Manifestações da cultura militar no espaço educacional brasileiro na primeira república : o contexto de Pelotas-RS

Abstract

This research aimed at analyzing the manifestations of military culture in Brazilian education in part of the First Republic, especially in Pelotas city, in Rio Grande do Sul. This study is about a documental research developed by some magazine samples O Tiro e O Tiro de Guerra, edited by the War Minister from 1909 to 1930, digital documents from Center for Research Libraries, Alamanach from Pelotas city, reports on Pelotas city, Pelotas album, Gonzaga gymnasium memories, scholar documents of the Pelotense school and bibliographies. The first part describes the history of military education, initiated by the Portuguese army in Brazil in 1694, it is formed by matrix and inspiration inherited by Brazil sovereign army, which, from the war arsenal, dismissed educational concern not only to its permanent, as children and civil adults of its surroundings. It made part of the literacy of its low rank militaries in other kinds of barracks, by Regimentals Schools. Also, it highlights the civil participation in the creation of Patriotic Battalions, especially Polytechnic School which ensured its consolidation in the first years. It exposes army's efforts to deal with an update war doctrine, experimenting until the mid-twentieth century, the German, French and American doctrines as ideals. Finally, it describes the historical background of the emergence of physical education in Brazil, and the Brazilian Army performance in its adoption and development. The second part of this study focuses on the beginning of the sporting activities, those ones linked to target shooting in associations of German culture, as well those ones started by militaries and civics in some military institutions. Also, it exposes the creation of Propaganda Society of Brazilian shot, in Rio Grande city, in Rio Grande do Sul, its results and inspirations to the creations of other associations in order to instruct the 16-years-old citizens how to shot to defend their homeland, by command of Brazilian Shooting Confederation, concomitant to the campaign in favor of the mandatory military service. The third and final part relates numerous difficulties faced by the Brazilian Army in the Triple Alliance War, two of them are - the low professional qualification of its troops affected by poor education and lack of shoot preparation – they would endure concerns for a long time. The War Ministry, aware of this, remained in searching of a solution, discovering, in the beginning of twentieth century that it could remedy these deficiencies with the introduction of its military culture in Lines, Shoots and in civil educational institutions, through the Military instruction schools. As a result, Pelotas was considered a privileged locus to the dissemination of that culture, including the scout pedagogy in some institutions, contributing in the formation of a patriotic and civic youth.