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✅What Was the "Alcohol Question"?

The alcohol distillation industry, using sweet potatoes as raw material, successfully developed during the last two decades of the 19th century, positioning itself as the immediate alternative to replace the space left vacant by the orange cultivation and trade.

This industry flourished particularly in São Miguel, with factories being established in Lagoa, Santa Clara, and Ribeira Grande. To grasp the significance of sweet potato cultivation and the alcohol distillation industry in São Miguel, it is enough to note that the island's factories produced around six million liters of alcohol, which accounted for three-quarters of the national production and approximately 75% of São Miguel’s exports. In other words, sweet potato cultivation and its industrial application became the backbone of the local economy, involving several industrialists, hundreds of workers, and thousands of farmers.

The industry thrived due to the low cost of raw materials (sweet potatoes) and, above all, the protectionist measures it enjoyed in the mainland market. Most of the alcohol was exported to the Metropolis, where it was used in the wine industry (for producing stronger fortified wines). However, due to pressure from national winemakers, the central government eventually opened the borders to foreign alcohol, which was significantly cheaper, leading to the collapse of the Azorean alcohol industry.

What became known as the "Alcohol Question" was perceived as a lack of national solidarity with the local economy and as a complete disregard for the region's economic interests. This issue sparked strong reactions against the Metropolis government, fueling autonomist and even separatist sentiments within the archipelago.

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