The Brazilian National Guard in Rio de Janeiro: soldier and officer participation in the provincial elections, 1850-70

• In Event: The ‘Democracy’ of the Caudillos in Latin America, 1810-1880 Part II

Abstract

This paper will analyze the electoral behavior of the National Guard in the province of Rio de Janeiro during the time between the reforms that centralized National Guard command and the end of the Triple Alliance War. The Guard had been a civic militia responsible for internal security and subordinate to the Ministry of Justice. Its complex structure reflected informal political arrangements between imperial authorities and local strong men. Guard members had the right to vote and participated regularly in elections for all major institutional positions. The Guard was also the main tool through which provincial presidents intervened regularly in the electoral results. Here, I am focusing on occasions where hierarchical authority conflicted with officers and soldiers´ political preferences, and thus created windows for competitive elections

Author

• Vitor Izecksohn, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro