The selbsthülfe (mutual­selfhelp) in the development of rural communities in the interior of RS at the beginning of the 20th century

Abstract

The pursuit of liveability (quality of life) is not a recent phenomenon and can be observed in numerous historical movements, such as the establishment of the first rural cooperatives in southern Brazil in the early 20th century. The development of these European communities provides elements for reflecting on the presence of an associative mindset, grounded in cooperative principles that emerged from the contradictions of the Industrial Revolution. By analyzing archived documents from early rural credit cooperatives, this study explores the role of these social groups in public action within colonial communities, examining practices of local power during the First Republic in the European­colonized regions of southern Brazil. The findings indicate that these experiences produced a cooperative model shaped by both utopian socialist ideals and liberal­bourgeois practices, forming a field of mobilizations, associations, and social forces aimed ataddressing local needs, improving quality of life, and achieving local power.