One cannot forget the close ties that connected the Brazilian agro-export economy to England. In the 1840s-50s, the English practically dominated t...

One cannot forget the close ties that connected the Brazilian agro-export economy to England. In the 1840s-50s, the English practically dominated the country's import-export trade; in the 1840s, British firms controlled 50% of Brazilian coffee and sugar exports and 60% of cotton exports. Similarly, English banks, through external loans to the State, were present in the national economy. In addition to this type of economic presence, English pressures... (João L. Fragoso and Francisco C. T. da Silva, 'A Política no Império e no início da República Velha.' In Maria Yedda Linhares (org.), 'História Geral do Brasil') Besides this economic presence, the mentioned country exerted pressures for the Brazilian government to...

a) Approve the Alves Branco Tariff.
b) Abolish the slave trade.
c) Boost the 'Era Mauá'.
d) Break relations with Paraguay.