
The Democratic Party , officially known as the Portuguese Republican Party , was a Portuguese left-wing political party during the Portuguese First Republic...
); the Unionists would assume the role of opposition in successive governments.
In 1818, after the election of António José de Almeida
António José de Almeida
António José de Almeida, GCTE, GCA, GCC, GCSE, , son of José António de Almeida and wife Maria Rita das Neves, was a Portuguese political figure...
as President, the Unionist and Evolutionist Parties decided to merge, creating the Partido Liberal Republicano (English: Liberal Republican Party). As a consequence, Brito Camacho slowly reduced his political activity and finally abandoned the leadership of the Party; in his reduced capacity, Brito Camacho even refused the invitation to form a government supported by the Liberal Republican Party.
Between March 1921 and September 1923 he exercised functions as the Republican High-Commissioner in Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
, taking residence in Lourenço Marques
Lourenço Marques
Lourenço Marques was a 16th century Portuguese trader and explorer.-Biography:He explored the area that is now Maputo Bay in 1544. He settled permanently in present-day Mozambique, where he spent most of his life with his black wife and mixed-race children.By order of King John III the bay was...
until 1922.
Later life
Generally, he was a militant republican throughout his life, with an acidic tongue and who was not too popular or respected during his time. His acerbic humor was a reflection of his unhappy upbringing and life. Although he did marry, to an important property-owner's daughter in the region of Aljustrel, his wife died giving birth to their own child, a daughter. The child died shortly after her birth. He was not a humble man, but at the same time he lived a life of austerity and miserly reclusivity, in a home that could pass for an unsuccessful farmer.Because of his militant atheism, he was commonly forgotten by the regime of the Estado Novo. A close study of his writings makes it difficult to reconcile some of his libertarian ideas. Although Camacho, did promote the national Strike Law which created conflict between the working and bourgeois classes, he did not generally side with one group or the other; he was a defender of all his constituents in the Alentejo, and defended their interests against the central power. His actions in the development of the Crédito Agrícola were due to the development of a policy on cereals, then the Estado Novo concern for the economic development of small and medium-size farms.
In 1925, continuing his role as deputy, he made it clear his interest in abandoning active politics. He continued to promote the defense of the democratic ideals and political stability within the Republic. As a consequence of the May 28, 1926 Revolution, he was forced to abandon politics and retreated into private life.
He died in Lisbon on September 19, 1934.
Public Works
Manuel de Brito Camacho was the author of more than thirty volumes of published works, in particular narratives and descriptions of his homeland and life in the rural Baixo AlentejoBaixo Alentejo Subregion
Baixo Alentejo is a NUTS3 subregion of Alentejo Region, in Portugal. It consists of 13 concelhos. It has a total area of 8,505 km² and a population of 135,105 ; thus 15.8 people/km².The chief city is Beja....
. The strong presence of rural Alentejan imagery were so common in his works that Aquilino Ribeiro
Aquilino Ribeiro
Aquilino Gomes Ribeiro, ComL was a Portuguese writer and diplomat. He is considered as one of the great Portuguese novelists of the 20th century. He was nominated for the Nobel Literature Prize in 1960....
titled his study of the politicians life Brito Camacho nas Letras e no Seu Monte (English: Brito Camacho in Letters and on His Mountain). In addition to several journalistic writings and political commentaries, Brito Camacho is the author of:
- Impressões de Viagem (1902)
- Contos e sátiras (1920)
- A caminho d'Africa (1923)
- Os amores de Latino Coelho (1923)
- Quadros alemtejanos (1925)
- Moçambique, Problemas Coloniais (1926)
- Jornadas (1927)
- D. Carlos, intimo(1927)
- Gente rústica (1927)
- Gente Vária (1928)
- Cenas da Vida (1929)
- De bom humor (1930)
- Gente bóer (1930)
- Por cerros e vales (1931)
- A Linda Emília (1932)
- Matéria vaga (G1934)
- Política Colonial (1936)
- Rescaldo da guerra (1936)
- Questões nacionais (1937)
Honors
On October 29, 1987, during an official visit, the President of the Republic Mário SoaresMário Soares
Mário Alberto Nobre Lopes Soares, GColTE, GCC, GColL, KE , Portuguese politician, served as Prime Minister of Portugal from 1976 to 1978 and from 1983 to 1985, and subsequently as the 17th President of Portugal from 1986 to 1996.-Family:...
unveiled a commemorative plaque in Brito Camacho's home in Aljustrel
Aljustrel
Aljustrel is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 458.3 km² and a total population of 9,940 inhabitants.During the Roman era, Aljustrel was known as Metallum Vispascense....
, where he had lived until his death. In 1999, the local school, where the young Manuel had attended, was renamed in his honor (Escola Básica Doutor Brito Camacho).