Relations between agriculture and industry in Brazil: 1930-1960

Abstract

This research addresses the relationship between agriculture and industry in the
process of capital accumulation in Brazil from the late twenties through the early sixties. It
is an exploration of the dynamics of the intersectoral linkages during the period and of the
effects of state policies on those dynamics. It was shown that while Brazilian agriculture
performed its five traditional functions throughout the period from 1930 to 1960, its performance
was not a history of steady progress on each front. During the fifties, the five functions
appeared to contain internal contradictions which were associated with the establishment
of the durable consumption and heavy capital goods industries. The state policies were
seen as reinforcing those contradictions which contributed to the crisis in the Brazilian economy
of the early sixties.

JEL Classification: Q11; Q14; Q17.