REFORM AND REACTION AFTER VARGAS IN BRAZIL

1
REFORM AND REACTION AFTER VARGAS IN BRAZIL
2
The Decline of Populism

• The death of Vargas ended the model of
  independent capitalist development
• Brazil had two options
• An alliance of the working class and peasants to
  radically restructure the economy
• A return to neocolonialism

3
The Kubitschek Plan

• Fifty years of progress in five
• Massive foreign investment from US to transform
  Brazil into an agrarian-industrial country
• Rapid growth, but massive debt and inflation

4
The Quadros Plan

• Wanted to reduce dependence on US and build
  Soviet support
• Fear of leftist tendencies caused a military coup
  in 1961

5
The Goulart Plan

• Power was limited by the military in 1961
• Accepted US money, but tried to limit profits of
  foreign companies
• Tried to expand the electorate and won back power
  from parliament in 1963
• The effect of the Cuban Revolution spread to
  Brazil

6
The Effects of Castros Revolution

• The US perceived all left-wing movements as
  Soviet sponsored threats
• It developed the national security doctrine
  which made the Latin American armies fight an
  internal war against communism, while the US
  prevented external attacks on Latin America

7
The Meaning of Communism

• Within Latin America, Communism meant a struggle
  of the impoverished classes against the elites
  and US corporations
• Within the US, Communism was a Soviet threat to
  wipe out democracy and capitalism

8
Kennedys Alliance for Progress in 1961

• Kennedy wanted a Marshall Plan for Latin America
  to suppress Communism and encourage democracy
• Latin American militaries took US military aid
  and training and suppressed Communism by crushing
  democracy
• The Alliance failed

9
Goularts Move to the Left

• He gained leftist support by nationalizing the
  oil industry, tax reform, and land expropriation
• The right (the wealthy, military, foreign
  industrialists, the upper middle class) won the
  support of the US State Department for a coup
• Goulart overthrown in April of 1964

10
BRAZILS COLONIAL FASCISM
11
Military Rule and Political Control

• Used the appearance of constitutional rule to end
  constitutional protection
• First Institutional Act-President to rule by
  decree
• Second Institutional Act- Dissolved parties and
  ended presidential elections

12
Political Control-2

• Third Institutional Act- ended popular elections
  for local officials
• The acts established the linha dura

13
The Linha Dura

• Strong belief in anti-communism
• Acceptance of US leadership in foreign affairs
• Acceptance of a neocolonial economic policy

14
The Consolidation of Power

• Suppression of all dissent
• The use of paramilitary death squads
• The systematic use of torture
• Attack on labor organizations

15
Economic Policy

• Ended the populist model of development
• Believed in heavy industrialization at the
  expense of the poor for the benefit of the upper
  and middle classes
• The economic miracle caused a massive gap
  between the rich and the poor

16
The Economic Decline

• Rising oil prices caused Brazil to borrow
  petrodollars increasing its debt
• International interest rates rose leaving Brazil
  as the worlds leading debtor nation
• Brazil exported more food despite the fact that
  50 of the population was malnourished

17
The End of Military Rule

• The economic meltdown combined with growing
  political opposition caused the military to give
  up control of the government

18
MILITARY RULE IN ARGENTINA
19
The Military and Peron

• Peron created what the military feared, an
  alliance of peasants and the working class
• The military connected a left wing movement with
  Communism
• To counteract the Peronists the military set up
  an authoritarian, bureaucratic state

20
Argentinas Economy

• A relatively weak economy caused the workers to
  turn farther left on the political spectrum
• The Monteneros fought against the government
• 20,000 disappeared in systematic torture and
  executions in the dirty war

21
Protest and Downfall of the Military

• Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo
• The military attacked the Malvinas or Falkland
  Islands to divert attention from the protests
• The British and US response
• The military handed power to a civilian
  government in 1983