Política, secas e algodão: a Estrada de Ferro Central do Rio Grande do Norte e os usos do território

Abstract

Since the first projected lines, the development of the railway network in Brazil has been strongly linked to the objective of guaranteeing the flow of agricultural production carried out within the national territory. In the states that today make up the Northeast region, in general, and in Rio Grande do Norte, in particular, the political instrument of using the “fight against drought” discourse covered the purpose of building railways as one of the central elements. From this undertaking, intensely promoted in the first decades of the 20th century, the Central Railway of Rio Grande do Norte (EFCRGN) emerged, considered by regional oligarchies who defended its construction as the infrastructure that would guarantee not only the cooling of the effects caused by climatic irregularities, but also the economic development of the state. From its initially pronounced design, this railway acquired other functions over the years that followed its inauguration in 1906. The historiography of the advent of changes in the functions attributed to the EFCRGN demonstrates that, at times, such transformations were aligned with the interests of the local elites and, in others, more linked to nationally oriented projects. From this, it is possible to question: how did the EFCRGN reflect the power dynamics between local elites and the central power in defining the uses of the territory of Rio Grande do Norte? That said, the objective of this dissertation research is to analyze how interactions between central power and local elites influenced the use and planning of Rio Grande do Norte territory through the development and use of the Central Railway of Rio Grande do Norte between 1872 and 1949. To this end, the assumptions of Historical Geography and the reading of the territory used as the guiding axis of the investigation are listed as analytical principles. Still in the theoretical-conceptual universe, discussions on geographic situation and federalism are promoted as central to the analysis carried out. The entire conceptual framework was compared with the examination of primary and secondary sources, which range from documents and reports produced within the government, to newspapers, magazines and other records produced in the period studied. The general apprehension expressed here is that the way in which the territory was used by the Estrada de Ferro Central do Rio Grande do Norte throughout the first half of the 20th century was always determined by the aspirations of the interventions instituted by the federal government. The local oligarchic factions, specifically, and the state government, in general, had to assimilate how their intentions were in line with national purposes. In this sense, the “autonomy” provided by Brazilian federalism remained, in this case, only within the scope of discourse and the possibility of guaranteeing some bargain. From the point of view of projects and administration, the Union dictated how the railway would be used as a technical object.