This study of the presence of French ideology in the Bahian revolution of 1798 forms a part of a broader investigation by the author of economic conditions in the latter half of the eighteenth century. Her purpose in the book under review is essentially two-fold: to identify and place in context the works found in the libraries of the conspirators, and to link the Bahian movement with the general “bourgeois revolution” of the eighteenth century, and in particular with France.
The book is divided into four sections. Using the records from the trial of the revolutionaries, the author devotes the first part to the identification of books found in the libraries of two leading conspirators. Here we note the personal character of their collections: for example, the predominance of books on the natural sciences in the possession of the surgeon, Cipriano Barata, and the relative absence of political writings. A second portion consists of a transcription of the original French version, followed by a translation into Portuguese, of the two French revolutionary tracts frequently encountered among the papers of the rebels. Dr. Mattoso provides an excellent discussion of the contents of the documents, as well as pertinent information about their author and their relationship to the events of the French revolution. Thirdly, she transcribes a document advocating the creation of a New Church, and accompanies this with a concise review of eighteenthcentury mystical and Masonic doctrines. In the last section, we find the publication of ten scarcely literate, seditious manifestoes and two notes to the Prior of Carmo nominating him head of the Supreme Tribunal.
Although limited in its aims, the book makes a major contribution as a tool for future studies of the ideology of the revolution. The author’s approach to her manuscripts and to the writings of earlier historians is critical and suggestive. She frequently draws instructive comparisons with the literature from the Tiradentes revolt, discusses controversial points, and indicates areas for further study.
Furthermore, her discussions, either explicitly or implicitly, raise important questions. For instance, the French revolutionary tracts found in the libraries of the Bahian conspirators came exclusively from the bourgeois and moderate phases of the French revolution. How, then, may we explain the supposed radical, democratic and popular character of the Bahian movement? Who were its ideologues? The tailors, soldiers and humble folk who may have authored the more radical seditious pamphlets, or the literate, educated elite who collected literature of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution? Assuming that Portuguese censorship was strict, how was it that so many subversive works did enter Brazil? Was France the source of this literature—or Portugal itself? What was the role of Masonry in the revolt? How do we reconcile the appearance of mystical writings with the more rational expressions of political thought? Who authored the street pamphlets?
We may sincerely regret that the author did not attempt to answer any of the questions she has posed. At the same time, we remain indebted to her for her patient and exacting labor of identification, transcription, and analysis, which will provide future historians with an excellent groundwork for an ideological study of the movement.
