WasVargas was a period that started in 1930, right after the 1930 revolution, and finalized in 1945 with the deposition of Getúlio Vargas. In this period of Brazilian history, power was centralized in Getúlio Vargas, who took over as president of Brazil after the movement that deposed WashingtonLuís of the presidency.
Summary
The Vargas Era was the fifteen-year period of Brazilian history that stretched from 1930 to 1945 and in which Getúlio Vargas was the country's president. Vargas' rise to power was a direct result of the 1930 Revolution, which ousted Washington Luis and prevented the possession of JuliusAbout (elected president who would assume the country).
Throughout this period, Getúlio Vargas sought to centralize power. Many historians even understand the period 1930-1937 as the “gestation” of the Vargas dictatorship. Vargas was also marked by his approach to the masses, a characteristic that became very striking during the new state.
He remained in power until 1945, when he was forced to resign the presidency because of an ultimatum from the military. With the departure of Vargas from power, a new Constitution for the country was organized and another phase of our history began: the
Fourth Republic (1946-1964).Mind Map: Era Vargas
* To download the mind map in PDF, Click here!
Characteristics of the Vargas Era
Summarizing the characteristics of the Vargas Era is a complex task, mainly because each phase took on different aspects. In general, the following features can be highlighted.
Centralization of power → Throughout his fifteen years in power, Vargas took steps to weaken the legislature and strengthen the powers of the executive. This characteristic was evident during the Estado Novo.
Labor Policy → Vargas acted consistently to expand labor benefits. For this, he created the Ministry of Labor and granted rights to workers. It was a way of strengthening its power by getting closer to the masses.
Political Advertising → The use of advertising as a way to highlight the qualities of his government was a strong mark of Vargas and that was also evident during the Estado Novo from the Press Department and Advertising (DIP.)
Political negotiation skills → Vargas' political capacity did not come out of nowhere, but was built and improved throughout his political life. Vargas had a great ability to reconcile opposing groups in his governments, as happened in 1930, when dissident oligarchies and lieutenants were in the same group supporting him.
Vargas' position in power in Brazil during this period can also be related to populism, mainly due to the following aspects:
Direct and non-institutionalized relationship of the leader with the masses;
Defense of the unity of the masses;
Leadership based on charisma;
Fragile party system.
power transition
Vargas and allied military in a photo taken when the 1930 Revolution was underway.**
The rise of Getúlio Dornelles Vargas to the presidency happened through the implosion of the political model that existed in Brazil during the First Republic. Throughout the 1920s, numerous criticisms were made to the oligarchic system that prevailed in our country, being the lieutenants one of the most prominent opposition movements.
The implosion of the First Republic actually materialized during the 1930 election. In this election, the Minas Gerais oligarchy openly broke with the São Paulo oligarchy because President Washington Luís refused nominate a candidate from Minas Gerais to run for the position. The nomination for president was from São Paulo Júlio Prestes.
This deeply displeased the Minas Gerais oligarchy, since the president's attitude broke with the existing agreement between the two oligarchies (Coffee with Milk Policy). Thus, the miners began to conspire against the government and, allying themselves with the oligarchies paraibana and gaucho, chose to launch a candidate to run for president: GetulioVargas.
The electoral dispute between Júlio Prestes and Getúlio Vargas resulted in the victory of the former. However, even defeated, members of Vargas' electoral ticket (called AllianceLiberal) began to conspire to remove Washington Luís from power (Vargas, however, had accepted defeat).
This conspiracy turned into de facto rebellion when JoãoPeople, vice of Getúlio Vargas, was murdered in Recife by João Dantas. The assassination of João Pessoa had nothing to do with the disputed election, but what happened was used as a pretext for a military uprising against Washington Luís to be started.
The revolt began on October 3, 1930 and lasted for three weeks. On October 24, 1930, the president Washington Luis was ousted from the presidency. A military junta ruled Brazil for 10 days and, on November 3, 1930, Getúlio Vargas, who joined the rebellion when it was underway, assumed the presidency of Brazil.
Stages of the Vargas Era
Historians divide the Vargas era into three phases: Provisional Government (1930-34), constitutional government (1934-37) and new state (1937-1945).
