RIVALRY AND UNIFICATION - MOBILIZING RURAL WORKERS IN SAO-PAULO ON THE EVE OF THE BRAZILIAN GOLPE OF 1964

The article utilises oral history, labour and military court records, newspaper accounts, and government documents to narrate the history of rural labour mobilisation in the Alta Mogiana region of Sao Paulo, Br azil, during the years 1959 to 1964. It shows how rival rural leaders linked either to the Brazilian Communist Party or the Catholic Church organised many workers, led numerous influential strikes, and helped h undreds of workers sue for their rights in court. Eventually, Catholic and Communist competitors jointed forces under the guidance of a fede ral agency (SUPRA). Coordinated by SUPRA, the newly unified Alta Mogia na movement was suppressed by the military regime that took control of Brazil in April 1964.