Liberty and liberalism:

Tensions and disputes in the context of the 1940 brazilian congress of writers

Abstract

The 1940s were marked by intense activity both internationally and domestically. Internationally, the consequences of the end of World War II, the onset of the Cold War, and the United States' international policies significantly influenced global events. Domestically, there was the end of the Estado Novo (New State) and intense debates surrounding nation-building projects. In this context, political ideologies were set in motion, leading to extensive discussions on authoritarianism, liberalism, and democracy. The aim of this article is to reconstruct a part of these debates, highlighting the disputes surrounding the theme of freedom and, consequently, the emerging ideas of liberalism and neoliberalism. We will utilize the debates that took place in the first three Brazilian Congresses of Writers (1945, 1947, and 1950) as an analytical tool, along with the reflection of these debates in the press. Through the categories of "space of experience" and "horizons of expectations," as discussed by Koselleck, we seek to understand the continuous tension and interaction between a history of concepts and social history in comprehending the historical period under examination.