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Industries
CDU 66'67:93(816.5]
CDU 65/67:93(816.5)
The complete or partial reproduclion of ihis ivork is allowed only by naming the
source and by hauing the written permission of the Rio Grande Companhia de
Dezembro 1985.
'T.rT .
/istpi(uQumtriaj
ttf^^^rantm
>,; ^7.
RIOCELL
RIO GRANDE COMPANHIA DE CELULOSE DO SUL
nu
Iniciativa e realizao
RIO GRANDE COMPANHIA DE CELULOSE DO SUL
Advsor
Grammatical rev,etu o/ the E,ujl,sh tevt: Ana Beatnc Dav, and Vera Couto e Silva
Reviso gramatical do texto em ingls: Ana Beatriz Davi e Vera Couto e Silva
Apresentao
Presentation
Dando continuidade ao nosso programa de promoo e divulgao
the social, cultural and artistical actiuities of the state of Rio Grande do
Sul. the theme for Riocells Cultural Program of 1985 was taken from
This unprecedent and exclusive work fay the historlan Sandra Jatahp
Pesavento is the product of a profound and exhaustive research and
sends us back to the ver\) beginning of the social and economical
events featured by the pioneers of our industrp. who forged the
enterprising profile of our state.
This work perpetuates the chosen theme and pa\js our homage to
those pioneers. who todaij are part of Rio Grande do SuIs historp. At
the same time. it presents a summarp of the saga of our greatest
characters in their productive effort in the priuate business.
generations.
Once again, Riocell fulfills its social role in the communitp, not onlp by
prouiding emploi^ment and pai^ing taxes, riches in short, but aiso by
promoting the diffusion of those uaiues. which contributed to the
grandeur of our work.
THE ADMINISTRATION
A ADMINISTRAO
Prefcio
Prejacy
Durante um largo perodo a histria da industrializao no Brasil
esteve relegada a vastas generalizaes, que deixavam de lado as
contribuies especficas de cada estado. A histria da indstria no
that the necessarp capital for the industrialization was amassed. One
can aiso obserue that since the beginning. the presence of bank capital
sucl
Gerdau,aroup
metalmechanical
such as Eberle, Berta.
Becker.of and
Wallig Sinceindustries
the
the pohtics of todav. For the effectiueness of the new industrial policv
that we preconize, we must link our present ana/ys/s to the past
"eZZ
fTT'
lhe /luauolions
Para que esses resultados fossem atingidos, foi decisiva uma poltica
econmica francamente favorvel proteo da indstria. Os
prod^ls,
economic-financial
toutbte
to7he Z7eSoTof
states deputies were nrrt Ji
^ ensure an expressive
^'^^^''F^ses grew and were
"
this
a recessive
u kl
do Sul in 1978.
Paulo.
So Paulo.
RS: a econornia e o poder nos anos 30. (Rio Grande do Sul, the
AbTrtri9to
Mercado
Alegre. MercaToXed.lSs""""
aZTmt''''"'-
Grande do Sul).
P-alo.
Paaio.
laell as ortictespuMshST'
Sumrio
Introduo
Introduction
Introduo
Introduction
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One should alwa\)s haue in rmind that the meaning of todays facts
can only be correctly eualuated after the historical conditions that led
to their occurrence are adequateli; understood.
present that controis the selection of the problems that are important
to study in history. The knowledge of the relations between the
For these reasons. and taking into consideration the fact that the
problems of industrialization are today vital both for Brazil and for th.
surgimento da fbrica.
the factov];.
the region being studied and the operation of the capitalist sgstem as a
whole.
Isto significa assumir uma posio eqidistante, tanto das anlises que
Laando o Boi.
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During almost two centuries the region wbich is todag the state of Rio
Grande do Sul did not haue ang links with the process of occupation
and exploitation that was characteristic of Portuguese colonialism in
Amrica. Being a non-tropical area. and located in the southern
the continent. the area was not suitable for the monoculture of sugarcane. As a result, the territory of Rio Grande do Sul did not become
The region was. howeuer. dose to Buenos Aires, one of the most
arfaors of Spanish Amrica, located at the southern margin
of the Rio de Ia Plata. Foilowing the ruie of monopolizing colonial
trade. fypical of rnercantilist policp. Spain tried to keep absolute
^
esturio do Prata.
to oTth
not having been abie
deceiue Spanish monopolp
^^
of
dch
mining
to
in the siluer trade bycolonies.
means oftried
smuggling.
UOS te
^^ttleground
during that period ,h,,mi
'"''^ost permanent
means to further canitnl n
.
possibilitij of using it as a
colonial powers
repression. The
Cattie arriued In Rio Grande do Sul brought by the Jesuit priests, who
had established their Missions In the territories to the west of the
Uruguag River during the first half of the seventeenth centurp. Driuen
side of the riuer, leauing their cattle behind them. This cattle multiplied
freely in the region, forming large herds of wild animais and causing
the area to be called "Vacaria dei Mar", or "cattle range by the sea".
tripod "frontier-smuggling-cattie".
The wild herds became the prey of people who came to the area to get
Qnd the indians from the Jesuit Missions. The Jesuit priest had
returned to Rio Grande do Sul by the end of the century, establishing
seuen new Missions in the west of the Uruguay River. The preying of
cattle and the driving of the herds to central Brazil was thus the cause
for hostilities between the armed groups that wandered through the
region.
