When studying the old republic (1889-1930), you have certainly come across the concept of coronelismo. Well then, to understand the way in which regionalist policy operated in Brazil, especially in the period from 1894 (with Prudente de Moraes) until 1930 (with the end of the government of Washington Luís), it is necessary that you know what it means “coronelismo”.
After the implementation phase of the republic, known as the phase of RepublicgivesSword (1889-1894), began the phase in which civilians began to dictate the political directions of Brazil. This phase was known as RepublicFromoligarchs, that is, a type of government that was concentrated in the hands of a few people. These oligarchs were linked to centers of economic production, which were subdivided into Brazilian geographic regions. Thus, there were the oligarchs of São Paulo, who organized themselves politically around production of coffee, and the oligarchs of Minas, who did the same around the production of milk and other products.
The power that these economic elites wielded over politics directly affected the lives of common people. These oligarchs were also known as "colonels", that is, they bought such a title to exert regional influence and show off their “manship” capacity. In this sense, the colonel "ruled" over his region of influence and instrumentalized the political life of ordinary citizens through methods such as the votein “halter” (declared vote, without confidentiality) in order to guarantee the victory of the candidate of his interest.
That "bossiness” associated with colonelism made ordinary citizens “clients” of colonels, that is, people, especially the most humble, became beings absolutely dependent on the orders and excesses of the colonels and submitted to political instrumentalization in exchange for minimal favors, sometimes even in exchange for groceries and shelter. “patronage” is the name given to this type of behavior.
To this day, remnants of this type of policy that characterized the Old Republic can still be found, whether in large urban centers or, more frequently, in the interior of Brazil. It is not difficult to find reports of people who were pressured to vote for candidate “X” or “Y” for fear of losing some benefit provided by some politician.
* Image credits: commons
By Me. Cláudio Fernandes