This volume is the continuation of an earlier study of colonial and imperial São Paulo and covers the period 1850-1950. These volumes are the first full scale survey of the economy and society of the state of São Paulo in this two century period in any language. Today São Paulo is the most populated state of Brazil and also the richest and most industrialized one. It is also the world leader in the production of sugar cane and orange juice and houses one of the world’s major airplane manufacturers. Its GDP today is almost double the size of Portugal or Finland and close to the size of the enti ... More

This volume is the continuation of an earlier study of colonial and imperial São Paulo and covers the period 1850-1950. These volumes are the first full scale survey of the economy and society of the state of São Paulo in this two century period in any language. Today São Paulo is the most populated state of Brazil and also the richest and most industrialized one. It is also the world leader in the production of sugar cane and orange juice and houses one of the world’s major airplane manufacturers. Its GDP today is almost double the size of Portugal or Finland and close to the size of the entire economy of Colombia or Venezuela and its capital city is one of the top five metropolitan centers in the world. This volume shows how the region of São Paulo went from being one of the more marginal and backward areas of the nation to its leading agricultural, industrial and financial center. Special emphasis is given to the creation of a modern state government and finances in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as well as the evolution of tis coffee economy and its internal market as well as its leading role it played in the integration of over two million European and Asian immigrants into Brazilian society.