By the third decade of the eighteenth century the wild herds had
The economp of Rio Grande do Sul did not, however, suffer much
damage as a result of that reduction, since by that time a new
inturZe'^'''''
''
tanneri) employed slaue laborers and took aduantage of the low cost
of hides in the area.
thongs, which were thrown to wrap around the legs of fleeing cattie
or game), bags and other artifacts. Spinning and weauing had aiso
communiti;.
Grande do Sul.
Origens da Indstria
Origins of Manufacturng
orriued
Rio Grande do Sul. 1824
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of nnlifir
surp/us laborers.
conlritjng ,o
WKcr,;P
Xcitos fo
netv
SiPtultaneous Jh ,oh
of'tnmigration. a "colonization
In the specific case of Rio Grande do S.ul the colonists were settled in
uirgin lands, not occupied by cattie breeding, which required the
opening of roads to improve communications.
The first immigrants that arriued to the state were the Germans, after
1824. After a first stage of subsistence agriculture in their small
landholdings. based on the work offamilp members, supplping onfy
the needs of the colonial area, theg were abie to generate surpluses
that were first sold in the region, and later, around 1870, exported to
the national market.
which the craftsman, using simple tools, produced plain goods either
for local consumption or for the regional market, helped by the labor
of bis famili;. The shops of craftsmen disseminated through the
colonial areas, producing seueral kinds of goods, like, for instance,
saddierg articles, plain cloths, vegetable oils, alcoholic beverages,
flour, lard, wine, straw hats, agricultural tools, beer, cigars and
cigarettes, bricks, shoes, bowls and wheels for carts and wagons.
que proporcionaram
section of the state. bordering the area of the German colonies. they
'chZaJfiJT'""'
emgrgence of
commerchi drcui, of
^'''^eepers, dispersed
to small-town merchnnt
--chcnts,
Small rural storekeepers, who were distant frorn the main sources of
information about the best market opportunites, had a lower capacitp
The most important were the businesses originated from the second
leuel of the commercial circuit. that acted as mediators between Porto
Alegre's wholesalers and the rural storekeepers. Located in the towns
of the colonial area, like So Leopoldo. Novo Hamburgo, So
Sebastio do Ca;, Caxias do Sul, Santa Cruz do Sul and
originated, like Renner, Trein, Ritter, Mentz and Oderich. They were
important producers of textiles, beer, lard and other pork products,
and had business connections and family linkages.
Caxias do Sul was the main business center in the Italian colonial
the colonial areas, as well os for the suppipng of machinerp for the
The eualuation of the role of commercial capital is. thus, essential for
the understanding of the origins of the process of industrialization in
sculo XX.
some cases, the industrp was readp and complete from the.start
capital industrial.
whch was the case when a merchant used his capital to open a
/adory, choracterized fay the use of wage laborers. machines and tools
itei
of f'Tcapital before the business
of 'orge
to bup
items offmed
couldsums
beginofitsmoney
operation.
iociorv. B.,.
In lhe inelfffn
factors interuened ingrowlh
the process
.
of
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3''ow Pieruccini became the owner of one of the largest wineries, and
Eberle was the founder of one of the largest and best known
metaiworking companies of Rio Grande do Sul.
ZdTcZn.
t"JlT7'T{T ""a
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So Pedro (o
brothers, merchants
-bourgeois ZZ;'ftfTT
^^''P
in
^rofessional expertise
brought with
"
then not onl\; technical and managerial knowledge, but aiso capital
Hdrich, que, dois anos aps ter chegado, montou uma fbrica de
mquinas em Novo Hamburgo; ou de Ernesto Neugebauer, fundador
de uma fbrica de balas e chocolates em 1891, em Porto Alegre.
Cruz.
The fact is that the different forms of existence of capital are closelp
related and, sometimes through the person of the same individual,
associaes diversas.
The process reviewed up to this point has shown the basic tuays
monep capital was accumulated and turned itself into industrial
capital: through the trade of colonial products through the person of
the "bourgeois immigrant", and by means of banking capital.
Some conditions, howeuer, would have to be met in Rio Grandes
indstrias.
free men. This condition was met partip by the irnmigrant settlements
craftsmen.
Colonial agricullure woa aiso lhe mala euppiler oi raw materiais for
aelhT''''V"x"''"T
Ite
lhose ath,ch produced ariae. lard. lobacco. heer aod flour
telde, the aaailablllig of labor poater and raw materiais, ono.bor
ZZe'"m
occumulated
In
roo actiulties could become industrial capital tvos
the existence
o; a consumar marta for manufaclured produols It tuas exactlp after
me amoal of the immigranls and lher settlewent as small farmers.
resu t of the conseqaent processas of arban and commercial
Marca registrada.
Chaves Irmos & Companhia de Tecidos So Pedro
Caxias do Sul. 1913
PORTO Alegre
Wallig and Uhr. Despite the fact of not using raw materiais produced
manufactured products.
