The setting for Stanley J. Stein's book Vassouras takes place in one of the most unique environments in the world. Housing large tracts of virgin rain forest, Vassouras represents the ideal climate for the coffee cultivation that has come to dominate Brazilian agriculture, and during the latter half of the 19th century proved as the foremost region for coffee growing in the world. However, by the beginning of the 20th century, Vassouras had declined as a major coffee producing region, and its decline demonstrates important aspects of Brazilian cultural and economic life. Vassouras ultimately lost its affluence as a coffee producer because of the destructive and ineffective agricultural practices of its farmers and the crumbling of the slave-based society that served as its dominant labor force. The experience of Vassouras also demonstrates larger themes in Latin American economics at the end of the 19th century.
Vassouras's boom and bust depended largely on the institution of slavery. Slaves worked plantations and provided virtually all the labor in the cultivation of coffee. Instead of hurting the economic status of the fazenda owners, the end of the slave trade in 1851 improved their condition in the short-run, as it made the value of their slaves double. This provided for more financial resources for the fazenda owners and which ultimately led to expanded production and increases in the land used for coffee cultivation. However, with the anti-slavery movements of the 1870s, the economic condition of the fazenda owners became more precarious, as they knew that they would inevitably lose the backbone of their labor force. This realization lead to decreased investment in the region, and by the eventual end of slavery in 1888, the fazenda owners were left without a labor force they could exploit. However, exploitation was not limited to only the labor market. In one of the greatest ecological disasters in history, fazenda owners cleared large tracts of rainforest and quickly exhausted the soil through using poor farming practices. The more prosperous the region became, the more forest fazenda owners destroyed. This trend of exploitation of land and labor proved representative of Latin American economics of the period, as large landowning families used free or cheap labor, in the form of slaves or repressed indigenous and mixed classes, to cultivate lands in largely ineffective measures.
In Maureen O’Doughterty’s Consumption Intensified, “the dual vision” of the “immediate reality of crisis and the desired reality of the First World” is shown to have shaped middle class consciousness and desire, and further deepen the marks of division within this “heterogeneous” middle class (O’Doughterty 15, 5). “Transnational consumption, in the form of travel experiences, especially to Disney World, and consumption of imported goods” is a surprising social construction of value and rank, and expresses the influence of a foreign ideal on Brazilian social identity (23). Sustained comfortable living, and superiority over another class of people, was desperately appealing to many Brazilian families in the throes of the economic crisis, as demonstrated by the commodification of a Disney experience in the United States through bought and displayed goods, and the suggestion of expense that goes with it. The suggestion of expense and wealth throughout the crisis shaped the new concept of a Brazilian middle class “character,” a quality of living that could not be removed by an instable economy and loss of existing values. The presentation and propagation of this “character” was an extension of the old lush life prior to the crisis, and a dogged determination to hold to “traditional values.”
In the 1500s Pedro Alvares Cabral landed on Brazil, previously a inhabited by tribal nations, and claimed the land in the name of Portugal. Brazil remained a Portuguese colony until September 7, 1822 when it declared its independence becoming the Empire of Brazil making the nation a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system. In early 1964, a Military junta took control of the nation until it fell in 1985 further changing the structure of the nation, and finally in 1988 a formal constitution was created enacting 26 states encompassing its boarders. Throughout the history of Brazil, the nation was never able to fully immerse itself in the international market and expand its economy, until today. Latin America has not had the best of luck when it comes to economic development and many nations in Latin America have similar issues when it comes to economic and societal development, and many of these issues are cause by the same things. For example, before the military coup in 1964 Brazil was in massive amounts of debt to international partners, however, during the military rule the payment of this debt was halted so the trust and economic backing of countries stopped with the payments. Many plans have been enacted after the fall of the military control to reverse the economic downfall that occurred in the country and continent in the 20th century and especially in the 1980s, the lost decade. In Brazil alone, there have been at least seven economic plans to reverse the economic hardships of the country, from the Cruzado Plan to the Real Plan, none seemed to work. However, in the past decade the Brazilian economy has seen an amazing increase and the condition of life of the people in the nation has increased with it. The quest...
