American historian Thomas Skidmore wanted to understand the 1964 military coup in Brazil. He had to go back to the 1930 revolution that brought to power. The various phases of the Vargas government and all subsequent ones upto Jo?o Goulart are discussed in depth.
is the figure that dominated this whole period. First as leader of the country and after his suicide in 1954 the country stayd polarized in pro and anti-Vargas politicians. The political parties he created ( and ) won all presidential elections except the 1960 one that brought J?nio Quadros to power. His rule was a big disappointment for the conservative forces and ended when he abruptly stepped down in 1961.
His vice-president Jo?o Goulart was a protege of and very unpopular with the military. Where his mentor and father-in-law had always managed to keep an equilibrium between the conservative and progressive forces, Jo?o Goulart was soon left without any real allies. His erratic handling of some military incidents made him even more unpopular with the army and tipped the balance in favor of those officers who wanted to dispose him. You're left with the feeling that the military coup could have been easily avoided by a more able politician. At the same time the army had already threatened to step in various times and did so in other Latin American countries at around the same time.
Written in 1967 this is probably the first historical study of this period. Therefore Skidmore can stick to the facts, and doesn't have to protect his opinions against rival viewpoints. He focuses exclusively on the political and economic developments. If you share this interest, this is the perfect book to get to know the facts.
