Party Formation and State-Making: The Conservative Party and the Reconstruction of the Brazilian State, 1831-1840

Abstract

In the nineteenth century Brazil was considered unique not only for its size and Portuguese heritage but also for its distinct social and political characteristics. Brazil was an established slave society that was maintained in peace and unity under a constitutional monarchy. Traditionally, historiography has separated these elements. Most recently, the social history dominant in the Brazilian and Anglo-American academies has given us rich studies of slave society, without sustained reference to Brazil’s political history. In the nineteenth century, and in the earlier political analyses of the twentieth century, the monarchy has either been abstracted away from socioeconomic analysis or reconstructed as an apologia for Brazilian essentialism and authoritarianism.1Since at least the 1970s, however, political analysis has addressed the relationship between state and society, but with debatable success. It has generally reduced the monarchy to an instrument of the ruling class, or reified it as an autonomous model for the military statism of 1964–85, or dismissed it as the convenient provider of stability and patronage for the socioeconomic elites. Few studies provide a detailed analysis of the political trends of the era, much less a discussion of their seemingly false or complicated ideological struggles. Although the works of José Murilo de Carvalho, Thomas Flory, Ilmar Rohloff de Mattos, and Roderick J. Barman are exceptions to this rule, their contributions are necessarily limited by their particular foci. Each, whether studying the state and its cadre formation, the ideology and programs of the Liberals or the Conservatives, or the complex detail of the political narrative explaining national consolidation, tends to neglect the dialectic with socioeconomic conditions. In other words, they shed little light on the specificity of the linkages of that context to the political struggles and ideology of the era.2Party origins and organization provide telling ways to understand such matters. The Conservative party has traditionally been considered to be the dominant of the two parties of the Second Reign (1840–89), the era that has generally been taken as the basis for analysis of the monarchy. It was the Conservative party that defined and defended the mission of the monarchy as an authoritarian, centralized state, and it was the party most identified with the dominant planter-merchant elites who battened off African slavery and its export production. The present study, focusing on the crucial, formative period of 1831– 40, offers an analytical explanation of the early development of the Conservative party as an integral part of the evolution of the Brazilian monarchy by addressing some of the weaknesses in the canon noted above. This essay provides the socioeconomic context of political developments; offers a new synthesis and analysis of the political narrative; clarifies the ideological and organizational nature of party origins; and shows the specific linkages between state and society, party and province. It will also revise our understanding of the coffee planters’ role in the Conservative party and conclude by pointing to the essential dilemma presented by the contradiction between the monarchy’s architects and the monarch’s role.The able political analyses and narratives we have, while useful for many things, are inadequate to understand party formation. The latter requires a return to parliamentary annals and other contemporary sources for a more specific ideological and organizational analysis, as well as the integration of the political narrative with a synthesis of the more recent studies of socioeconomic development and elite formation. These strands, some old, some new, but all newly knit together here, will comprise the first part of this study. It forms the necessary context for the analysis to follow.Although its mission was national, the Conservative party was provincial by birth. Indeed, to the extent that the geographic origins or social ramifications of the party are noted at all, they are noted as fluminense—as having to do with the port and province named Rio de Janeiro.3 The colonial port and captaincy, which had also borne those names, were intimately linked to two distinct processes of the century, of Portuguese had the of the Brazilian had the and of the that the of and the of the to the of the had or the had in from the slave of had and were less in those of and and the was by on by the century, or or of the two and the basis for the of the port those the in and most of the port and which were by that of development from the of Rio de the and of and maintained their and their by to the of for the established and in the more for the port in Rio de and African from the port to and in and to the and in Rio de the the that the of the and the of and that that and the of the Brazilian the and early nineteenth century, history a political to the socioeconomic processes above. the of the de state in the and of Brazilian the of of and the of of This in the of and Portuguese was by the of the Portuguese to Rio de in The of the elite who were either the and of the and port and slavery of Rio de or the and from the of the shows that most of those by the of were of or more Portuguese These or for the most had and in the port or The most were those the of the of and the to state and and to the Portuguese and elites the in Rio de The to the established by were as were the of on and to the Portuguese and who elite or in and the of to and political many as well as the in Rio de to with more political with the of and The state was identified as a constitutional monarchy from its the nature of such the ideological and political of the Reign and those who a and all those who had and the the first of with the and to for more constitutional on the and and however, were with the of the who to the and a as for Brazil’s socioeconomic with the political ideological are The most with the in and the new monarchy been were a of in which recent Portuguese or and and with were either in the recent or in the of these to the monarchy with with of from and they with who their established and were for a more of The most of the latter were with the the however, they also had as those in other in as those in for of in Rio de and of these were of the the and The of a more for a that the of the and for and all of these of political had a to the of their political instrument in the new of which in Rio de to the of new from the of It the by of in a of and as the to the and The the of the The