In the past few decades, Brazil has turned around their economy from bust after boom to a strong and growing economy. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, Brazil was reliant on its sugar industry, until the Caribbean became a competitor for the country. Unfortunately, these sugar booms caused the plantation owners to receive all of the profit, which created a large gap between the very rich and very poor, with no middle class. The gold industry had some prospects, but because the gold rushes were in isolated areas, the mon...
Brazil, the largest country on the continent of South America, has historically been seen as the underdog socially, politically, and especially economically. Referred to as “the country of the future… and always will be” by many Brazilians and those who know the country best, the country has not always been a beacon of hope for Latin America as it is today (Weyland, pg 64). Brazil has many unique qualities when compared to many of its Latin American counterparts. While much of Latin America has wrestled with its Spanish colonial past, Brazil has been much more diplomatic and tolerant of its Portuguese colonial past. With such a vast amount of natural resources and territory, Brazil has had the advantage of being relatively self-sufficient when it needed to, but also being able to develop into one of the busiest and prosperous trading nations in Latin America. With frequent political transitions throughout its 500 year history, and experiencing periods of oppression and totalitarianism, Brazil has managed to overcome and move past the scars of its dictatorial past. This is in part due to its fortunate avoidance of ruthless and violent dictators in the style of Pinochet in Chile, Peron in Argentina, Castro in Cuba, and Fujimori in Peru, just to name a few. In this research paper, I will briefly describe an overview of Brazil’s present political circumstances while also touching on a few key factors that have aided its development, in addition to in-depth analyses of the country’s history through three main phases. I will also make philosophical connections to explain and put into proper perspective the events that have shaped Brazil into the country it is today.
Brazil is known for having a very large biodiversity and having a huge portion of the Amazonian forest in its land. Yet, because of globalization, this country suffers a great deal environmentally wise and socially also. Both adults and children have to work in order to be able to survive. Many of these workers are exploited and changing this reality is quit hard. It all comes down to profits at the end: exploiting workers is much cheaper than paying them properly. At least, there are some people who are actually putting some effort on solving this problem. This is where the issue involving coffee in Brazil comes in. The actors involved in this product are either greatly benefited or exploited and the working conditions for the farmers are quit terrible. However, there are solutions that were proposed in order to protect the coffee growers such as fair trade. It is then understood that coffee production in Brazil has negative effects on coffee laborers, but to a lesser extent on those who work in the fair trade business.
Brazil is a vast country in South America that has experienced extreme wealth and income disparities since its independence in 1822. The uneven income distribution, combined with several other factors, is what accounts for millions of civilians living in impoverished conditions. The Northeast is the country’s most afflicted region, with an estimated 58% of the population living in poverty and earing less than $2 a day. The systemic inequality as well as lack of development and modernization has generated chronic poverty that has had detrimental effects on society in northeast and ultimately weakens Brazil.
Five hundred years ago, the Portuguese established a sugar cane empire in a land surrounding the bay of saints. This region made the production easy because it was a very fertile growing ground for the sugar, the earth’s most profitable product at this time. At first the Indians were used to work in the sugar fields but the Portuguese soon found out that the Indians were not going to meet their needs. So the Portuguese turned to slavery in the 1500’s to meet the high demand for human labor. As the demand for sugar exploded, the number of slaves in Brazil exploded also, making Brazil have one of the largest slave populations in the world. For three more centuries after this Europeans transported Africans they captured to Brazil to work in the sugar production industry. No place on the hemisphere had received more slaves than Brazil. This process of slave trade was called the Atlantic slave trade, which marked the beginning of a long and tragic time period in world history. Only about 10 - 12 Africans capt...
Historically, this includes Brazil’s economic focus on extracting and exporting natural resources supported by slave labor, a system which benefitted the few landowners and created long lasting racial problems. With the waves of immigrants in the 20th century and the beginning of the modern era, economic successes and failures were more policy-related than societal as Brazil’s southeast industrialized. Leaders initiated import-substitution strategies that led to a protectionist and industry-heavy environment (as opposed to an agricultural past), with a relatively high amount of government involvement in the marketplace. In the last 20 years, the results of this past are reflected in modern income inequality that is high and persistent over time. Some examples include regressive public transfers like pensions for senior officials which makes up the major...
