Editing Pedro II of Brazil (section)

=== Decline ===
[[File:Pedro II of Brazil Paris 1887.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1|alt=Photographic portrait of a man with a white beard seated in an armchair and holding a small book in his left hand while supporting his head with his right hand|Pedro&nbsp;II at age 61, in 1887. He became tired of the monarchy and resigned to its demise]]
During the 1880s, Brazil continued to prosper, and social diversity increased markedly, including the first organized push for [[women's rights]].{{sfn|Barman|1999|p=319}} On the other hand, letters written by Pedro&nbsp;II reveal a man grown world-weary with age and having an increasingly alienated and pessimistic outlook.{{sfn|Barman|1999|pp=298–299}} He remained respectful of his duty and was meticulous in performing the tasks demanded of the imperial office, albeit often without enthusiasm.{{sfn|Barman|1999|p=299}} Because of his increasing "indifference towards the fate of the regime" and his lack of action in support of the imperial system once it was challenged, historians have attributed the "prime, perhaps sole, responsibility" for the dissolution of the monarchy to the Emperor himself.{{sfn|Lira 1977, Vol 3|p=126}}{{sfn|Barman|1999|p=399}}

After their experience of the perils and obstacles of government, the political figures who had arisen during the 1830s saw the Emperor as providing a fundamental source of authority essential for governing and for national survival.{{sfn|Barman|1999|p=317}} These elder statesmen began to die off or retire from government until, by the 1880s, they had almost entirely been replaced by a newer generation of politicians who had no experience of the early years of Pedro&nbsp;II's reign. They had only known a stable administration and prosperity and saw no reason to uphold and defend the imperial office as a unifying force beneficial to the nation.{{sfn|Barman|1999|p=318}} To them, Pedro&nbsp;II was merely an old and increasingly sick man who had steadily eroded his position by taking an active role in politics for decades. Before he had been above criticism, but now his every action and inaction prompted meticulous scrutiny and open criticism. Many young politicians had become apathetic toward the monarchic regime and, when the time came, they would do nothing to defend it.{{sfn|Barman|1999|pp=258–259, 317–318, 349}} Pedro&nbsp;II's achievements went unremembered and unconsidered by the ruling elites. By his very success, the Emperor had made his position seem unnecessary.{{sfn|Barman|1999|p=xiv}}

The lack of an heir who could feasibly provide a new direction for the nation also diminished the long-term prospects of the Brazilian monarchy. The Emperor loved his daughter Isabel, but he considered the idea of a female successor as antithetical to the role required of Brazil's ruler. He viewed the death of his two sons as being a sign that the Empire was destined to be supplanted.{{sfn|Barman|1999|p=262}} Resistance to accepting a female ruler was also shared by the political establishment.{{sfn|Barman|1999|p=268}} Even though the Constitution allowed female succession to the throne, Brazil was still very traditional, and only a male successor was thought capable as head of state.{{sfn|Barman|1999|p=130}}