"Campanha".
regio.
from the beginning, located in the two main centers of processing and
export of cattle-breeding products. It should be noticed, howeuer, that
even though some names from other ethnical origins may appear
It is, of course, aiso necessarp to mention the existence, s/de fay s/de
with these new industries, of the "Charqueadas". These old-fashioned
meat packing plants that used to emplo^r slaue labor began, after the
1870s, to replace this kind of labor force by wage laborers and to
centur]^, an era of rising wealth in the areas of the irnmigrationcolonization cornplex. An important fact to be taken. into account is
he eZ
end 2
of sbne,,.
nou,free aftcr
2e
r cominued Io use the fotmer slaves.
"Ctarqueodo
IZZnZed 7'"T"
"> ^easonal operetion
l
te Lanfrs. thc, used alio <o
of lhe slaughienng
to increase
ZZZTthfu
/ plants.This cornpany used""""S
te Io..the
rmrn
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Rtulo. Cerveja da Fbrica Ritter. Pelotas, 1922
Label of the beer made at Ritter breirerv. Pelotas. 1922
number of its workers bet^ond the normal ieuel during the months
when the "Charqueadas" interrupted their operation and their workers
had to search for other temporarp jobs. The scarcitp of skilied laborers
in the region was so seuere that sometimes local industries had to
bring them from Europe.
tcnico habilitado.
Another difference carne from the fact that the Campanha was much
less denselp populated, and wage relations were not dominant in the
The Prouincial Fair that took place in 1875 giues a good picture of the
colonial.
Emmerich Berta.
5razihan-GermanProvncia/
FairThe
tooknumber
place inofRio
Grandeexhibited
do Sul was
the
Exhibition.
products
soaps, Becker with iron wheels. and Berta with safes and stoves
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political spstem.
called "Encilhamento".
period.
ount of three times the uaiue of their gold reserves. Those Bank
es received the same acceptance as those issued by the Brazilian
easure. he backing of these bank issuings was given by Treasury
w by
u ^creating
P>'acticallp
implied
of the gold
standard,
a state of
affairsthe
in abandonment
which paper mone^
mpn
backing paper money (Bank Notes). This
fnr no ^ ^'^'^pfomented by an easy and wide availabiliti; of credit
cornnmf^" er;^|ses, that led to the opening of new business firms and
Brazilinn
a new
cijsfnm^ w
taxas de importao.
government^^'
Anncio industrial.
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Advertisement of the cookies
and preserues jactori; of
Leal Santos & Companhia
Rio Grande do Sul. 1908
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Since this period was not propitious for the acquisition of imported
technologf;, most of the new companies were smali firms, using
simple tools in a craftlike manner. The increase in the number of
the state had arriued at the time. as well as the wide uarietp of small
firms distributed throughout the colonial regions.
In the talian and German colonial areas small domestic handicraft
units were the most frequent kind of manufacturing unit. examples of
which were the mang existing breweries and wineries. besides some
small lard refineries. flour milis and tanneries. These units used
Leopoldo.
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It must be pointed out that most of those companies had been abie to
desfavorveis de cmbio.
the value of the Brazilian currency. with the resulting r/se in the prices
of imported goods, as well as by the easy availability of credit industrial investments became very attractive. Since this period.
however. the leadership in terms of the manufacturing activities would
come into the hands of a few companies that. in spite both of the
fluctuations in exchange rates and of the changes in the economic
leuels of production.
agrrio.
combination of euents.
called "natural industries", that is. those that used local raw
1*1.
todo o pas, pela produo de bens de consumo assalariado ou nodurveis, com uma pauta de artigos extremamente diversificada e,
na sua maior parte, resultantes do beneficiamento de gneros
primrios.
desde os primrdios, de um setor de "indstria artificial" o metalmecnico , uma vez que a matria-prima vinha da Alemanha. Este
setor apresentaria, ao longo de toda a Repblica Velha, um
desenvolvimento modesto, porm estvel, crescendo sempre.
the countrg.
After the last decade of the nineteenth centurg, with the beginning of
the Republican regime, manufactured products began to increase their
iii
c.iT
jI
experienced a modest but staole growth during the period of the "Old
Republic".
Party, that stayed in power in the state during the whole 40 years of
the "Old Republic", were the representatiues of an alliance between a
section of local cattie breeders and other capitalists. like merchants.
bankers and industrialists, supported aiso by the urban middie classes
and by the small colonial farmers. whose interests that party tried to
protect.
The state gouernment had os its two main economic goals to promote
the maintenonce of a diuersified economy, copable of suppiying local
needs, and to fauor the growth of Rio Grande s exports to other
Brazilian regions.
Regarding this last aspect. it began after 1899 to reduce export taxes,
source of reuenue.
poder.
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With the beginning of the twentieth centurg there come the end ofthe
industrial boom caused by the "Encilhamento" policg, when a new
economia policg mas enacted which imposed credit restrictions and
tried to strengthen the value of Brazilian currencg. Even though
similar measures had aireadg been taken in 1894, it was onlg after the
presidencg of Mr. Campos Sales, in 1898, that a currencg stabilization
policg was pursued in a more effective basis, as a result of an
agreement between the Brazilian government and international
brasileira.
tried, when the new centurg began, to improve its domestic sources
of fiscal revenue.
Brazilian economg.
tecnologia avanada.
