This article examines the political thought of Oliveira Vianna by means of a critical dialogue with the model of interpretation that defines as "instrumental authoritarianism" the singularity of his conception of State. In such model of interpretation, the institutions of the authoritarian State idealized and proposed by that author are presented as instruments (means) adjusted for the accomplishment of the political liberalism and the democracy in Brazil. After the liberal and democratic ends were accomplished, the authoritarian character of the State could be questioned and abolished. This article argues that, besides not questioning the equivocal assumption that it would be possible to accomplish democratic ends by means of authoritarian instruments, the "instrumental authoritarianism" model is not appropriate to understanding the ideological dimension of Oliveira Vianna's political thought, which is oriented to the justification of an antiliberal and antidemocratic State form.
Oliveira Vianna; Democracy; Liberalism; Authoritarianism; Brazilian Political Thought