Reflexões sobre o Integralismo em Cachoeiro de Itapemirim : contribuições para a compreensão da expansão integralista no espaço brasileiro

Abstract

After 1930 s revolution, many citizens of Cachoeiro de Itapemirim have seen their hopes thwarted from greater political representativeness. The rearrangement of the oligarchic interests within the Social Democratic Party and within the Tillage Party worked their way in supressing democratic acess to the minimum forms in the State apparatus. It is in this context of exclusion and frustration that AIB (Brazilian Integralist Action Party) founds, in 1935, the integralist center of Cachoeiro de Itapemirim. There the party finds a set of factors for it s growth. In the state of Espírito Santo, it found good soil for it s expansion, mainly around the italian colonized regions. Even though Cachoeiro de Itapemirim is not a proeminently italian colinized county, in many districts and counties in the vicinities the italian descendencies are numerous, like in Floresta, Castelo, Alegre, Venda Nova do Imigrante and others. In these regions, AIB displays all its power and organization. Furthermore, once Cachoeiro de Itapemirim was by the time a major political and economic centre in the state s south region, the circulation of people and ideas was intense. Thereto, AIB had the support of a strong ally, namely, the Church, above all when it came to be against the communism and the freemasonry. The integralist members from Cachoeiro also employed a lot the integralist symbols and rites, beyond the use of parades and prints as strategies to regimentate and propagate the Doctrine of the Sigma. Indeed, AIB s growth made the former parties and political movements unite themselves in a anti-integralist campaign. Right after AIB s foundation in Cachoeiro, the city became stage of a fierce conflict. The National Freedom Alliance (Aliança Nacional Libertadora) gathered a great cluster in a anti-facist assembly in Estrela Field with the intention of disrupting a integralist congress in the city. After that they went to Leopoldina Station to stop the disembark of a integralist entourage. A day before, november 1st of 1935, Alberto Secchin, a young integralist, have been murdered in an ambush next to Morro Grande. The integralists spent Memorial Day watching their fellow s body. Tension was rising. From this, that with was supposed to be just a congress turned out to be one of the most controversial and tragical conflicts in the politics history of Cachoeiro de Itapemirim