It must be taken into account, howeuer, that the increase in the uaiue
refiners, like Renner, Greco, Otero Gomes and Frana; and the main
An integrated national market did not appear during the whole period
extending up to World War Ifor most manufactured
products. The deficiencg of the transportation sgstem and the large
estabelecimentos, que concentravam capital, fora-motriz e foratrabalho, frente a um predomnio de pequenas empresas,
unidades da federao.
While those smaller firms were euenly distributed throughout the state,
the largest companies concentrated in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande,
Pelotas, and in the largest towns of the colonial region, like Caxias do
Sul and So Leopoldo.
14% of the countrijs total industrial production, being the third largest
manufacturing producer among the states of the Brazilian Federation.
interno.
superestimada, uma vez que grande parte das empresas coadas nao
assalariados.
not be ouertstated, since most of the new firms did not use anij
machiner\; at ali and emploijed just one or two wage laborers.
experienced faster growth were, thus. those that produced nondurable consumer goods.
IH
MORC-IRA u&ao
The increase In the price of beef stimulated the entry of foreign capital
into the state to open new slaughterhouses with a techonological leuel
superior to the one preuaing in the existing firms in that trade.
refrigerated facilities that paid fairlp high prices for cattie during
wartime. due to the increased demand for refrigerated beef by the
countries involved in the conflict. Uruguap. historicallp the most
for salted meat and were able euen to export that commodity to
Cuba. formerlp an importer of Uruguaijan and Argentine "charque .
The industries that used to import their inputs and raw materiais from
abroad had to find internallp produced substitutas to ensure the
difficult. the companies that benefitted most were those that during
the pre-war penod had imported modem equipment and technalogp.
After the war. with uery favorable market conditions. those companies
were able to expand their production. But thexj did not onlij intensifp
the use ofthe machines bey had bought earlier: as it had happened
before'during the enactment of the Encilhamento policp. a difficult
penod for irnports. these large companies continued to bup new
equipment and to modernize their techniques. The Peterlongo
winerp. for instance. began to use a process of fermentation of wine
inside tl^e bottle in 1915. and the textile factor^ of the Companhia
m^ch'
some gear. increased its capacitg by buging new
improing collection.
expanso das exportaes do estado. Quando, no imediato psguerra, foi obtida a encampao pelo Estado do porto de Rio
Grande, em 1919, e da Viao Frrea, em 1920, a medida foi
saudada como sendo a grande realizao do governo republicano
gacho.
Articles like tobacco. alcoholic beuerages and textiles were the most
important goods to be burdened with consumption taxes.
Although the dominant Une ojinterpretation oj the ivar period is the
one regarding it as extremelg favorable for the deuelopment of
industrg. there are some negative aspects due to the causes
mentioned before that contributed to increase manufacturing costs
which must be pointed out.
One was the increase in taxes mentioned aboue, which brought
since theg were concerned with stimulating the states exports. When,
after the end of the War. the State Gouernement expropriated Rio
Grandes harborfacilities. in 1919. and railwags in 1920, the decision
urgent. The option adopted fay the state authorities was to stimulate
local production of coal. either by means of private or public
enterprises. Eletric power was not yet widelg used as a means to put
the machinerg of local manufacturing units into motion.
companies.
With the beginning of the twenties there came the end of the
fauorable conditions in the international market. which starded with
When the War ended there was a fali in the international demand for
seueral commodities. mainl foodstuffs. since the European nations
Cooperativa de Consumo
da Companhia Unio Fabril
(Rheingantz). Rio Grande, 1955
Consumption Cooperatiue
-" o
T'o
J rt-
capacitp.
capital. The new compang expanded its facilities and improued its
the
In 1919 the Companhia Unio Fabril, from Rio Grande, bought the
In 1928 out of 38 lard refineries that existed earlier in the state onlg
26 were left and ali of them had undergone a process of technical
modernization.
manufacturers in the state. when four firms of the Valleg of the "Rio
dos Sinos" united to create the Haas Sociedade Annima Indstria e
do Sul are compared to its imports from this state during this period.
twofacts become euident: first. Rio Grandes dficit in this balance of
trade: and second that Rio Grande s raw materiais exported to So
Paulo, like hides and wool. returned to be sold in the local consumer
be considered were the cattie breeders and the wool exporters. AIso
the Charqueadas" and other meat packing plants regarded the
export of hides as a means for increasing their receipts and maximizing
the economic utilization of the slaughtered animais. Besides that, local
tanneries exported their products to the markets of other regions of
Brazil, that could return to the state after being processed in shoe
other hand, after 1928, the state tax was aIso created on
result ofthis associative movement, that got its impulse both from the
government and from the producers themselves, there appeared in
da Banha.
0H
M
I^O'Giaiidense
PF? E iVl I Ap J
ESTADA DE ^01
JtDALMpEOUliq:.^:^
November 7, 1930.
The new Association was concerned with both supporting the interests
of the manufacturers as a social class, congregating ali industries both
from Porto Alegre and from the interior, and concentrating efforts in
order to act as a hbby to influence government decisions towards the
concerns of the class. In this sense, the role of the Center for
Manufacturing Industries was to act as a mediator between the class of
manufacturers and the government.
4,.
