5 October 1910 revolution

The 5 October 1910 Revolution (Portuguese: Revolução de 5 de outubro de 1910) 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 Regenerator), 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 with a programme capable of regaining Portugal's lost status and placing it on the path of progress.^[6]

After the reluctance of the military to oppose the nearly two thousand soldiers and sailors that rebelled on 3 and 4 October 1910, the Republic was proclaimed at 9 a.m the next day from the balcony of Lisbon's City Hall.^[7] A provisional government led by Teófilo Braga directed the fate of the country until the approval of the Constitution in 1911, which marked the beginning of the First Republic.^[8] The national anthem and flag were changed, and some civil and religious liberties established; a wave of harsh anti-clericalism soon followed, corroding relations between the Republic and the Catholic Church.