The politics of oligarchy : the persistence of traditional elites in contemporary Brazil
This dissertation charts the persistence of the traditional political elite in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, through the twentieth century, focusing primarily on the period of authoritarian rule from 1964 to 1982. Contrary to interpretations of Brazilian politics which claim that regional oligarchies were ousted from national and state ruling coalitions by the military and their places taken by technocrats and native and foreign capitalists, this work suggests they retained power. The persistence of this elite during a period of explosive industrial growth and in a regime ostensibly committed to promoting technical competence in government and dispensing with them is explained by the nature of the political relationships which emanate from a state capitalist economy. Traditional elites shifted their power base from land into the state, transforming themselves into a political class whose political dominance rested on their manipulation of state resources. Industrialization fueled by state and foreign investment is demonstrated to have had little impact on the structure of state power. The local bourgeoisie was weak and largely uninvolved in dynamic growth sectors. The organization of the economy along state capitalist lines privileged state elites and enhanced the state's resource base for its clientelistic operations. State-based political clientelism thus became the dominant form of political organization in Brazil. A growing segment of the population left behind in the "economic miracle" were represented by territorially-based politicians whose access to state resources and political networks enabled them deliver state benefits to state clients and marshall support for the authoritarian regime. The persistent grip of traditional political elites on state politics in Minas Gerais is demonstrated through an analysis of elite office holding from 1956 to 1982. Political elites were supplanted in the executive branch of the state by technocrats after 1964 only briefly, most notably in economic ministries, and oligarchs who occupied powerful public office before the 1964 coup d'etat largely succeeded in attaining high posts after it.