Public finance and the forging of the Brazilian Empire (1831 - 1852)

• Grant number: 23/00039-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2023
• End date: December 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - History - History of Brazil
• Principal Investigator: Rodrigo Goyena da Silveira Soares
• Grantee: Carlos Frederico Alves Carneiro Vianna
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The research proposes to analyze the evolution of public financing mechanisms that supported the construction process of the Brazilian State in the period between 1831 and 1852. In the mid-nineteenth century, Brazil achieved political and military hegemony in the region of the River Plate basin. The initial hypothesis of this proposal is that the Empire of Brazil developed political and economic institutions that allowed the implantation of mechanisms of State financing more efficient than its main regional competitor, theArgentine Confederation. These mechanisms allowed the imperial government to guarantee the Brazilian territorial integrity, internal order and a successful military campaign inthe Platine War (1851-1852). Using theoretical references that discuss the concept ofhegemony, theory of formation of states and national indebtedness, the research proposes to analyze the sources that document the Brazilian public finances, in the selected period. At the end of the research, in addition to confirming or not the initial hypothesis, we expect to elucidate the challenges faced in the financing process of the Brazilian state and the solutions found by the imperial government.