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histor}^ that lasted for more than two decades. With the exhaustion of
the model of capitalist development based on the export of
agricultural products. the countr^ moved to a new pattern of
accumulation based on industr^. This process was foilowed by
transformations in the class coalition that ruied the countr\; and by a
The basic requirement was that the new regime created by the
revolution continued to provide the conditions for the expansion of
capitalism in Brazil, creating new trends for the countrj^ s economi^.
Another important aspect was to ensure internai conditions for the
The federal gouernment aiso tried to set out. after 1931. a new
/n the first situation, the economic and financial policJ responsible for
governo federal.
A nvel poltico, havia dois projetos em curso na sociedade: o liberaldemocrtico, que implicava a abertura poltica e a proposta de
conciliar o desenvolvimento econmico com a ampliao da
ndustr^/ was abie to grow during the Great Depression not onlg due
to conjunctural aspects peculiar to that period. like the conditions of
the externai market or the policg measures of the gouernment, but
aiso as a continuation of its preuious deuelopment during the Old
Republic, when it aireadg presented an incipient metaiworking sector
capable of producing some kinds of machines and components for
replacement.
partidos comunistas.
um projeto consciente.
The "Estado Nouo", which lasted until 1945, was responsible for a
growing interuention of the state in the economg, as a centralizing
power for decisions and resources. It was during the "Estado Nouo"
that the countrgs pattern of capitalist deuelopment was reoriented.
Instead of being the result of casual attempts, industrialization became
a consciousig pursued objectiue.
it still lacked the technical and financial basis required for the creation
industrial.
Com a ecloso da Segunda Guerra Mundial, em 1939, modificaramse as condies do comrcio exterior brasileiro. O caf experimentou
uma alta significativa nos preos e no volume de vendas, e tambm
diversificou-se a pauta das exportaes do pas, passando a figurar nela
that was stronglp diffused in Brazil after 1930: the idea of econornic
nationalism. The federal gouernment recognized, not uery clearljj
restricted.
Anncio industrial.
wm9poderoso m
Cervejaria Continental.
Porto Alegre
que a medicina
wv- y
dispe, friiftoaos
se dafora
^
Aduer/senien,
orgarnsmo.
Ceruejana Cont/nena/.
Porto Alegre
r *oiv{4o
5aphrol
^<y-J9Vr':,
Anncio industrinl
A{('ertiscn)ci)i
Anncio industrial .
Cervejaria Continental.
Porto Alegre. 1935
f-fiT-*.;; c:r
tllm ACoyv.NH&DO a I
NOS*JA rvOLUCAO
'i ''S
Adoerisement.
Cer>e;ana Continental.
Porto Alegre. 1935
da Livraria do Globo
Pnnteci material
CtRVEJfiRIA
u.
the creation of the Volta Redonda steei mill were the landmarks of
the alignment of Brazil on the side of the American interests.
financiamento externo.
industrial.
Rio Grande do Sul, with its "natural industries", confirmed after 1930
its condition of "the countri^s granaria", onlp adding to this
characteristic the fact of not on/y exporting raw foodstuffs to the
Brazilian market, but aiso industrialized alimentarp products. This
implied the legitimation of the agricultural sector in the state, and aIso
allowed Rio Grande do Sul to participate in the new general direction
of Brazilian capitalism. oriented towards a new pattern of
accumulation based on industrp.
Euen though after 1930 the industrial gap between Rio Grande do
Sul and the central economia regions of the countty began to
increase, the dominant idea in the state was that Rio Grande had
been the winner of the 1930 Reuolution, and the fact that one of its
politicians, Getlio Vargas, was the President of Brazil, was the cause
of great regional pride.
During the whole decade of the thirties and up to the end of World
War II, the state was stimulated by a prospectiue economia
development. The belief that the growth of its industr^ would bring
about the renewal of Rio Grandes economia structure, since its
o montante de capital das empresas que, no caso paulista, apresentase com maior significao.
economy.
Both an industrial surueg done in the state in 1937 and the 1940
vincolas.
locais.
industries.
regional markets.
hv
These facts posed a question: what were the possible uiai^s for Rio
Grandes industrial actiuities to overcome the difficulties brought about
by these new times?
The onlg possible means for both ensuring the maintenance of control
over the regional market and for obtaining an expressive share of the
Brazilian market were the specialization in some industries, the
improuement in the qualitg of Rio-Grandense manufactured goods
Technologp was, thus, the main problem. It was not aiways easy to
e mught from abroad, as a result of the deterioration of the value of
the Brazilian currencp.
ur/ng the decades of the thirties and forties the destination of the
Abramo-Eberle's factorp.
Caxias do Sul, 1946
Anncio industrial.
by local tanneries.
For the wineries the period after 1930 was characterized by a general
feeling of optimism as a result of advances made by the industria, of
the importance of the product for Rio Grandes economia and the
large share of the state (almost 30%) in the Brazilian production of
wine. The large wineries of the state combined the use of imported
machinerij with manual work. supervised by specialized technicians
technologi; from the United States in 1931. exac/y when the Great
fabricada no sul.
