Coluna Prestes

Coluna Prestes ( " Prestes train ") was a military- political movement of the years 1925-1927 from the field lieutenant uprisings ( tenentismo ) in Brazil. Within the flow, there was quite different programmatic approaches, but the dissatisfaction with the "Old Republic ", the requirement for secret ballot and the use of a supported by the State Education can be defined as a common line. The leadership of the movement belonged to the different political currents, but the majority was made up of captains and lieutenants coming from the middle class population together; In this environment, the ideal of the " citizen soldiers " was born. Coluna Prestes fought in the struggle against the government of then President Artur da Silva Bernardes and his successor Washington Luís Pereira de Sousa for the implementation of political and social reforms. With the increasing success of the movement, the Coluna Prestes helped to damage the reputation of the "Old Republic " on and so prepared the way for the revolution of 1930.

The name Coluna Prestes (after the Communists Luís Carlos Prestes later ) is misleading. The movement goes back to different insurgent troops, a train under the guidance of Prestes in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul and a second unit under the leadership of Miguel Crispim Alberto Rodrigo da Costa and other commanders in the state of São Paulo. In the state of Paraná, there was a merger, led by Costa. Sub-divisions were commanded by the lieutenant Cordeiro de Farias, João Alberto, Antonio de Siqueira Campos Djalma Dutra. Pursued by government forces, the rebels moved inland.

In addition to government forces, the Coluna Prestes police units in the individual Federal States provided against, and there were clashes with mercenary troops, who had brought the government promises amnesty to their side. You may also see the famous band leader of the cangaceiros Virgulino Ferreira da Silva ( " Lampião " ) has been recognized on the Coluna Prestes. It was rare to battles with larger units of government troops; generally diversion were used to run the government troops astray. After a march of about 25,000 km through the territory of thirteen Brazilian states, the Coluna Prestes 1927 moved back to Bolivia and Paraguay.