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This study analyzes Brazil's monarchy, which adapted European ideas and practices to a creole plantation society that was traditionally based on African slavery. It focuses upon the Conservatives, who represented the sugar and coffee elites in reconstructing the new nation's state as a strong, representative, constitutional monarchy in troubled times. After the monarch himself assumed power, however, his views undercut parliamentary and party government, which were also sapped by regional differences and the pressure for state patronage. Increasingly, the emperor and his cabinets used state patronage and state authority to dominate politics. When the emperor decided upon gradualist abolition, Conservatives were unable to defeat it, despite its unconstitutional origin and imposition and its threat to the society and economy they represented. The legacy of an authoritarian, centralized political culture survived; that of a representative, constitutional regime did not. This book dramatically revises notions of the monarchy in terms of the social and ideological origins and nature of the Brazilian state, the role of the monarch, and the range and complexity of elite politics in the era.
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The Party of Order jeffrey d. needell The Party of Order The Conservatives, the State, and Slavery in the Brazilian Monarchy, 1831–1871 s ta n f o r d u n i v e r s i t y p r e s s 2 0 0 6 Stanford, California Stanford University Press Stanford, California © 2006 by the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Needell, Jeffrey D. The party of order : the conservatives, the state, and slavery in the Brazilian monarchy, 1831–1871 / Jeffrey D. Needell. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn-13: 978-0-8047-5369-2 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Brazil—Politics and government—1822–1889. 2. Pedro II, Emperor of Brazil, 1825–1891. 3. Conservatives—Brazil—History—19th century. I. Title. f2536.n44 2006 981'.04—dc222 2006008800 Printed in the United States of America Typeset at Stanford University Press in 10/12.5 Minion Para Fátima Que a mão do tempo e o hálito dos homens Murchem a flor das ilusões da vida, Musa consoladora, É no teu seio amigo e sossegado Que o poeta respira o suave sono. —Machado de Assis, "Musa Consolatrix," Crisálidas (1864) Contents Acknowledgments Notes on Names, Titles, Spelling, and Translation Maps: City of Rio de Janeiro, Province of Rio de Janeiro, Empire of Brazil ix xiii xv Introduction: An Obscured Genesis 1 1 The Port and Province of Rio de Janeiro 9 2 The Threat of Revolution and the Reactionary Mobilization: 1831–1837 30 3 Political Theory, Partisan Practice, and the Emperor’s Emergence: 1837–1848 73 4 Provincial Politics, Foreign Affairs, and Patronage: 1848–1853 117 5 The Transformation of Politics and the State: 1853–1867 167 6 Abolition, War, and the Vindication of Constitutional Government: 1867–1871 223 7 The Defeat of the Party: The Political Crisis of 1871 272 Conclusion: Legacy and Metamorphosis 315 Genealogical Tables 327 Abbreviations 333 Notes 335 Bibliography 427 Index 443 Acknowledgments This book has been dedicated to my wife, Fátima, for her support over these many years. It was she to whom I first spoke of this idea; she knows best how much this work has meant to me. Our children, Gabriel, Renata, and Ethan, have grown up with this book. I am grateful to them for their love, faith, and patience. My family’s love has sustained me. Many of those who have guided and supporte