The lard produced in Rio Grande do Sul had to face. after 1930. the
putting the lard insde the containers "without any contact between
financial resources. This was aiso the period after which the states
"Charqueadas" modified their actiuities by forming producers'cooperatiues in order to bug refrigeration equipment, so entering the
market for refrigerated beef and progressiuelg abandoning the
production of "charque".
national and regional markets. since the use of heavier clothing was
limited to the colder seasons of the gear. Renner aIso became a
States. Since the raw material was aIso imported, the compang
prepare flax fibers, through a firm created spedalli^ with this objectiue,
maior parte das empresas no possui registro de fora motriz. Tratarse-ia, ainda, de unidades artesanais ou de manufaturas de reduzido
at that time, the Renner group aIso began to extend its investments
In the metaiworking industries the statistical data for the period show a
large number of blacksmitHs and tinsmith's shops, as well as machine
repair shops. dispersed throughout the many towns of the state
These establishments presented generalfy similar characteristics. like
small size of capital and few waged workers, the average being
befu)een one and two, with many cases of units with no employees.
Most did not use any machineri^ at ali. as neither the use of electriciti!
nor any other source of power was registered. These establishments
do Sul, with Eberle, and Porto Alegre, with Berta, Wallig, Gerdau
and the Companhia Geral de Indstrias.
Eberle, for instance, which had for a long time been a suppiier of
equipment and weapons for the Brazilian Armed Forces, was greatlg
The leather industrt,/ aIso benefitted from the changes that resulted
from the war. The tanneries. for instance. increased their exports of
hides as a result of the disorganization of the economies of the
countries inuolved in the conflict and of the needs of their Armies.
The states meat-packing industry lvos aIso favored by an exceptional
increase in demand during this period.
passou a se suprir dos feltros Renner, que por sua vez utilizavam
integralmente matria-prima local (a l rio-grandense).
Tambm a fundio Becker dedicou-se no perodo da guerra
produo de mquinas que no podiam ser adquiridas to facilmente
no estrangeiro. Especializada na fundio de ferro e bronze, a Becker
passara a trabalhar em grande escala para o equipamento da
Celulose Cambar Limitada, que seria instalada em So Francisco de
accumulated durng the war the funds required for the renovation of
its machineri; after the end of the conflict.
According to the historian Jean Roche. the three first years of the war
caused the duplication of the number of industrial units. of the uaiue
during this period. The growth in the demand for industrial equipment
resulted in the deuelopment of the internai production of machinertj.
since it had became almost impossible to import technologit.
An exemple of this was the Renner group which tried to buy
and iron^ this companp made the equipment for the Celulose
Cambar Limitada, a paper factorp located in So Francisco de
Paula. The foundrp used Brazilian iron and American or British coal
but began aiso to utilize the coal extracted in the state.
There was a general increase in the state's exports during the war. as
we as in the growth of its industrial production. These events led to
e generalization. in the state. of the idea that after the end of the
ar e Brazilian economp would not return to its previous pattern of
eue opment. The transition that Brazil was undergoing between two
p erns of capitalist accumulation had been noted and. at a regional
. t ere was a reinforcement of the idea that the economi; of Rio
Crande was polarizing lowards industrij.
Prtico Monumental
da Exposio Farroupilha.
Porto Alegre. 1935
Portal
unn.
Anncio industrial.
III
Anncio Industrial.
Confeces Renner.
Porto Alegre
Aduertisenient
r.
IDEAL
ORIENTAL
COLOMBO
A' vona em todas as casas dc fazendas
v..
ltr.\
3IIR ^
Qne can aiso say that during the war the states economp experienced
a euphoric period due to its response to the exceptional growth of the
energia. Pode-se dizer que tais questes foram, de uma certa forma,
international conflict.
taxes on their products. as theg struggled to find new markets for Rio
Quanto ao ensino industrial, as necessidades crescentes de mo-deobra especializada para as fbricas levara o governo criao de um
rgo para dirigir e administrar este tipo de aprendizagem. O Servio
Nacional de Aprendizagem Industrial (SENAl), criado especialmente
para este fim em 1942, inseria-se, desta forma, num projeto mais
amplo de industrializao do pas, que demandava fora-trabalho
The problem of the suppig of energy ivas aIso fundamental not only
for the deuelopment of local industrg. but aIso for the growth of the
state s economg as a whole. The main problems were the supplv H
electricitg at low costs. as well as of coal. for industrial consumptiom
be great importance of the "natural" industries in the states
Tha idantification of these problems did not haue the effect, howeuar,
of rauersing the optimism about the futura of Rio Grandes economy
desenvolvimento.
During the period of the "Estado Novo" the so-called "Getulian mode!
The association with the United States. that had made possible the
creation of the industrij of basic goods. aiso implied. howeuer.
difficulties for the creation of a "national capitalism" in Brazil. The
economia linkages with the United States were strengthened and. as a
The new stage of the countr^s political histor\; that begun after 1945
was. thus. characterized by a democratic regime. This period of
populist democracp. that ivas extended until 1964. was the political
counterpart of the Getulian model of deuelopment. in which the
capitalist development.
capitalista.
crescente avano do capital monopolista sobre as economias latinoamericanas e, por outro, a prpria diviso interna da burguesia
Kubitscheck that the transition from one model to the other occurred.
