Portuguese Revolution of 1910

a bourgeois revolution that led to the overthrow of the monarchy and to the establishment of a republic in Portugal. The revolution broke out on the night of Oct. 3, 1910, when a group of republicans led by Machado Santos began a revolt, supported by several army units of the Lisbon garrison. The rebels were joined by the popular masses and by the sailors of the cruisers São Raphael and Adamastor. On October 5, after the troops loyal to the government had capitulated, the rebel leaders proclaimed Portugal a republic. A provisional government headed by T. Braga was formed, and King Manuel II fled. The provisional government decreed the separation of church and state and abolished titles of nobility.

A constituent assembly was convened on June 19, 1911, and on August 21 it adopted a republican constitution that went into effect on Sept. 11, 1911. The new constitution provided for a bicameral parliament (the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate), which was invested with legislative powers. The Senate was to be elected by the municipal councils and the Chamber of Deputies, through direct and secret balloting. The franchise was granted to men who had attained the age of 21, excluding those without property and soldiers. Executive power was vested in a president, who was elected by the parliament, and in the Council of Ministers, appointed by the president. The constitution proclaimed freedom of speech and press, the workers’ right to strike, and an eight-hour workday for industrial workers. However, the revolution of 1910, essentially a revolution of the elite, did not change the country’s agrarian system and did not free Portugal from the domination of foreign capital.