In November 1910, only a few days after a new president of the republic had been formally sworn into office, a naval revolt occurred in the harbour of Rio de Janeiro. Officers fled as sailors took command of the Brazilian navy's two largest warships, Minas Gerais and São Paulo. Disconcerted by the surprise turn of events and terrified of bombardment, the new Brazilian government decided to grant an amnesty to the rebels. At a time when the Brazilian elite sought to portray the ‘new’ Brazil to the world as a nation enjoying political stability and economic progress, the 1910 naval revolt represented a humiliating setback. In particular, the loss of control over the two state-of-the-art warships, which had only recently been purchased from Britain, was regarded by contemporaries as a telling commentary on the inherent deficiencies and composition of the Brazilian national character. Later observers, however, have adopted a different perspective, which interprets the action of the sailors as an example of black and lower-class resistance. The leading rebel figure, João Cândido, is accorded the status not of a mutineer but of a hero. In 2008 President Lula attended the public celebration marking the erection of a statue of the ‘black admiral’ in Praça Quinze, Rio de Janeiro.

Historical research and writing on the revolt was stimulated by its centenary in 2010. Most of the resulting publications were written in Portuguese, so Joseph Love's book is valuable in providing the option of an English-language study. The author's stated aim is ‘to tell a good story’ – and a good story is indeed told, though not always smoothly, because its narration is incorporated into separate thematic chapters. The first two chapters present a well-informed and lucid introduction to the politics and society of the Old Republic. Mention is made of the influence of overseas events, especially the naval rebellion that occurred in Portugal in October 1910 and had many similarities with the later episode in Brazil. Chapter 3 deals with the controversial question of the ‘whip’ or, more accurately, the ‘lash’ as the preferred instrument of corporal punishment in the Brazilian navy. The central theme of the discontent of the Brazilian sailors over their bad working conditions is merged with the question of pervasive racist attitudes and the legacy of slavery. Though flogging had long been considered a necessity for maintaining discipline in the world's navies, it had been abolished in nearly all of them by the end of the nineteenth century. In Brazil flogging was equated with torture and its abolition was written into the 1891 Constitution, but its use was still allowed in the armed services. Consequently, despite its anomalous status, the punishment continued to be employed. Indeed, it was the case of a sailor on the Minas Gerais who was given more than 200 lashes in full view of the ship's crew that sparked off ‘the revolt of the whip’. As Love shows, the sailors did not just seek a number of improvements to their oppressive working conditions – most of all, they demanded an end to whipping. In effect, to the mostly black and lower-class sailors, the whip was an enduring symbol of cruelty and oppression. Moreover, it was a contravention of their constitutional rights as citizens of the new republic. The government offered an amnesty and promised better working conditions. In his final two chapters, however, Love reveals the harsh treatment meted out to the rebels, most of whom died while in prison.

Love's short study is commendable in using a historical event to highlight the controversial issue of race relations in modern Brazil. One point that attracted this reviewer's notice was the author's frequent use of ‘probably’, ‘perhaps’, ‘might’, ‘may’, and so on. In one instance, Love resorts to ‘an educated guess’ (p. 21). Another feature was the reference to the invariably negative influence of Britain on Brazil. The author states that ‘the British government was exercising strong pressure on its Brazilian counterpart’ during the 1910 revolt (p. 36), though this is never explained. Love also affirms that pressure in the form of bribery was exerted by British firms to persuade the Brazilian government to increase the size of its naval programme. No mention, however, is made of the coincidental diplomacy of US diplomats such as George Rives, aimed at browbeating the Brazilian government into awarding military contracts to US companies.