The policp adopted during the second half of the decade of the fifties
reduced the chances of survival of the "national-developmentalist"
sobrevivncia do nacional-desenvolvimentismo.
model.
econmico brasileiro.
consumer goods between 1955 and 1961. Once more the Center-
South of the countri/ was the region that benefitted mostli^ from this
process. This area had been for a long time the core region of the
Brazilian economy. since it had inherited the capitalist accumulation
generated by coffee-exporting agriculture. This led to a regional
h was basically during this period. before 1964. that the economic
existed between the economp of this state and that of the core region
of the countri;.
with much less difficult^. and the use of the system of coastal
nauigation was to a great extent replaced by road transportation. In
the case of Rio Grande do Sul that process was intensified in the
beginning of the fifties, with the inauguration of the BR-101. a
highwag connecting the state to So Paulo.
The industries located in the core region of the countri; were the ones
that benefitted most from this process of integration. since thep were
beginning to produce durable consumer and capital goods, which
required the expansion of the internai market. The regional industries,
like those located in Rio Grande do Sul, had to adapt to this new
realitg. redefining their characteristics during the new stage of capitalist
deuelopment in the countrg. As a matter offact. Rio Grandes
the state as in the rest of the countr];. Rio Grande s industria. In spite
o} its good performance from the end of the war up to the first half of
the fifties, was unable to become the leading element of the social and
renda.
for more than 50% of the value of the production of Rio Grandes
manufacturing sector.
predominant.
re ^ h
r r r
Servio Nacional da Indstria (SENAI).
Escola Visconde de Mau. nos Navegantes.
Porto Alegre. 1955
Servio Nacional de Indstria SENAI).
Visconde de Mau School. Navegantes. Porto Alegre. 1955
!?irP*
relatiuel^ autonomous.
gap between the state's industri,/ and that of the core region of the
Euen though there were no important iron ore deposits in the state,
de industrializao brasileiro.
two small steei milis were located in Rio Grande do Sul, operating in
the production of cast iron and basic ar special kinds of steel. The
industrial structure of the state ivas not adequate for the new trends in
the demand that were emerging in the countr;.
That does not mean, however. that the state was not included in the
state s industrp. To the extent that its main industrial actiuiti^ was the
papei de fornecedor de produtos aiimentares. Tais artigos constituamse num dos principais itens da cesta de consumo do trabalhador
dos ramos ditos "dinmicos" que cresceram mais neste perodo, seja
machines, irrigation pumps, equipment for rice, corn and wheat milis,
besides grain polishers. winnowing and pressing machines and other
comunicao e transportes.
tools.
been established during this period in the state. produced parts and
utenslios.
bodies and trailers for motor uehicles or eaen for those moued by
animal traction.
pas.
Rio Grande do Sul was. therefore. left out of one important segment
of suppip of raw materiais and did not haue manp industries related to
this branch. as well as did not present good conditions in terms of
and So Paulo.
One compani; that had been deueloping in the state was the Refinaria
de Petrleo Ipiranga Sociedade Annima, an oil refinerp located in
the town of Rio Grande, which was created through the association of
capitalists of the countries of the Rio de La Plata with cattle-breeders
Sul. The oil refmed by this companp was recelued directiy through the
pas a partir de 1955, restava para as empresas gachas adequaremse aos novos padres tecnolgicos e de mercado e/ou adaptarem-se
s condies vigentes do estgio indstrial que se afirmava no pas.
Esta possibilidade contemplava tanto a sua absoro por empresas de
fora do estado ou mesmo estrangeiras como a simples aceitao da
perda do mercado.
o/Rio Grandes industr^ did not change. With the new stage begun in
1955, the companies of the state had to adap to the new technologp,
market standards and to the conditions required by the new period of
industrial development of the country. These circumstances led those
firms to face two options: either be bought by companies from other
states (or even from other countries) or to accept a reduction in their
share of the market.
The first example of this kind of situation was giuen by the Cervejaria
Continental, the largest brewery in the state, which aireadp in 1946
was bought by the Cervejaria Brahma, a large brewing companp from
Rio de Janeiro. Brahma and Antarctica Paulista were the two largest
Brazilian breweries in terms of capital. These companies from Rio de
Janeiro and So Paulo had advantages over their competitors in Rio
Grande do Sul in terms of costs of production, since the states
breweries had to import bottles from other regions of the countrp.
With the buping of Continental by Brahma the Brazilian brewing
market became controlled by this company from Rio de Janeiro.
there was a general crisis in the economy from 1956 on. This crisis
was widely discussed in books, public debates and in articles in the
the local industry, this fact aIso affected the performance of the states
economia problems of the state were derived from the difficulties with
better connection between the state s capital and the sea. With the
decrease in the importance of coastal nauigation, superseded by road
transportation, Rio Grande do Sul suffered with higher costs of
transportation. The cost of road transportation was twice the cost of
coastal nauigation, which, on its turn, was twice the cost of riuer
In the specific case of Rio Grande do Sul. the uaiue of bank loans
was higher than that of deposits. As a result. the banks located in the
state were forced to resort to rediscounting in order to obtain the
The local^ banks. howeuer, were not capable of satisfying the needs of
t e state s companies. and the Banco Nacional de Desenuoluimento
growt , did not lend to the small and medium-sized firms that
constituted the majority of Rio Grandes industry. This bank aiso
speciaized in financing the most aduanced branches of industry that
ere eing stimulated by the gouernment, leauing Rio Grande do Sul
out of its priorities.
