Presidency of Juscelino Kubitschek

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Juscelino Kubitschek
Presidency of Juscelino Kubitschek
January 31, 1956 – January 31, 1961
Vice President
PartyPSD
Election1955 Brazilian presidential election

The presidency of Juscelino Kubitschek began on January 31, 1956, after he won the 1955 Brazilian presidential election, and ended on January 31, 1961, when Jânio Quadros took office.[1]

His administration was characterized by the Plano de Metas (English: Goals Plan), which aimed to develop sectors such as energy, transport, food, basic industry and education. Under the slogan "Cinquenta anos em cinco" ("Fifty years in five"), his government was also responsible for building the new capital, Brasília, located in the Brazilian Central-West. In order to stimulate trade in cars and consumer goods, he introduced many foreign companies to Brazil, including the Chrysler and Ford automobile corporations through the Grupo Executivo da Indústria Automobilística (Executive Group of the Automobile Industry).[1]

Context

Fourth Brazilian Republic

Main article: Fourth Brazilian Republic

After the promulgation of a new federal constitution in 1946 until the military coup of 1964, Brazil experienced a phase known as the Populist Republic. During this period, the country achieved a great increase in economic and industrial growth, as well as rapid urbanization. However, existing social inequalities also expanded.[2]

1955 presidential election

During the crisis that culminated in the suicide of President Getúlio Vargas on August 24, 1954, Juscelino Kubitschek, then Governor of Minas Gerais, contributed to the formation of the new administration headed by João Café Filho, Vargas' vice-president. Prior to his death, Brazil was living a moment of political division, with the right-wing opposition National Democratic Union (UDN), high-level military officers and the mass media openly trying to depose him after allegations of setting up the assassination of the right-wing journalist Carlos Lacerda.[3][4][5]

In February 1955, Juscelino Kubitschek, a member of the pro-Vargas Social Democratic Party (PSD), announced his candidacy and built an alliance with the popular left-wing populist João Goulart of Vargas' Brazilian Labour Party. On October 3, 1955, JK was elected President of the Republic with 35.68% of the valid votes; the UDN protested, claiming that he hadn't won a majority of the votes. His inauguration was only secured thanks to the Preventive Coup, led by Marshal Lott, who deposed Carlos Luz, accused of not wanting to hand over the post to JK.[6][7]

Investiture

JK's inauguration ceremony was conducted under heavy security, which began at the Flamengo Park and extended to the Tiradentes Palace, then the seat of the Chamber of Deputies. Afterwards, JK and João Goulart drove in an open car to the Catete Palace, where they met the then president, Nereu Ramos, to hand over the post. There, JK made his speech. There were demonstrations by Queremistas, who supported JK, but they were mainly in favor of Getúlio Vargas and said prayers around his statue.[8][9][10]

Internal policy

Economy

Inauguration of the General Motors Factory in São José dos Campos (SP). March 10, 1959.

On the second day of his administration, JK unveiled his Plano de Metas, composed of 30 objectives to be achieved during his five years in office. The goals sought to develop areas that were considered critical for the Brazilian economy, such as energy generation, transportation system and ports. Between 1955 and 1961, production in the industrial sector grew by 80%, with the steel, mechanical, electrical, communications and transport equipment industries standing out. Between 1957 and 1961, the real growth rate was 7% per year. Focused on the national development project, the process was possible due to the existence of a large domestic market, iron and steel production capacity and the willingness of foreign investment. Besides stimulating the injection of foreign capital, the government addressed the areas of transportation and energy and created an infrastructure for the expansion of the industrial park.[1][11][12][13]

The JK government guided investments according to the studies and projects formulated by representatives of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Brazilian Development Bank (Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social - BNDE). His economic policy achieved significant results in the industrial expansion area, but caused contradictions related to favoring the concentration of capital through the entry of multinational companies into Brazil. According to the workers, the increase in productivity resulting from technological improvement was not reflected either in prices or wages.[12][11][13]

Imports, which aimed to supply the domestic shortage of goods, deepened the external dependence of the Brazilian economy, increasing the financial imbalance and the balance of payments deficit, which had a decisive impact on the inflation process. Lucas Lopes, the Minister of Finance, and Roberto Campos, the director of the BNDE, formulated an anti-inflationary stabilization plan and submitted it to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which had to endorse a 300 million dollar loan from the United States. Faced with the IMF's demands to adjust the Brazilian economy, the JK government had two options: continue with the Plano de Metas or restrain the internal economy, which would satisfy the external creditors and the Brazilian supporters of the program. The debate included nationalist and liberal intellectuals, represented at the Instituto Superior de Estudos Brasileiros (Higher Institute of Brazilian Studies - ISEB). In June 1959, President Kubitschek broke off negotiations with the IMF.[12][11]

Infrastructure

During the Kubitschek administration, the main infrastructure improvement was road transportation. In this period, investment in rail transport was reduced and investment in roads increased. Several highways helped the settlement and development of Central Brazil and the Amazon:[14]

The JK government founded Furnas Centrais Elétricas, responsible for generating and distributing electricity throughout Brazil, and the Duque de Caxias Refinery.[14][1]

Brasilia

JK raising the flag at the inauguration of Brasilia.

