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[img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/New_Imperial_Flag_of_Brazil.svg[/img]

[img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/211023/61a06a6ff86e183595c0b11aaa3448ca.png[/img]
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[sup]Author's Note: This is a re-imagining of the original Brazil application made by Crusader Lord. Some aspects are retained, while others are changed for the sake of IC development. Nevertheless, the same fundamentals are to be impressioned upon this revision.[/sup]
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[b]History:[/b] 

	[color=lightgray]When Brazil entered the fray of the Great War under the guise of protecting liberty in 1917, it did so under the pretext of a dystopic countenance. Brazil had been no stranger to toil and hardship, for the Brazilian Republic, not three decades old, had been plagued with instability ever since the overthrow of the Empire and the exile of Pedro II. President Venceslau Brás had issued a formal declaration of war against Germany under allegations of economic espionage in February of 1917. Critics of the Brás cabinet remarked, "(There was) little evidence to suggest that significant - if any - acts of espionage on behalf of the Central Powers had occurred in Brazil's borders", adding that the more likely culprit of the declaration was to serve as a distraction from the numerous internal issues of the country. Even with the passing of the Bilbao Protocol, Brazil's primary exports of latex, rubber, and coffee had nearly imploded with the onset of war, having seen almost 70% drops in exports to Europe. Entire plantations went bankrupt with few protections, and with only a closing international market, the government of Brazil was hard-pressed to provide aid. 

	Many of the populists were quick to blame the instability of the republican era as a weak system, cursed with innumerate rebellions and unbound corruption. They had believed that a firm, guiding rule would restore order to Brazil, pointing to a figure that - ironically - had proved to be the guiding ideal of republican leadership ever since his exile in 1886. The foremost leader of the Restorationist Movement would be spearheaded into action by a Rafael Feria-Jaeger. The otherwise unassuming son of an Swiss shoemaker and immigrant to Sao Paulo and a Brazilian jazz club barista, Rafael would grow invested into Brazilian politics following the closure of both of his parents' businesses in the hardships of wartime Brazil, where he would radicalize into a staunch proponent of Brazilian Imperialism. 

	The end of the Great War, unsurprisingly, heralded the implosion of the republic itself. With the war finding virtually no popular support even before its end, the unceremonious end of the war infuriated the public: Its indecisive conclusion had been seen as proof of the popular consensus that the war acted as little more than a scapegoat for the Republic's incompetence, and likewise Feria-Jaeger would launch his famous Revolution of 1928, where the republican government went into exile within months to Bolivia. Upon their victory, he with the support of the army's [i]tenetistas[/i] - their junior officer corps - summoned Brazil's former emperor to the country to lead them into the future.

	His sole problem lie in the fact that Brazil had, in fact, two rightful claimants to its throne: One held by the older Prince Pedro Henrique, and likewise by his junior, Prince Pedro Gastão. By all rightful means, Prince Henrique should have been the rightful agewise successor to the imperial throne, yet was seemingly thwarted solely on the account that Prince Henrique was still living in France at the time, and had been likewise ruled unfit for rule on account of his, "caustic temperance" on accounts of associates of their eponymous House of Orléans-Braganza. Gastão would assume the throne in early 1930, crowning the reestablishment of Brazil's empire, with Feria-Jaeger serving as the first Prime Minister and Getúlio Vargas as his first President of the Cabinet. This famous "Triumverate" would go on to be fondly remembered, embracing on an unprecedented era of ambitious economic projects. With the assistance of Italian economists, Brazil would become something of an economic playground of Latin America, bolstered by an immigration wave from postwar Europe. French, Italian, and Spanish investment in Brazil - compounded by an unprecedented expansion of Brazilian financial and industrial institutions - would skyrocket Brazil's developments to astronomical levels. Of course, some have benefited from this procedure more than others, but with the "bureaucratization" of Brazil has come the end of the old era "Coffee Barons" which once ruled the countryside, and in their place have come the position of industrialist and technocrat.

	The good vibrations of the Brazilian 40s would come to a screeching halt with the attempted assassination of the Emperor after a state visit to Rio Grande do Sul, where his car was rigged with a nitrate bomb which exploded prematurely due to faulty wiring. Although the motive was officially deemed to be the actions of anarchists by Brazilian officials, it is widely believed that the late heir assumptive to the throne - and his own brother, no doubt - was the one responsible for the attempt upon his life. 

	Following Emperor Gastão's long, arduous battle against his grievous wounds, he would soon pass away from health complications accompanying his injuries in early 1951. His wife and would-be claimant to the throne, Princess Maria de la Esperanza of Two Sicilies, passed away some days later of unknown causes. With the lack of any apparent direct heirs to the throne - as Gastão and Maria famously struggled to have children - the claimant to the throne of Brazil would soon find itself an object of immense sway. The following succession would be known as the "revolving door regency", eventually passing to a rather unknown figure in Brazilian Imperial heritage, ending up in hands of Vittoria of Savoy. Owing to her official neutrality in the affairs of Brazilian politics, the Italo-Brazilian Princess now serves as the regent to the Brazilian throne. Until an appropriate settlement can be decided upon, Brazil - in an ironic twist of fate - shall be an Empire without an Emperor. 

	Brazil boasts about possessing perhaps the largest ground army in South America, thanks to its bolstering population and rapid efforts at industrializing, but its effectiveness leads many to believe that it is a scarecrow and little aside. Although supplanted by modern rifles, new tanks, and imported airplanes, the untested [i]Exército Brasileiro[/i] has a history of only fighting the disorganized bandits across Brazil's vast, largely untouched interior, and lacks much in the way of professional expertise in regards to contemporary warfare outside of small-scale exercises and coffee table wargaming. Its size may be nothing to scoff at, but conflict will show the true capacity of Brazil's armed forces. 

	This is to say nothing of Brazil's boiling political scene, long kept under binds by the relative stability offered by the Imperial figurehead that was Gastão. The democratic ideals established by the republic were by no means conquered by the return of the Emperor, and demand a return to popular electoral politics. Their suggestions have been met with mixed reception by the current governance. Some in the government - lead by the protege Nereu de Oliveira Ramos and his clique of reformists - believe that Brazil should transition into a more European-styled parliamentary monarchy. Others, spurred on by the ideals of Plínio Salgado, denounce any such as a weakening of the Brazilian authority itself and staunchly oppose any such actions as the path which lies down the dissolution of Brazil into the chaos of the old republic once more. As a result, politics in Brazil are becoming increasingly polarized. Wide-scale demonstrations are daily occurrences throughout San Salvador and Rio De Janeiro, and many observers suspect that any attempts to clamp down on the protestors will only further send rifts down Brazil, no matter what many contemporary "hardline" politicans of Brazil might say. On top of this, Vargas' mental stability seems to be rapidly deteriorating, often coming down to severe bouts of depression and erratic behavior. Many suspect that he may resign to his health in the coming months, soonafter followed by Feria-Jager's advancing in age. 

	When coupled with the aggressive actions of Argentina in recent years, Brazil has - to put it midly - sat upon the edge of her seat. Brazil's old claims upon Uruguay have not gone unattended, and if she is to ever unite herself like she had tried so those decades ago in the Great War, perhaps she shall turn her eyes from herself unto her old rival...[/color]