Silva Gouvea, MdF; (1990) Politics of Rio de Janeiro Province under the Empire (1822-1889). Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

This dissertation adds a new dimension to the understanding of Brazilian politics under the Empire (1822-1889), a highly centralized political and administrative system, by offering one of the first detailed analyses of provincial polities. In contrast, a large number of regional studies are already available for the period of the Old Republic (1889-1930). The province of Rio de Janeiro is taken as the research's case study. Its geographic proximity to the country's national capital placed the province at the heart of national politics. The period in question witnessed the rise, apogee and decline of Rio de Janeiro province's national political and economic preeminence. Internally, the province is unusually interesting because of its economy based on coffee, sugar and foodstuffs, supplying export and domestic markets. The main contribution of this research to the debate on the nature of Brazilian politics under the Empire is its analysis of the vital role played by Rio de Janeiro provincial (fluminense) politicians in linking the various provincial economic and social interests behind a program for the defence of export agriculture based upon slave labour. After 1870, it was a matter of maintaining and defending the province's dominant economic and social structures during a period of decline. At the same time, they attempted to sustain the province's leading position on the national political scene. The study is organized in three main parts. Part One considers the general background to fluminense politics. First, a general survey is presentdof the economy and society of Rio de Janeiro province under the Empire. Secondly, the operation of the fluminense provincial administrative system (Cameras Municipals, Provincial Legislative Assembly, Provincial Presidency and various provincial administrative offices) is described. Part Two analyses the debates that took place in the fluminense Legislative Assembly, the principal provincial political forum. This focuses on the way in which local sectors were represented and how they related to each other. The data on which this section is primarily based was obtained from the Anais (published proceedings) of the Provincial Assembly. Part Three examines local participation at various levels in the provincial political and administrative machinery. A database was created using data supplied by the Almanack Laemmert - a annual publication of the period, which recorded the names of all politicians and administrative personnel nationally, including the province of Rio de Janeiro.

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