The Belle époque and the social question:

an analysis of public and private assistance in the Federal District under the eyes of the chargers of the Malho (1891-1930)

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the actions of assistance to the poor, acclaimed by the public authorities and by philanthropy, in the Federal District between the years of 1891 and 1910. For the purposes of this analysis we will focus on the years that comprised the beginning of the twentieth century, strongly marked by an intense and controversial process of modernization of the then federal capital, responsible for conferring civilized air to the "marvelous city" and, at the same time, excluding the poor from the central parishes of the city. To do so, we will use as sources the charges of the Mallet, the reports sent by the Police to the Municipality and the requests sent by the population. Thus, we believe that this vast set of documents will enable us to identify the assistance practices that prevailed in the early years of the twentieth century, as well as to outline the profile of the poor who were excluded or assisted by existing care institutions.