A capital-sol do Império: ideias mudancistas na construção intelectual do Estado Nacional brasileiro (1808 – 1877).

Abstract

The Portuguese Enlightenment utilized enlightened despotism as a modernization plan for the Kingdom of Portugal in the 18th century. The reform endeavors of the Marquis of Pombal, followed by D. Rodrigo de Sousa Coutinho, ensured the future of the Portuguese monarchy. This was attributed to the strategic valorization of their overseas territory in Brazil, supported by the twin principles of rationalization and centralization of power. This agenda promoted autocratic ideas of capital interiorization during the nationalization of the “Great and Powerful Luso-Brazilian Empire” program in the 19th century, as advocated by Hipólito da Costa, José Bonifácio, and Francisco de Varnhagen. The concept of relocating the capital from Rio de Janeiro to the Brazilian hinterland was part of various proposals for modernizing Brazil, in response to the perceived backwardness and peripheral condition of the country. Two paradigms guide these modernization projects: the nativists' oligarchic federalism and the enlightened reformists' bureaucratic authoritarianism. The focus of the thesis will be on the latter, the authoritarian-bureaucratic approach, which prevailed during the 19th century due to the influence of the monarchist project. Hipólito and Bonifacio played a crucial role in the nationalization of the authoritarian-bureaucratic program during the events leading to Brazil's independence. Varnhagen emerged as the foremost proponent of capital relocation during the Second Reign. His ideas stemmed from an autocratic vision of politics guided by the paradigm of geopolitics. Their idealized city, situated in the heart of Brazil, was envisioned as a “Sun Capital” casting its influence over the Brazilian territory, subjugating all provinces to the monarchy, and disseminating national interests throughout the land. The dissertation aims to analyze how the mudancismo of these three authors intertwines with the intellectual construction of the Brazilian nation-state and how the concept of the “Sun Capital” is linked to the authoritarian-bureaucratic project embodied by the Brazilian monarchy.