Stringing Together a Nation: Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondon and the Construction of a Modern Brazil, 1906-1930

by Todd A. Diacon

Focusing on one of the most fascinating and debated figures in the history of modern Brazil, Stringing Together a Nation is the first full-length study of the life and career of Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondon (1865–1958) to be published in English. In the early twentieth century, Rondon, a military engineer, led what became known as the Rondon Commission in a massive the building of telegraph lines and roads connecting Brazil’s vast interior with its coast. Todd A. Diacon describes how, in stringing together a nation with telegraph wire, Rondon attempted to create a unified community of “Brazilians” from a population whose loyalties and identities were much more local and regional in scope. He reveals the work of the Rondon Commission as a crucial exemplar of the issues and intricacies involved in the expansion of central state authority in Brazil and in the construction of a particular kind of Brazilian nation. Using an impressive array of archival and documentary sources, Diacon chronicles the Rondon Commission’s arduous construction of telegraph lines across more than eight hundred miles of the Amazon Basin; its exploration, surveying, and mapping of vast areas of northwest Brazil; and its implementation of policies governing relations between the Brazilian state and indigenous groups. He considers the importance of Positivist philosophy to Rondon’s thought, and he highlights the Rondon Commission’s significant public relations work on behalf of nation-building efforts. He reflects on the discussions—both contemporaneous and historiographical—that have made Rondon such a fundamental and controversial figure in Brazilian cultural history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Brazil

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Luiz Gustavo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excelente. Agradável. Biográfico de uma das personalidades mais importantes da história do Brasil.

[Ken Hoffner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first learned about Candido Rondon while reading the fascinating book called “The River of Doubt” by Candice Millard. “The River of Doubt” recounts the story of former president Teddy Roosevelt's adventure in 1913 to explore a tributary of the Amazon River called the Rio da Dúvida. The Brazilian government pulled Rondon from his work of building a telegraph line into Amazonia to accompany Roosevelt on this expedition. While Rondon survived the journey with grace and fortitude, Roosevelt didn't fare so well. Sick from malaria and other tropical infirmities, Roosevelt barely completed the journey, returning flat on his back in the bottom of a dugout canoe.

“Stringing Together A Nation” by Todd A. Diacon tells the story of Rondon's Commission that was tasked with building a telegraph line from the coast of Brazil to its interior west. While there is a lot of information about Rondon in Portuguese (check out YouTube), I couldn't find many books or other information about him in English. I was finally able to borrow this book through an inter-library loan from Rutgers University-New Brunswick here in New Jersey.

The desire to build a telegraph line primarily stemmed from military concerns to protect the border with Paraguay and other countries to the west. Brazil had suffered some humiliating incursions into its interior and recognized the need for better border security and faster communications with its troops. A commission was formed to build the telegraph line clearing a rough opening through the jungle a hundred feet wide, with a clear-cut path 10 feet wide to erect the telegraph poles and wires. Candido Rondon, an army engineer was tapped to lead this commission.

The first part of the book covers the building of the line from 1907-1915. It was grueling work, and being assigned to the Rondon Commission was considered a potential death sentence to army recruits, with fatalities from malaria, tropical diseases, work injuries, and Indian attacks. Rondon himself and his harsh disciplinary measures with his troops added to the miseries of the troops under his command. It is estimated that over 360 people died in building the 4000 miles of telegraph lines that were eventually built. Because of their frequent encounters with native tribes in the Amazon, Rondon became a national authority on Brazil's indigenous people. Even when attacked, Rondon forbade retaliation against the indigenous people of the Amazon.

Rondon's pacifism towards the native Brazilians was rooted in his adherence to a religion/philosophy called Positivism. In the second section of the book, Diacon unpacks the beliefs of the Positivism movement in Brazil and places Rondon squarely in the midst of this movement. Positivists had a rather Utopian view that various countries and societies in the world were in different states of humanitarian development, and would eventually move to a higher level of existence, resulting in peace and harmony between all men. The Positivists believed that lesser-developed societies simply needed more time to evolve into a higher plane of existence, and it was the job of the more advanced societies to shepherd the lesser-developed societies without forcing them to change from the outside. Hence, Rondon believed that it was the Brazilian government's role to allow the indigenous tribes to evolve on their own, even if it took several generations. I learned that the current Brazilian flag with the words “Order and Progress” were actually taken from the tenets of Positivist thinking.

Even after the line was built, the telegraph rarely worked well, and it took many years of efforts by others to get it to work right. Once it was operating it was barely used. By that time, the radio was coming into common use, and code signals could be sent wirelessly. Despite its obsolescence, Rondon's Commission had an effective public relations operation, and fought for continued funding of the Commission even after it became irrelevant. The third part of the book talks about the tireless public relations campaigns of the Commission to justify its existence. The commission was eventually de-funded, and Rondon spent the remainder of his career heading up the governmental office that oversaw Indian affairs.

The last section of the book deals with how Rondon's legacy has been treated by historians. Originally seen as a visionary leader in relating to the indigenous people, even meriting a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize, he later came under attack for his desires to see indigenous societies integrated in to the Brazilian culture at large, erasing their own cultural heritage. The author understands this criticism, but also thinks it is unfair because creating a unified post-colonial Brazil was an overarching national goal in Rondon's time. He points out that the United States were much more violent in dealing with the Indians that stood in the way of an expanding new nation.

I really enjoyed this book, and learned a lot about Candido Rondon. I have a much more complete and nuanced view of Rondon and his accomplishments, but I still admire him for his pacifist dealings with the indigenous peoples, and also as one tough dude who exhibited great courage and perseverance in stringing together a nation, one pole at at time, through the heart of Amazonia.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much written in English about Rondon, tons in Portuguese though. So this book fills a gap and it presents an objective portrait of the man and the nation of Brazil at the turn of the century and into the twentieth. I would like to have seen more about his personal life but that was not the aim of this book. He is as polarizing a figure it appears as Christopher Columbus is to the New World. You either loved him or hated him and he seems to have been his own worst enemy at times. He sounds a lot like Steve Jobs, a flawed genius. He loved his dogs and mules more than his men. He openly antagonized the Catholic Church and fellow army officers who would criticize his projects. As soon as his telegraph was complete it was obsolete due to radio and yet it was manned past the point of common sense. He knew better though than to antagonize Teddy Roosevelt, although there was much disagreement on that trip down the River of Doubt, which figures only briefly in this book. Still a fascinating man who left his mark on modern Brazil.

[Larry White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being an academic book rather than a biography makes for a bit of a tough read when reading for enjoyment (at least I feel that way). That said, as a history nerd, especially South American history, a truly informative read, if not always the easiest to get through.

[Emilina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uma biográfica maravilhosa da comissão de Cândido Rondon. Pra alguém que está interessado na história do Brasil, e que fala inglês, é o livro mais importante para ler! Te conta do Rondon, as políticas e polêmicas dele, e como ele tentou de construir um telegrama no interior do Brasil, para “construir o país”.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Diacon really tries to avoid lauding and condemning Rondon (or rather, he really tries to do both, in turn). The role of Positivism is really interesting, and the author seems justified in focusing on this as an area previously neglected.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was really well written, I read it in a history class but I thought that it was fairly easy to read in terms of a history book