Montenegro, 1955
MO pfiO
TANAC Sociedade Annima
Iviili
i\ii rusinhit!
rjandc
Anncio industrial.
vr'
O margarina
^ Pfimor ,,:t:
;,Sm RiGi (1.fJii l/f '[ufinleJi
SIIKRUIlGICt RIOCRinilSE S. I.
deuiation of resources. which did not return to the sources where they
linha de apoio.
affected the prices of the foodstuffs produced by the state. the federal
The point that was most in euidence in the ana/yses produced in that
period was the marginalization of Rio Grande do Sul and the slower
growt of Its industrp in comparison to that located in So Paulo.
th I
states economg.
of the parties
in degree
charge of
Souernment. apolitical
fact thatorientation
implied differences
in the
of
PP rt giuen to the specific interests of the seueral segments of the
O PSD, representado no sul pelos governos de Walter Jobim (19471951) e de lido Meneghetti (1955-1959 e 1963-1964), identificava o
problema da industrializao como a meta a atingir. Porm,
considerava que a indstria a incentivar e proteger deveria ser aquela
que beneficiasse os produtos oriundos da agropecuria. Tal
identificao mostra as fortes ligaes com o ruralismo gacho e tem
sua complementao no posicionamento do PSD no que toca ao
xodo rural que se processava no estado. A posio dos governos do
PSD era de conter a massa rural no campo, considerando ser esta
medida um fator de progresso para o setor primrio e, por extenso,
para o secundrio, ao mesmo tempo que se revestia num mecanismo de
estabilidade social. Em contrapartida, a evaso para as cidades era
entendida como um elemento que contribua para a perturbao da
ordem.
demonstrated the dose links of that partg with the interests of Rio
Grandes agriculture, and were complemented by its position in regard
to the problem of the emigration of agricultural laborers out of the
state s rural areas. The proposal of the PSD gouernments was to
social stabilitg. It was aIso considered that the migration towards the
cities contributed to disturb the order in the society.
industrial development for the state was to declare the islands of the
industrial center.
delta of the Guaiba river. next to Porto Alegre, prjoriti; areas for
desapropriao.
infra-estrutura.
polticos em jogo.
them.
estrangeiro.
still maintained.
with the support of the United States. The militarg takeover of 1964
was deriued from that articulation. This mouement started a period of
Brazilian histori; characterized by authoritarianism and by the support
estrangeiro.
'
lio
Vincola Garibaldi.
De 1964 Atualidade
From 1964 to the Present
Ipiranga Sociedade
Companhia Brasileira de
Rio Grande do Sul.
1
*'
.>N
The 1964 Reuolution caught the countiy amid a crisis that had begun
in 1962 and that had led to the slowing doivn of Brazis industrial
crescimento do setor.
tambm sobre o setor de produo de bens de consumo nodurveis. A retrao da demanda urbana desses bens levou,
"traditional" industries.
or that end. iike. for instance. the diffusion of direct credit for
1 Rio Grande do Sul the period that began after 1964 was
terized by the trend towards the intensification of the links
t re state s economv with other areas of the countrv.
earners.
urbanos.
shoes to other countries was aIso linked with these measures. causing
a great increase in the production leveis of this branch of industrg. as
well as a reduction in the number offirms. in a process of industrial
concentration.
Being a "traditional" industrg that used local raw materiais, the case of
the shoe industrg is adequate for the studg of the relationships
Esta situao, por sua vez, tinha muito a ver com o agravamento das
from the shoe industrp. expanded their productive capacity. but this
increase was not followed by a growth of the suppip of hides by the
local cattie breeding sector.
f fh,
f ,
tha
tmnZ"!
T network.
''^Provements made in the countrps
transportation
founrt
comnnn ^
corp region
rpn off the
L Brazilianif^tegration
core
economp.with the industries located in the
had tuin
states indi
consumnti ^
tZheZZr "
consumo final.
located in thlZZregiZ^Z^'^
chemical innutc
became subjected
^oods
CoDftiaootes
'SC?*
Metalrgica e Munies.
So Leopoldo, RS
Sociedade Annima
Porto Alegre. RS
Caxias do Sul, RS
state. This articulation was to be. howeuer. less stable than the
Brazil.
Plo Petroqumico.
Sapucaia do Sul. RS
^^^Jrnh
jiiU
gouernment.
other states.
The reaction against this phenomenon came from the state politicians.
The discussion reuealed that this was one of the solutions found by
local companies to face the new conditions of competition and
formeri];.owned.
Txtil RV Limitada
Porto Alegre. RS
ZIV! - Hrcules
Sociedade Annima
Porto Alegre. RS
Porto Alegre, RS
ktijfiwLiifii.ii
Siderrgica Riograndese
Sociedade Annima.
Porto Alegre, RS
em 1982.
These data ead to the conclusion that Rio Grande do Sul is not the
In spite
of the
manufacturing in
spiie oj
the backwardness
backwardness of
of the
the state
state s
s manufa
comnnricnt-i to that located
I
i__i in
_ the
,i Rio
n. de
i Janeiro-ouu
r . ' -|-So Poulo
QW
comparison
rui...-- -
Grande do Sul.
GRfiPICfi
0
PRLLOTTI
''' '