The idea of building a new capital in the center of Brazil was mentioned in the constitutions of 1891, 1934 and 1946, but was postponed by all governments. In 1955, during a rally in the city of Jataí, Kubitschek set building the new capital as the main goal of his election promises. On September 19, 1956, the National Congress approved Law No. 2,874, which ordered the relocation of the Federal Capital and created the Companhia Urbanizadora da Nova Capital - Novacap. To build the city, the Brazilian government relied on northeasterners, who migrated en masse to the area in search of work and were nicknamed candangos. When the work was almost finished, they had to leave Brasilia and moved to the current satellite towns.[1][15]

Brasília was inaugurated on April 21, 1960, after 40 months of construction. Symbol of Brazil's development, the city was designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer and urban planner Lúcio Costa and became an example of modern architecture. On December 7, 1987, it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[16][17][18]

Relations with Congress

The alliance between PSD and PTB secured a great level of governability for Kubitschek. The agreement between these two parties allowed dialogue with several heterogeneous groups. In 1960, they combined to launch Marshal Lott as president.[19][20]

Foreign policy

Pan-American Operation

In 1858, the Brazilian government presented the United States with the proposal for the Pan-American Operation, which aimed to promote the multilateral development of the continent with US support and was later implemented through the Alliance for Progress. The implementation of the initiative was a strategy to sensitize the United States to the problem of Brazilian and regional underdevelopment.[21][22]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Governo Juscelino Kubitschek". UOL. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  2. ^ "República Populista (Quarta República)". UOL. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  3. ^ "Atentado da Rua Tonelero". UOL. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  4. ^ "O suicídio de Vargas". Que República é Essa. 2019-08-20. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  5. ^ "Vitória política de JK". UOL. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  6. ^ "Golpe Preventivo de 11 de novembro de 1955". Mundo Educação. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  7. ^ Medeiros, Daniel (2022-09-18). "A eleição contestada". Plural. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  8. ^ "JUSCELINO ASSUME A PRESIDÊNCIA". Folha da Manhã. 1956-02-01. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  9. ^ Belém, Euler (2021-07-18). "Juscelino Kubitschek foi eleito mas só tomou posse devido a um contragolpe militar". Jornal Opção. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  10. ^ "LOTT ABORTA GOLPE E ASSEGURA POSSE DE JK". Memorial da Democracia. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  11. ^ a b c "Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira". Centro de Referencia de Acervos Presidenciais. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  12. ^ a b c "O homem que fez o Brasil crescer 50 anos em 5" (PDF). Rumos (191). 2001.
  13. ^ a b Lafer, Celso (2002). JK e o programa de metas, 1956-1961: processo de planejamento e sistema político no Brasil. FGV. ISBN 978-85-225-0387-2.
  14. ^ a b "Cem anos de Juscelino Kubitschek". AleSP. 2002-09-12. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  15. ^ "LEI Nº 2.874, DE 19 DE SETEMBRO DE 1956". Federal Government of Brazil. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  16. ^ Freitas, Conceição (2019-02-21). "Lucio Costa e Oscar Niemeyer. Saiba quem fez o que nesta linda cidade". Metropoles. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  17. ^ "CONSTRUÇÃO DE BRASÍLIA". Memorial da Democracia. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  18. ^ Alves, Renato (2017-12-07). "Há 30 anos, Brasília se tornava Patrimônio Cultural da Humanidade". Correio Braziliense. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  19. ^ "Governo Juscelino Kubitschek". Mundo Educação. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  20. ^ Gomes, Marco Túlio (2014). "Entre a espada e a política: a candidatura Lott em 1960" (PDF). XVI Encontro Regional de História da Anpuh-Rio.
  21. ^ "73 anos em 5 (pontos): conheça Juscelino Kubitschek". Politize. 2023-03-23. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  22. ^ Monteiro, Katiane; Oliveira, Gustavo (2020). "Política externa de Juscelino Kubitschek: a narrativa do Itamaraty para Operação Pan-American". RICRI. 7 (10).
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