Power'sArchitecture

After the modernist frenzy of the 1920s came the Crisis of 1929 and, following it, the Revolution of 1930; with it came Getúlio Vargas. The novelty now was the attempt to incorporate into the city part of the popular segments previously excluded, through corporatist social policies. The goal was to prevent the social movement and the left from taking control of the streets, and, to that end, the full repressive capacity of the State would be used, as well as the dimension of populist nationalism.

But Vargas also expanded the city toward the Guanabara lowlands, opening a new avenue called Brasil (in the 1940s). This action brought the city closer to its surroundings, increasing the supply of jobs in the economy and in the State bureaucracy. The middle classes also benefited, taking advantage of the education policy that placed greater value on teacher-training schools and teachers.

Image description: This is a black and white photograph of a road with traffic. On the left side, there is a vintage bus in motion. In the center, several vehicles, including cars and trucks, are traveling along the road. On the right, there is a classic car parked. In the background, there is a line of trees and a hill. Street lamps are suspended over the road.

The city, however, needed to embrace, through architecture, the materiality of this new era, which was reflected in the monumental buildings of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Labor.

Image description: This is a photograph of a monumental building with several windows arranged in horizontal rows. The main structure is light beige in color, with classic architectural details. To the left, there is a more modern building in blue, while to the right, there is another beige-colored building, shorter in height. In the foreground, we see red tile roofs and some green trees. The sky is partly cloudy, allowing natural light to illuminate the scene.

Vargas's social policy produced a new character for Rio - mainly, in his second term -, marked by the separation between the north and south zones. Unions and institutes occupied the margins of the city, mobilizing capital and labor. The intervention regiment produced changes and altered landscapes, sometimes in a paradoxical way, as in the case of the proletarian parks in Gávea, in the 1940s, and the occupation of Jardim de Alá by the Journalists' Union, in the 1950s.

These changes deserve attention, because they affected the South Zone, which was left waiting amid the appreciation of the working classes sponsored by Vargas's policy. The ideal of work and of the worker as an expression of the new era generated effects and changed the balance of forces in Rio's society.

The political landscape also changed, and the end of the Estado Novo opened the way for redemocratization in 1945. But Marshal Dutra's rise to the head of the State maintained his predecessor's moralizing outlook on urban life, which resulted in the closing of casinos and the prohibition of games of chance.

Image description: The image is an old black-and-white newspaper. At the top, in large letters, it reads "THE SITUATION OF CASINO EMPLOYEES." Below, in smaller letters, it continues "A MEETING AT THE MINISTRY OF LABOR." The text describes a meeting about the situation of casino workers, who were laid off due to the gambling ban. Minister Negro de Lima authorized the release of an invitation to a meeting at the Ministry of Labor. The newspaper mentions that a commission will represent the dismissed employees and that the meeting will take place at 10 o'clock on Monday. The newspaper's title is "O TEMPO."