Monopolistic capital, dictatorship and State in Brazil: the case of the trajectory of the construction company Mendes Júnior

Abstract

The article intends to analyze the relation between capital and State in Brazil, problematizing the history of the Minas Gerais construction company Mendes Júnior, focusing on its activities throughout the Brazilian civil-military dictatorship (1964-1988), a period of great growth for the company. Our hypothesis is that this contractor is an emblematic case of the monopoly capital created in Brazil throughout the 20th century, fueled by public funds and state protectionism under the authoritarian regime. Therefore, we analyze the course of the company, emphasizing its process of growth and insertion within the agencies of the Brazilian State. We conclude that the process of expansion of the company kept pace with the affirmation of the monopoly capital in Brazil, but the contractor found difficulties in the process of political transition and during the New Republic in the country.