and the and the to the and of the Although the was by a of to by in the be by the and was by a of for by the from a of by the noted for and by the was by the and had to be by the taken by the also had to under the and as that many of a to Although the was under the of the it had and from the which the to their from the of a and parliamentary it for their a in and all of these to in and while in the and in the was to the to to the of a constitutional in which in with a from those who had the in the a to the a the to by the and with a in Rio de in of and a of on the of de to to to the Portuguese that the a to In for it was the that The the it of the the of to The of a a but was an to be and with the as the two of provide the political of the most and for the of the era, either be for the in the had who were most at The were as were the and as for the return of a Portuguese The and of the to to from the the more the political to the their of the and the state and they all as in with while from its and for the with the as well as for the on the state and the has two the colonial political of and the of the in the era This be The of was part of a national, and political It on its the of the to the for and The political of the first the first of the in these and political their all of a for the and of the Portuguese were and the for was as a which had to be the first had to while of state It maintained social in the and and the of the and the of constitutional as ways to national unity and a provincial These constitutional were of identified with the political that had to and to the ideology of that of the the of political while and with the Portuguese were as either or or The of from the and its to the and provincial elites and provincial provincial in and and and the of the and its of and the of the also for the national of a on the These most of which were in the of the of the state and the of the early on as a to political social and national useful to the context for such the Brazilian elites. The of of some by we from the for and of these were of the most were of African and or African with some in in as away from the and of the was in the most Most of the were in the most of Rio de and and in which and to the of Rio de In most of the were the in all the and of were the In a the to the and its and political were with the history of and the of to Indeed, was not the era of and the new for political at the and the national to between elite in Rio de and in the between and and between and or national established were in in and of was a that from in the of the Indeed, a in linked to that of and In Rio de were two in and in was a in in a slave in in a in Rio in most a and social in in and the from to The its with an in in and a social in in the under the of by the the of social and national by on the and the on the the in two and the to they not do they the state and that state and Indeed, and that the most such as and were also the of state the and its defended the state not only as the most but by in and a of political on These to of the in Rio de and the the to the had in to the and the state to a the by the of the and with the and of and the to a political to this to a the as a national in to a new the for which they has been that the origins of the Conservative party with the and to this The in the to their the that was to for the of the with the the of constitutional was the it was the first a to that the and it in the to the Indeed, that the in and of had a which not be were to the state and society, to the Conservative was but only the of and by the this Conservative be In were Conservative and Conservative In the of the was as much a the had been able to as it was a of the as and the was a in the history of the the of and two and the a of of the and ideological Indeed, as the first was a of most with and with the with which was identified are to parliamentary in the of Traditionally, this has been the role of to the Conservative The in the to be de the historiography not state that and José a and were in to the for to those of Indeed, they had the early in the and and from the of with it of the party in the This of the party to the organization of an party of to and the by This under and was the basis for the historiography has the Conservative party of in the and to the that in of its new, a of the de to be of by the of constitutional the of and a from the This was the of the by with in the to and the as the new the narrative a the by many the origins and of the party that in the to a Conservative party in are Barman do not to a Conservative party in the we the its origins and ideology and its with the of of the party of the parliamentary or the party of was this the new party and its it that little of in the be defined as we party was a and was its relationship to the This a complicated of all, we was elite parliamentary and the for having been in for the of the and in the new had to to the for of their the the historiography little the new and of the we little the between the to and the of who had the in all of these complicated by the we only in the are that the to by and the and the Conservative party in and that the latter was and the and those with the of the coffee of the we all of this little and some of it these and processes by the narrative the socioeconomic and political context of the Reign and the at the of a more political narrative of the in the that we to the ideological and of the party and its and the in which the party was to the provincial us the the political the of to the of between the and their in the and the to the with and was other was a and the other two political in the were to and other had defined as and These in and to the that between and the had the two other political the of political In the and the dominant political they and to be not to the but to the constitutional monarchy and the social and national of the This to not only to as a with other in but dilemma as Indeed, with from the and of the party by and other in the of and with the of the state, had a to that in to as in the political that was the and the other the It was who linked the the and the as early as a and a of and the of the and the in particular de in the and of a with political well the was of the that in Indeed, it was as early as that of and a party in the and the nineteenth century, the parties and as for the of the of the for the of that and for the they the of In and the in of only two the or and the or those the those in those who and those The was its it ideological and an of all who or the and and on all in the to their on the and as to the other also to the of a this to and with