Brazil Five Centuries of Change

by Skidmore, Thomas E.

• ISBN13: 9780195374551
• ISBN10: 019537455X
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-06-04
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Revised and updated in this second edition, Brazil: Five Centuries of Change vividly traces the development of Brazil over the last 500 years. Author Thomas E. Skidmore, a preeminent authority on Brazil, provides a lively political and economic narrative while also including relevant details on society and culture. Skidmore's particularly major revision of the colonial chapters begins with the discovery of Brazil by Pedro Alvares Cabral and includes Portugal's remarkable command of the vast country in the face of Spanish, French, and Dutch colonial interests. The text goes on to cover the move of the Portuguese monarchy to Brazil in 1808, the country's independence in 1822, establishment of the Empire within the context of expansion of the coffee trade, the importance of slavery in nineteenth-century Brazil, and the move towards abolition. This second edition offers an unparallelled look at Brazil in the twentieth century, including in-depth coverage of the 1930 revolution and Vargas's rise to power; the ensuing unstable democratic period and the military coups that followed; and the reemergence of democracy in 1985. It concludes with the recent presidency of Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva, covering such economic successes as record-setting exports, dramatic foreign debt reduction, and improved income distribution. The second edition features numerous new images and a new bibliographic guide to recent works on Brazilian history for use by both instructors and students. Informed by the most recent scholarship available, Brazil: Five Centuries of Change, Second Edition, explores the country's many blessings--ethnic diversity, racial democracy, a vibrant cultural life, and a wealth of natural resources. It also looks at Brazil's historically severe problems--including political instability, military rule, chronic inflation, and international debt--and its deplorable environmental record. An ideal choice for undergraduate and graduate courses in Latin American history, this eloquent and detailed look at Brazil will be the standard history of the country for years to come.

Author Biography

Thomas E. Skidmore is Carlos Manuel de Cespedes Professor of History Emeritus at Brown University. He is the coauthor of Modern Latin America, Sixth Edition.

