Workers, labor unions and policy in the context of democratization in Bahia

Abstract

This article examines the relationship of workers and labor unionists with the party and electoral institutional policy in the context of state and municipal elections 1947 in Bahia. In this state and in other parts of Brazil, the nuances and complexities of the political participation of workers in that period were often overshadowed by theories of populist manipulation and the thesis of “cupulismo” pecebista. The crossroads of the speeches, programs and campaign strategies with data on voting by sections or polling places and the dynamics of the relationship of workers and trade unionists with candidates and parties help explain the political choices of the urban employees that context.