|
|
 |
Brazil History
History: There are traces of American-Indian civilisations in Brazil as far back as at least 5000 BC, and perhaps several millennia prior to that. The first European expedition, led by the Portuguese Admiral Pedro Alvares Cabral, reached Brazil in 1500, and discovered a population numbering several millions (possibly up to five million), divided among hundreds of tribes and language groups. The arrival of Europeans, followed by African slaves, brought diseases which devastated the indigenous population during the early years of colonisation. The Portuguese colonial economy was initially based on slavery and exploitation of primary products, but under the influence of Jesuit missionaries, its effects were somewhat moderated. By the late 16th and early 17th centuries, the Portuguese were more concerned about resisting incursions by rival colonial powers, especially the French and Dutch. The early settlements located in what is now the province of Bahia were expanded. The Napoleonic wars, during which Portugal was invaded by French forces in 1807, triggered the growth of modern Brazil. Threatened by invading French forces, the Portuguese government and royal family decamped to Brazil under British protection in 1807. On arrival, they reconstructed the instruments of modern government in their new location of Rio de Janeiro. In 1821, King Joao returned to Lisbon leaving his son, Dom Pedro, as regent. Within a year, Dom Pedro led a successful campaign for independence (backed by the British) which Lisbon was forced to accept. The imperial system created by Dom Pedro lasted until 1889 when it was overthrown and replaced by a republic. The struggle for control between central government and the most powerful regions (notably Sao Paolo, Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul) has been a major characteristic of Brazilian politics since the creation of the republic. It has often led to the intervention of the army which, apart from the Catholic church, is the only truly national institution. Indeed, it was the army, in the form of forces led by Field Marshal da Fonseca, who brought the imperial regime to an end. A sense of national identity gradually developed during the early 20th century, while the main regional potentates ensured stability by distributing national posts among themselves. Meanwhile an industrial economy was developing rapidly, bringing new social and political problems which proved difficult to resolve. The career of Getulio Vargas, who dominated Brazilian politics between 1930 and 1954 and governed the country twice as popularly elected president and twice as dictator, reflects something of the instability of that era. In 1964, the army decided to take full control, heralding two decades of military rule. Pressure for a return to civilian rule gathered momentum during the early 1980s, particularly after the military ceded power in neighbouring Argentina in 1983. The army consented and at the election held in January 1985, Tancredo Neves, a respected former prime minister and latterly a state governor, became Brazil's first civilian president for 21 years. Neves was the candidate of a liberal alliance formed around the country's main opposition party at the time, the Partido do Movimento Democratico Brasileiro (PMDB), but which also included dissidents from the then ruling (and now opposition) Partido Democratico Social. Neves died before he was able to take office and was replaced by the deputy president-designate, Jose Sarney. Sarney successfully guided the country through the tricky period of transition between military and civilian rule which many South American countries were then negotiating. The end of military rule also allowed the opportunity for a major public debate about the future of Brazil's rain forest which were then being indiscriminately destroyed by loggers and ranchers. The scale of the destruction was such that it could have a serious effect on the global climate and thus the debate attracted intense international interest. It was appropriate, therefore, that in June 1992 Rio de Janeiro should host the first global summit on environmental issues - the 'Earth Summit'. 1992 also saw a domestic political crisis with the resignation of the president of three years, the conservative Fernando Collor de Mello representing the Partido de Reconstrucao Nacional. Vice-president Itamar Franco assumed the presidency until the next elections were held in October 1994. These were won by a former economy minister, Fernando Enrique Cardoso, as the candidate of the Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira, formed in 1990 by PMDB dissidents. After an inauspicious start, Cardoso gradually built up a measure of trust with the electorate which was sufficient to win him a second term at the October 1998 election. His principal opponent, as in 1994, was Luis Inacio da Silva (known as 'Lula'), a left-winger with roots in the trades union movement, who has lost every election he has fought despite a substantial, often fanatical, personal following among poor Brazilians. Despite his high personal standing, Cardoso has managed to do little to tackle seriously the country's diseased political system or the huge inequalities that disfigure Brazilian society. Much of the second term has been consumed by economic fire-fighting as the Brazilian currency suffered a major collapse through structural economic weaknesses and adverse events in Asia and elsewhere. However, little of this was of any consequence to the country's impoverished rural masses, who in the early months of 2000, have stepped up their campaign for genuine land reform. Their campaign has now reached major proportions and their policy of productive occupation - often in the face of violent opposition from the major landowners - has gained many supporters both in Brazil and abroad, and has the makings of a significant political movement.
Government: The present constitution was promulgated in 1988. Legislative power rests with the bicameral Congresso Nacional. The lower house has 513 seats and is elected by proportional representation for four years; members of the 81-strong Senate serve eight-year terms. The president, who holds executive power and is elected every four years, appoints and leads a cabinet of ministers.
|
|
|
|
General
