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By the Treaty of Ayacucho of 1867, the area between the Javari and Madeira rivers belonged to Bolivia. It was an uninhabited region, but rich in rubber trees. In high demand due to the popularization of automobiles in the second industrial revolution, the exploitation of latex caused thousands of Brazilians to migrate, at the end of the 19th century, to the new Eldorado.
At the height of the rubber cycle, it is estimated that 150 thousand people were employed in the rubber business, which was responsible for 40% of Brazilian export revenue.
It was only in 1898 that General Jose Manuel Pando, president of Bolivia, decided to dispatch soldiers to the region. Immediately, the rubber growers rose up and proclaimed the independence of Acre, hoping in vain for Brazilian intervention.
Pando then decides to lease the land to the “Bolivian Syndicate”, made up of capitalists, mostly Americans and English, who would have total control, including military control, of the region for 30 years.
In response, the Brazilian government bans navigation in the Amazon, which provokes protests from the United States, Great Britain, France and Germany.
The risk of an armed conflict was imminent. That’s when the newly sworn-in President Rodrigues Alves invites Rio Branco to be Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Baron disembarked in Rio de Janeiro in December 1902. As usual, he immersed himself in the study of maps and historical documents. However, the pending issue was much more complex than the previous ones.
There was no room for arbitration, there were several contenders with different agendas, and the volume of money that circulated was as large as the expectations of public opinion, which followed the adventures of their compatriots in the newspapers, including the recent proclamation of the Independent State of Acre by Plácido from Rio Grande do Sul. de Castro.
The proposal to submit the issue to an Argentine arbitrator, defended by Peru, with which we also had territorial disputes, added tension to the scenario. Rio Branco maneuvers with skill and energy, dealing separately with each of his opponents.
When General Pando moves troops to suppress Plácido de Castro’s insurrection, the Baron orders the Brazilian army to occupy the territory, which he considers “litigious” in relation to Bolivia and Peru. Nevertheless, he makes clear his preference for a peaceful solution, declaring that Brazil “remains ready to negotiate an honorable and satisfactory agreement for the parties”.
At the same time, he dispatched emissaries to Washington to ensure that Theodore Roosevelt would not intervene in the dispute, as long as his nationals obtained satisfactory compensation.
To the Peruvian government, Rio Branco promises to start talks to solve the problems in Purus and Juruá. Pando ended up accepting the negotiation offer.
Through the Treaty of Petrópolis, signed on November 17, 1903, Brazil ceded to Bolivia around 3 thousand km located between the Madeira and Abunã rivers, and committed to building the Madeira-Mamoré railway, to facilitate the flow of exports. Bolivian. Bolivia ceded 142,900 km of land recently considered disputed in the southern part of Acre, plus 48,100 km of areas further north, occupied by Brazilians. An indemnity of 2 million pounds sterling was also agreed upon for Bolivia, to be paid by Brazil in two installments.
In turn, the Bolivian Syndicate terminated the contract with Bolivia, through financial compensation of 114 thousand pounds sterling, and Peru agreed to participate in negotiations that would lead to a provisional agreement in 1904 and a definitive treaty in 1909. The legacy of Barão de Rio Branco is monumental.
Without firing a single shot, it incorporated almost 900 thousand km into Brazilian territory, more than Germany and Spain combined! When he died on February 10, 1912, he had become an unlikely celebrity, lending his name to streets, cities and football teams across the country. For his merits, he deserves to be revered as a true national hero.
