The Origins of an “Enigma”: Getúlio Vargas, Rio Grande do Sul’s Decaying coronelismo, and the Genesis of the Interventionist State before the 1930 Revolution

Abstract

How did Getúlio Vargas appear on the political scene in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil? What was the political orientation of his government between 1928 and 1930, and to what extent did Getúlio’s experience of his home state’s political environment at the beginning of the twentieth century influence his later political trajectory? By answering these questions, I aim to contribute to a better understanding of the roots of the historical phenomenon “Getúlio Vargas.”