Table of Contents

List of Exhibits and Figures	p. xi
Preface	p. xiii
Introduction: A Brief Sketch of Brazil and Its Place in the World	p. 1
The Birth and Growth of Colonial Brazil	p. 9
Portuguese Arrival in the New World	p. 9
Factors Leading Up to Cabral's Voyage	p. 11
Early Consolidation of the Monarchy	p. 12
Social Structure with a Merchant Class	p. 12
Long-standing Involvement in Trade Routes	p. 13
Too Small to Send Nationals to Settle Abroad	p. 13
Securing the Frontiers	p. 14
From Trading to Colonizing	p. 15
Brazil's Colonial Economy and Its Nexus with Portugal	p. 19
The Influence of Enlightenment Ideas	p. 24
Conspiracies against the Portuguese	p. 25
Peoples and Dramas in the Making of the Colony	p. 29
Hunting Indigenous People for Enslavement and the Jesuit Role	p. 29
The Portuguese Explorers and Their Expeditions	p. 32
The Role of the Mameluco	p. 33
The Concept of Race as Applied to Indians in the Colony	p. 35
The Place of African Slaves and Free Coloreds	p. 36
The Persistence of the African in Brazilian Culture	p. 38
From Colony to Independence as a Monarchy	p. 41
The Portuguese Court Comes to Brazil	p. 41
Creating a New Portuguese America	p. 43
Brazilian Hierarchies	p. 46
The Tribulations of Brazil's First Emperor	p. 47
Uprisings under the Regency	p. 50
Recentralization	p. 53
The Role of Pedro II	p. 54
The Rise of Coffee	p. 56
The Emerging Problems with Slavery as an Institution	p. 60
The Question of Abolition	p. 62
The Paraguayan War	p. 64
The Making of "Modern" Brazil	p. 71
A New Generation and the Military Question	p. 71
Abolition and Its Aftermath: The Brazilian Way	p. 73
The End of the Empire	p. 78
Selling Brazil	p. 81
"Whitening" Brazil	p. 82
The Reality behind the Facade	p. 84
Coffee Fluctuations, Emerging Industry, and Urban Labor	p. 87
The Roots of Industrialization	p. 88
Worker Organization and Employers' Strategy	p. 90
Evaporation of the Oligarchical Consensus	p. 92
A Message from Below	p. 92
Economic Strains	p. 93
Building to a Dictatorship and World War II	p. 97
The Shock of World War I	p. 97
The Economy after the War	p. 99
Brazil's Uneven Development	p. 101
New Currents in the 1920s	p. 102
Modernism, Brazilian Style	p. 104
Rise of Anti-Liberal Thought	p. 105
The Disintegration of the Old Politics	p. 107
The Revolution of 1930	p. 108
Swing toward Centralization	p. 110
Ideological Polarization	p. 112
Getulio Vargas as Dictator	p. 114
The Vargas Style	p. 116
Corporatist Inroads	p. 117
A New Search for National Identity	p. 118
Juggling the International Options	p. 120
World War II and the Rise of U.S. Influence	p. 121
Collapse of the Dictatorship at Home	p. 124
Returning to Democracy, for a While	p. 126
The 1945 Election and the Dutra Period	p. 126
Vargas Returns	p. 128
From Oligarch to Populist	p. 129
Vargas's Legislative Program Runs into Trouble	p. 131
Suicide	p. 133
Population Growth, Regional Disequilibria, and Migration	p. 136
A New President, Juscelino Kubitschek, Elected	p. 140
Political Strategy	p. 141
The Economic Development Program	p. 142
Dealing with the World Economy	p. 143
The Brief Presidency of Janio Quadros	p. 145
The Succession of Joao Goulart	p. 147
Populists versus the Military	p. 148
The Economic Crisis Escalates	p. 149
Rule of the Military	p. 153
The Generals Search for a Political Base	p. 153
Growing Opposition, Growing Repression: 1964-1967	p. 155
Triumph of the Hard Line	p. 156
The Arrival of the Guerrillas	p. 158
Brazilian Culture and the Generals	p. 159
The Effects of Repression	p. 166
Military Rule and Questions about Brazilian Political Tradition	p. 168
The Economic "Miracle" Wrought by the Authoritarians	p. 169
The Benefits and Costs of Foreign Loans	p. 171
The Winners and Losers	p. 172
The Road to Redemocratization	p. 175
Battles within the Officer Corps	p. 175
Manipulating the Electoral System	p. 177
Redemocratization-New Hope, Old Problems	p. 180
An Unintended Succession	p. 180
Sarney and the New Democracy	p. 181
The Cruzado Plan	p. 183
The Debt Crisis and the Economy	p. 185
Lost Investment	p. 186
The Brain Drain	p. 187
Widening Gaps between Rich and Poor	p. 188
Education and Health Care	p. 191
Housing and Communications	p. 192
Public Health: A Success Story	p. 193
Changes Affecting Women	p. 194
Race Relations	p. 198
Contemporary Culture	p. 201
The Political Spectrum in the New Democracy	p. 202
The Collor Debacle	p. 207
The Election	p. 208
The Policies	p. 209
The End	p. 210
Another Vice President in Command	p. 211
Back to Stabilization: The Plano Real	p. 212
The Presidential Election of 1994	p. 215
The Cardoso Government's First Term	p. 216
Going for a Second Term	p. 219
Social Justice Delayed	p. 222
Selling Off the State	p. 224
Brazil in the Shadow of an Argentine Default	p. 225
Brazilian Democracy Takes a New Turn: Or Does It?	p. 229
Lula Finally Becomes Legitimate	p. 229
The Economic Scene	p. 230
The 2002 Presidential Campaign	p. 230
Lula's First Steps	p. 233
The PT in Power	p. 235
Exports Take Center Stage as Lula Continues to Govern	p. 237
Government Fortunes Further Reverse as the PT Tastes Scandal	p. 240
The Last Year of Lula's First Term	p. 243
The Economy in 2006	p. 244
Some Hard Lessons for Lula's Socialism	p. 245
The Landless Movement	p. 245
Riots among the Criminal Population	p. 246
Conflict with Bolivia over Natural Gas	p. 247
The 2006 Presidential Campaign	p. 248
Lula's Second Term and the Outlook Ahead	p. 250
Lula's Luck	p. 252
What's Next?	p. 254
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 257
Index	p. 271
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.