the of either the or the established not the to a for from the in in and this The of and the between and the a not the necessary the the only political to or the to the of the ideological and the and the and for a new to The had separated who the from the who their state and national Indeed, that the of the was only to a with and the to to a well as to the de the it with the and as with a a of the it was that was to be the for the new of by and by to for Indeed, by the of the de but in Rio de only on to the of their as a for the this in the to the away from the who the of the most of the and a to the the most provincial and to of de de as a was an of had to José of the to Carvalho, a was a and a and who had the of and in early was a noted in the a military and a who had been in the to and the as a of their and of the was by a of of the and most of the of This to only by some in of had been a Indeed, not only by a a the that to a of the established to a in parliamentary and provincial of more of the first of the de by the of a the had to the the more of their the by and In the latter to be to a to the constitutional of Indeed, given the the the not only the to with the of the Portuguese and Reign in but the and their of constitutional of and the for the party of that by the of This on of the of It was in that that the to the the of Rio and in a to the of and the to national analysis, it and a of the political not with to the with the be to to the political and ideological history above. we the of to the social and we return to the context and of the most in the were not the new party of or in de de of their provincial or they were and they not the of their and however, those with the were to in their The Portuguese and of Rio de were These were between the provincial but in and the and of the Portuguese to be and as many of the first and other The of Rio de was by the of such and the of the and their and and had in the and such the and with the and the The early in the to the Portuguese and the as of this such the well also the and of the we the and The who from the two in the and of The for the however, In of and only was to the established of and the port to the of Rio de It that in the province was Indeed, in the Rio de of the early had was an to a new in those early generally the port from the their socioeconomic This was a which and was to the which the in for such early for the only be however, the to the newly established and to a of in that explanation many of the Portuguese and been the by the generally had little to from the and to by and a in which they had In the to the they their established political by a new political with the newly of and that had the of in and the parliamentary of in this light new of The of had from an of the and the provincial of the The the between Rio de and the provincial and this political The new was It a of the political linkages between the Portuguese and Brazilian of the port and in Rio de and their as well as an with the in and The and were of the more provincial of and the as well as the was socioeconomic for the new political Indeed, between dominant in and and had been in the and and to more in the These had to do with coffee in the the first of the to the and the Although most of the and in the province in the of the de and new and were the of coffee in the the of the while its in at the of that coffee was to in the the in the that the to the coffee had been to of new sources of in the from which established to as The in from as the new coffee The and for in and the that coffee was first with by and an of in the of Rio de in the these were first taken and the in the a for the and of the the for that and the that the were also taken the to the at on the it to the and Although some of the first in the were Portuguese and to with the they who were the new most of the first coffee were either with the from established and with and or or from Rio de who in the new its in the and by their The were the coffee as the Brazilian were for the slave In of the of the slave had the Rio de and they with in Rio de The however, had their by at the coffee was The Although only of were to Brazil between and in the that to and much more to in In a society in by contemporary a of new in by a recent in to these given the coffee the political from the planters’ were also The in the and the new provincial were to the African the of the on Although the the the to the It was in the first provincial in a by a by José in were in the first of the new, The between that the export and and the to the on are as José it that it was at this that and had the new for political organization and by the new of a provincial that in the first two and at least of the were linked to the Indeed, in the some of the were of national The new as will be the new a for political organization and that and their role in the in Rio de also this political of and the of who are of the more of the slave and party had linkages to these had been a Portuguese and a for an in who in Rio de had and a in and on to the in the Although as only and to and their not in that to or in Rio de of the other however, such linkages are from a with in and Rio de the of a Rio de a and this of and the to and in the and to to a of and some of in the coffee was a by was part and of the the of was a Portuguese of the provincial José the from a Rio de a and a a of the de and were from the of the the to the The de de was the of and a of were and political the of or political or of two of was de who de a and was an established in the from the early The de had in José de at to Brazil to at was in of and and that was a in Rio de by of was by and and their of the de de de to and to the latter two their between and was and was first of the of Rio de as a provincial in as provincial from to was also by the to a with to the their of that the of the of and to with and of the architects and of the new in the party more to its Portuguese and José who we in the provincial the slavery was a Portuguese of this had been a in the colonial period and the had and Rio de to to in Brazil in of to as a Rio de and the role in was by the for part as of to the early by the was on of and of the of a Portuguese in Rio de and to the and in the and in and José new as an de as a José given in Rio de and Portuguese and of a in the party of in the and the provincial Indeed, this as a in the early many who had in the by and not to the the was much a in the Portuguese and elites of the port and province. was in the of two Portuguese de a and the from to Brazil was to in and in in Rio de the of the first of the o

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