Soldiers of the Ptria A History of the Brazilian Army, 1889-1937 [Hardcover]

This book provides an authoritative history of the Brazilian army from the armys overthrow of the monarchy in 1889 to its support of the coup that established Brazils first civilian dictatorship in 1937. The period between these two events laid the political foundations of modern Brazila period in which the army served as the core institution of an expanding and modernizing Brazilian state.The book is based on detailed research in Brazilian, British, American, and French archives, and on numerous interviews with surviving military and civilian leaders. It also makes extensive use of hitherto unused internal army documents, as well as of private correspondence and diaries. It is thus able to shed new light on the armys personnel and ethos, on its ties with civilian elites, on the consequences of military professionalization, and on how the army reinvented itself after the collapse of its command structure in the crisis of 1930a reinvention that allowed the army to become the backbone of the post-1937 dictatorship of Getulio Vargas. The book represents a major contribution to a better understanding of the role of the military in Brazil, its foundational period, and the dynamics of its intervention in a critical phase in the country's history. I strongly recommend McCann'sSoldiers of the Patria McCann brings to life the arcana of weapons procurement and army administration, especially the importance of the changing role of the chief of staff and the impact of the personalities who held it. He skillfully analyzes the culture of conspiracy, revolt, and amnesty that wreaked havoc with sensible and necessary army reforms, and he offers numerous insights into the major politial events of these years. This is an excellent comprehensive account of the early history of the Brazilian army, meticulously researched and documented, well written and interesting... Overall, this is a readable, well-crafted work. Frank D. McCann is Professor of History at the Univel³#