State elites in Southern Brazil: prosopography of high-ranking republican officials in Rio Grande do Sul, 1889-1937

ABSTRACT

This article presents the results of a prosopographical study of 130 high-ranking officials and members of the political elite of Rio Grande do Sul, from 1889, the beginning of the so-called First Republic, to 1937, when the Estado Novo coup d’État and Congressional shutdown marked the end of the first Vargas government. The study sheds light on the social and professional profile of senior state politicians, then active at the regional or national level. Through its methodology and analysis criteria, the study also seeks to compare previous studies on political elites in other Brazilian states, increasing the knowledge about the performance of Brazil’s regional political groups throughout the First Republic and Vargas government. In doing so, the research relativizes the exceptionalist perspective that dominated the political historiography of Rio Grande do Sul for a long time, especially the prevalence of a non-oligarchical scientific administration based on Positivism. This study also reaffirms some aspects historically associated with republicanism in Southern Brazil, such as the low renewal of political cadres and, thus a longevity of careers in public administration.

Keywords:
regional elites; prosopography; databases; regional politics; comparative history