The genesis of national developmentalism and the ambiguous role of Nilo Peçanha, a black man committed to the coffee oligarchies

Abstract

This article analyzes the political and administrative performance of Nilo Peçanha, the only black president in the history of Brazil and one of the protagonists of the establishment of the Republic. It addresses aspects of his personal, academic and political trajectory in order to understand his choices as a public manager, which led to the implementation of progressive economic projects. Highlights the pendular nature of his administrations: liberal-oriented initiatives and induction of development through the State; defending the interests of conservative rural oligarchies and promoting industrialization; actions of a nationalist nature and serving the interests of international financial capital. Finally, the thesis is defended that the national developmentalism, which characterizes the country since the Revolution of 1930, has as its genesis the political/administrative choices of the Jacobin republicans, of which Nilo is one of the great references.