Coffee and Transformation in Sao Paulo, Brazil

An earlier entire generation of scholars accepted the equation that during the Old Republic (1889-1930), the increasingly wealthy coffee planters of São Paulo dominated its political activities in lockstep with their financial ascendance. In his 1990 study, however, Mauricio Font (Coffee, Contention, and Change in the Making of Modern Brazil, CH, May'91, 28-5265) questioned this widely taught premise, and he demonstrated unequivocally that politics in São Paulo were decidedly not unilateral. He did so by singling out the roles of other interests, including those of factory owners and immigrants, which had consistently challenged the domination of the so-called "coffee elite." In this updated reissue of his 1990 volume, Font (sociology, Queens College, CUNY) has reprised his pioneering research while substantially adding to his database and incorporating theories of social involvement and development....Several appendixes and a new online database that present material on the shift from oligarchic to diverse political structures enhance Font's valuable thesis. Summing Up: Highly recommended. * CHOICE *
Font's book, a detailed look into the fractions and fissures in the machine, demonstrates that the PRP had lost its monolithic quality by 1920....Font convincingly answers the question of how the dominant party in the nation's wealthiest state produced presidents who worked against coffee interests and lost control of the national machine the 1930 coup. His book is a very good study of how economic diversification helped modernize Brazilian politics. * Agricultural History *
The contours of modern Brazil can be traced to the great social and political transformations that rocked São Paulo prior to 1930. Combining theoretical rigor and a graceful style, Mauricio Font’s superb volume shines a bright light on the historical forces that did so much to shape the destiny of one of the most fascinating societies in the world today. -- Thomas J. Trebat, Columbia University
This revised version of Coffee and Transformation in São Paulo, Brazil, by Professor Mauricio Font, makes an important contribution to better understanding the interaction of social, political, and economic forces in Brazil's most developed state during the 1890-1930 period, when São Paulo's economy was transformed from an agricultural base into an industrial powerhouse. I strongly recommend this book to those interested in Brazil's development in the twentieth century. -- David Fleischer, University of Brasília