Brazilian History
A history of Brazil from its colonization to the modern day.
Pre-Colonial Brazil
Long before the first European ships appeared on its horizon, Brazil was home to millions of indigenous people. Little is known about their history; they did not use a written language and left little stone architecture behind to record their societies. Largest among them were tribal cultures and language groups like the Munduruku, Tupi-Guaraní, and Yanomami. The first people of Brazil adapted to its rainforests and more temperate plains over thousands of years. Most lived as semi-nomadic hunters and gatherers or farmers, typically near a source of fresh water.
Brazil as a Portuguese Colony
Brazil enters the historical record in 1500, when it first came to the attention of European explorers. They were part of a first wave of naval expansion, landing less than a decade after Christopher Columbus’s famous voyage. In this case, the seafarers were Portuguese, representatives of a small but sophisticated kingdom of the Iberian Peninsula. The Portuguese recognized the potential of the land and soon found a valuable resource in brazilwood, which offered not only quality wood but also a vibrant red dye. Settlers began to establish industry and port towns, capturing indigenous populations for slave labor. Later, they transitioned to large sugar plantations and cattle ranching, all powered by slaves who lived and died by the thousands.
These tribes experienced severe losses to slavery, disease, and conflict with the new arrivals. They waged several rebellions, while others fled into the deep forest, where the Portuguese could not fall. Eventually, their numbers grew too small to support the expanding commercial interests of the Portuguese colony. Within a century, the colony began importing African slaves instead. The three broad cultures--indigenous, African, and Portuguese, would mingle, clash, and collaborate to form the major ethnic groups and cultures of Brazil today.
In 1630, Dutch interests under the Dutch West India Company began conquering the most profitable areas of Portuguese Brazil. It would take 24 years and the combined efforts of Portuguese settlers, African slaves, and tribes to oust them at last. The 18th century brought new colonists in waves, lured by the promise of gold and later gemstones. It also meant the arrival of foreign commerce, new administration, and increasing infrastructure in Brazil. Slavery continued into the 19th century, with slave revolts growing more common over time. Independence movements also gained steam in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Independent Brazil
In 1807, the Portuguese monarchy fled to Brazil to escape the conquering armies of Napoleon. The court remained there until 1821, when a revolt at home restored them to power. A prince remained in Brazil, where he declared independence in 1822. As Emperor Dom Pedro I, he faced the difficult conflict of balancing the interests of both Brazil and Portugal. After abdicating the Portuguese throne in 1826, he eventually chose to return home to fight against a usurper. His son, Dom Pedro II, would rule Brazil until 1889.
Pedro II is remembered as a reformer and a stabilizing influence in Brazil. His 58-year reign saw its industries modernize and its parliamentary monarchy survive multiple challenges and border wars. In 1888, largely through his efforts, Brazil abolished slavery.
The Old Republic and Modern Brazil
In 1889, republican military factions staged a successful coup against the aging Dom Pedro II. They established the nation’s first republic, which operated in general stability and prosperity for several decades. In 1931, work finished on the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue, which still towers over modern Rio de Janeiro. New economic difficulties, however, ushered in a new era of instability. In 1930, a lawyer named Getúlio Vargas seized power through a bloodless coup. He controlled Brazil between 1930 and 1945, and then again between 1951 and 1954. His reign as president ended with another revolt and his own suicide. This period in Brazilian history saw internal debate and sometimes violent conflict between socialist ideologies and wealthy industrial leaders.
Between the fall of Vargas and 1964, Brazil continued to develop and began to establish itself as a global diplomatic and military presence. Another military coup, however, placed the country under oppressive oligarchy until 1985. While individual rights were restricted and social unrest disturbed its cities, Brazil’s economic growth persisted. A new republic formed in 1985, which has survived to the present day. Modern Brazil has faced fluctuating economic health, a major population boom, and rising wealth inequality, but continues to expand and assert its place in the world.
References
“Amazon.” WWF, World Wildlife Fund, www.worldwildlife.org/places/amazon.
Fausto, Boris. A Concise History of Brazil. Cambridge University Press. 2014.
MacLachlan, Colin. A History of Modern Brazil: The Past Against the Future. Rowman & Littlefield. 2003.
Meade, Teresa. A Brief History of Brazil. Infobase Publishing. 2014.
“The World Factbook: Brazil.” Central Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, 1 Feb. 2018, www.cia.gov/-library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/br.html.
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