Long live mining class united! Against imperialist war!: the coal miners of Rio Grande do Sul and the war effort (1942-1945)

Abstract

The coal area of Baixo Jacuí, in Rio Grande do Sul, is known as the cradle of the coal industry in Brazil. The beginning of this industry occurred in the second half of the nineteenth century, but its assertion within the Brazilian industrial context occurred during the period of the war effort when thousands of tons of ore were extracted from the subsoil of the two main mining locations of the time: Arroio dos Ratos and Butiá. This article tries to understand how the workers of the coal mines of the region were positioned in front of this conjuncture characterized by profits of one side and super exploitation by another one. Firstly, it is sought to discuss the way the war effort discourse has toured the region through different segments of the coal community, seeking to raise and legitimize the maximum effort of the mine workers. The following are the exploitation levels to which the miners were subjected in this context and some of their main demands and forms of resistance. Finally, the position of the class entity is observed before the pressure of the mining companies and of the mining category itself. For this article documents of the documentary funds “CADEM” and “Sindicatos”, both belonging to the collection of the Historical Archive of Mining, located in the city of Arroio dos Ratos.