Abstract:
Although there is a clear change in his political position, from liberal to conservative, it can be said that, in the field of economic ideas, Francisco de Salles Torres Homem (Viscount of Inhomirim) maintained the logic of what he defended since the beginning of his intellectual activities. Considering his writings from 1836, his performance in the parliamentary debates of the 1850s, and his speech in the Senate in favor of the Lei do Ventre Livre in 1871, a coherent line of argumentation can be noted, especially on three subjects: slavery, currency, and public finances. To support the hypothesis that his economic ideas remained consistent throughout his political career, the first section of this paper analyzes the articles published in the periodicals Nitheroy and Minerva Fluminense between 1836 and 1844, as well as the parliamentary speeches given between 1857 and 1871. Since he was Minister of Finance (1858-1859) and president of Banco do Brasil (1866-1869), the second section reinforces the hypothesis by comparing his theoretical arguments with the measures adopted as a policymaker. To this end, it used the report of the Ministry of Finance (1858) and the minutes of the board meeting of Banco do Brasil.
Keywords:
Imperial Brazil; economy; currency; credit; slavery; public finance