“Capitalism is a world system. But some of its parts have more than their share of leadership.”(Cardoso xxi). Latin America, like much of the third and second world has received far lesser dividends from the fruits of capitalism. In fact due to its close geographic location to the united states and its strong early history of colonialism Latin America is a shining example of how economic dependency has evolved. From its moment liberation Latin America has been seen as a economic tool by the west, particularly by the USA, and continues to be economically dominated to this day. From the Eve of conquest the region has used its economic power mostly to the benefit of another nation.
Brazil’s economy was extremely dependent upon only one product, in broad contrast with the US, who depended on many different products. Brazil was dependent upon coffee, the sales and exports, for up to 70% of their economy. This was extremely problematic, because if tariffs and sales taxes on imported goods in other countries increased, Brazil was extremely screwed. And those tariffs and sales taxes did increase. They increased enough that in 1931, Brazil was selling their coffee for 8 cents a pound, whereas in 1929 they had been selling it for 22.5 cents a pound. Brazil had hoped that their valorization program would continue to work here. The valorization program was a program where the Brazilian government bought and stored coffee during times when there was no demand. When the demand went back up, the coffee was sold again. This worked well after WWI, but during the Great Depression it failed, mainly due to an almost circular problem. The government bought coffee and stored it when demand was low, they had to borrow money from the US and other countries to raise the funds to buy the coffee from planters, but demand was low and the US stopped approving loans due to not seeing coffee as a safe business opportunity, causing the government to not be able to afford to buy the coffee. This is a huge reason that Brazil fell into the Great Depression. They couldn’t buy things, they couldn’t get loans, and they most certainly could not sell
The first chapter focuses on Brazil’s founding and history up until present. When the Portuguese were blown off course to Asia onto the coasts of Brazil in 1500, the Portuguese knew they had found a land filled with opportunities. The main attraction was the abundance of brazilwood which could be used for manufacturing luxurious fabrics in Europe. Over the centuries, exploration led to the discovery of more resources such as sugar, coffee, and precious metals that had made it a sought after country for colonization. Even to this day, Brazil maintains the image of a land with limitless resources since the recent discovery of oil and gas reserves and other commodities.
The arrival of the World Cup and Olympics will serve as a catalyst for Brazil to gain the recognition it desires. As enjoyable and lucrative as those years of international exposure have the potential to be, they will ultimately be short lived and fleeting in long term impact, unless the Brazilian government uses the platform afforded to it to set up long term plans to establish the “Brazilian Brand” in foreign markets. No where is this opportunity more readily available to the Brazilian government and private sector than the African continent. Long standing associations between the population of Brazil and the western coast of Africa, through the slave trade and natural migration, form an organic connection between the two entities that isn’t found in any other region of the world. With a majority Afro-decendant population and the largest concentration of individuals of African decent outside of Nigeria, Brazil is uniquely situa...
“A formal public commitment to legal racial equality, for example, had been the price of mass support for Latin American’s independence movements. In the generation following independence, the various mixed-race classifications typical of the caste system were optimistically banished from census forms and parish record keeping.” This was meant to make all slaves citizens, equal to all other citizens. Slavery receded in Latin America, except in non-republican Brazil, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. However, Brazil’s pursuit of independence was the least violent and provoked the least amount of change. The case of Brazil suggests that retention of colonial institutions such as monarchies lent to stability. “Brazil had retained a European dynasty; a nobility of dukes, counts, and barons sporting coats of arms; a tight relationship between church and state; and a full commitment to the institution of chattel slavery, in which some people worked others to death.”
Mauricio Font, a sociologist, depicts in his novel a detailed study of São Paulo’s coffee plantations in the 1920s, in an attempt to evaluate the impacts of coffee on Brazilian society. Part one, subsection 4, “Coffee and Industrialization,” was relevant to my research because this section of his novel is where he explicitly rejects previous scholar’s theories that coffee caused underdevelopment in Brazil. Instead, he agrees that “internal factors in São Paulo’s export system helped to form a dynamic process of social and economic diversification, which resulted in a more capitalist competitive market.” He cites how coffee estates were not fully capitalist programs early on, however, planters were able to establish contracts with immigrant
2. Burns, Bradford E. . A History of Brazil: Second Edition. New York: Cornell University Press, 1980.