The collapse of the First Republic initially did little to alter the structure of Brazilian agriculture despite the political posturing of Getúlio Vargas and his allies. The champion of the putsch to appropriate the presidency was yet another member of the land-owing elite that had manipulated the resources of the state to further its agricultural pursuits. However, rural issues no longer dominated the political agenda. New economic and demographic realities, especially the ongoing international commodities crisis, were beginning to force changes in the nation’s political economy.