Nepotism and Meritocracy: Structure of Conflict Between Elites in Modern Brazil

This paper looks at bureaucrats and military officers in modern Brazil and analyzes how these groups were recruited and promoted to understand the background of their opposition. Because public education was late to develop in Brazil, schools functioned as a way to reproduce the upper class and were a major means of maintaining the oligarchy. The appointment of bureaucrats was based on nepotism, which led to the continued predominance of the upper class over a long time, and this did not change dramatically with the introduction of civil service examinations. In contrast, the military quickly established a meritocratic system based on ability as shown through tests and academic background, thus putting those from the middle class at the center of the officer corps. Pride in having improved one’s professional qualities within a meritocracy engendered a sense of superiority among military officers over bureaucrats; in other words, the conflict between nepotism and meritocracy was a major cause of discord.