The João Goulart Government, the Basic Reforms and 1964 Coup d’État

Abstract

The article presents the political and economic events that permeated the João Goulart government as President of Brazil (1961-1964), from his inauguration to his downfall through a civil-military coup d'état. During his administration, he experienced strong institutional turmoil, threatened mainly by the Armed Forces, supported by the national high bourgeoisie and conservative sectors of the population. During his administration, the basic reforms, which constituted a package of social-reformist reforms, especially the agrarian reform, disturbed economic interests. These reforms also included fiscal, electoral, educational, urban and banking reforms, as well as taxing the remittance of profits abroad. In that context, the right-wing sectors in Brazil started a campaign of institutional erosion of the Federal Executive that culminated in the Civil-Military Coup of 1964. Thus, a dictatorship was established that would rule Brazil for the next 21 years, from a conservative, pro-landowner and anti-union perspective. The methodology used was economic and political analysis. It will consist of analyzes of documental sources and periodicals, culminating in a bibliographic review. A qualitative method was also used, interpreting the historical processes of the subject.