Popular reaction against the sinking of Brazilian ships in 1942 in Baixada Fluminense according to the press
World War II, Baixada Fluminense [Region of Rio de Janeiro State], Press, Popular Manifestations, Correio da Lavoura
o This work aims at analyzing the impact that the sinking of Brazilian ships during World War II caused in the region of Baixada Fluminense, having as its main source the weekly newspaper Correio da Lavoura. It is a local newspaper published in the municipality of Nova Iguaçu, that encompassed a vast territory in Baixada Fluminense (Fluminense Lowlands) and offered an important economic contribution to the Rio de Janeiro state and to the country as a whole through its production of citrus. The originality of the research resides in the focus in a region that, as opposed to the great state capitals, is not in constant evidence, something also reflected in the historical works on the impact of World War II in Brazil. As we demonstrate, the war produced reaction all over Brazil and the reality in Baixada Fluminense was not different. Phenomena engendered by the war context, such as scarcity, productive effort, popular reactions, retaliations against the “Axis Subjects” had their specific expressions in the region, as we analyze based on journalistic records. The press is approached in this work both from the analyzes of pieces published in the newspaper as historical documents and in what regards the understanding of Correio da Lavouraand its editors in local society. The theses also present a contextualization of the Nova Iguaçu municipality and its social, political and economic demands, through the lenses of the war impact in the region. In that way, we aim to contribute for the historiography on World War II in Brazil, including the Baixada Fluminense in the historical studies on the subject.