Also access:Olga Benário, the woman who was deported by Vargas to Nazi Germany
Provisional Government (1930-34)
Getúlio Vargas at the Palácio do Catete (presidential palace) after the success of the 1930 Revolution.***
The provisional government, as its name suggests, should have been a transitional phase in which Vargas would quickly organize a Constituent Assembly to draft a new Constitution for the Brazil. Getúlio Vargas, however, at that time, already showed signs of his ability to sustain himself in power, as he postponed as long as possible the realization of the Constituent Assembly.
In this phase, Vargas has already carried out the first measures of centralization of power and thus dissolved the National Congress, for example. Vargas' delay in holding elections and calling a Constituent Assembly had an impact in some parts of the country, such as São Paulo, which rebelled against the government in 1932 in what became known as Constitutionalist Revolution of 1932.
The movement was a failure and, after its defeat, Getúlio Vargas met the demands of the paulistas, nominating for the state a civil interventor (governor) and born in São Paulo, in addition to guaranteeing the holding of an election in 1933 to compose the Constituent. Of this Constituent, the 1934 Constitution.
The new Constitution was considered quite modern for the time and brought new features, such as the universal female suffrage (confirming what had already been stipulated by the 1932 Electoral Code). Along with the promulgation of the new Constitution, Vargas was indirectly re-elected to be Brazilian president between 1934 and 1938. After isio, a new president should be elected.
At this stage, Vargas' economic policy focused on combating the effects of 1929 crisis in Brazil. For this, he acted by buying thousands of bags of coffee and setting them on fire as a way to value the main product of our economy. In labor matters, it authorized the creation of the Ministry of Labour in 1930 and began to intervene directly in the work of the unions.
Constitutional Government (1934-1937)
In the constitutional phase, the Vargas government, in theory, would extend until 1938, as the president could not run for reelection. However, Brazilian politics as a whole – Vargas himself included – was moving towards radicalization. Thus, groups emerged that expressed this radicalization of our country.
Brazilian Integralist Action (AIB): group of the extreme right that emerged in São Paulo in 1932. This group was inspired by the italian fascism, expressing nationalist values and even anti-Semites. had as a leader Pliny Salty.
National Liberating Alliance (ANL): communist-oriented group that emerged as an anti-fascist front in Brazil and became a movement that sought to seize power in the country by revolutionary means. The great leader of this group was Luís Carlos Prestes.
The ANL was even responsible for an attempt to take power here in Brazil in 1935. This movement became known as Communist intent and it was triggered in three cities (Rio de Janeiro, Natal and Recife), but it was a complete failure. After the Communist Intentona, Getúlio Vargas expanded the centralizing and authoritarian measures, which resulted in the Estado Novo.
This constitutional phase of the Vargas Era lasted until November 1937, when Getúlio Vargas carried out a self-coup, canceled the 1938 election and installed a dictatorial regime in the country. The Estado Novo coup had as a pretext the disclosure of a false document known as Cohen Plan. This document spoke about a communist conspiracy that was going on in the country.
Also access:Intentona Integralista, another organized rebellion during the Vargas Era
Estado Novo (1937-1945)
The Estado Novo was the dictatorial phase of the Vargas Era and lasted for eight years. During this period, Vargas reinforced his power, reduced civil liberties and introduced censorship. It was also the period of intense political propaganda and a time when Vargas established his policy of bringing the masses closer together.
In the political field, Vargas ruled from decree-laws, that is, Vargas' determinations did not need Legislative approval, as they already had the force of law. The Legislative, in turn, was suppressed and, thus, the Congress and the State Assemblies and Municipal Chambers were closed. All political parties were closed and made illegal.
THE censorship instituted was in charge of the Press and Advertising Department (DIP), responsible for censoring opinions against the government and producing propaganda that highlighted the regime and the leader. To advertise the government, a daily radio newspaper called “Time in Brazil”.
During this period, labor policy also stood out, highlighting the creation of the minimum wage (1940) and Consolidation of labor laws (CLT) in 1943. Unions came under state control.
THE Brazilian participation in World War II and the wear and tear of this authoritarian political project weakened the Estado Novo in society. So demands for new elections began to take place. Under pressure, Vargas decreed a presidential election at the end of 1945 and, in October of that same year, he was deposed from power by the military.
Exercise solved
(Enem) The Electoral Justice was created in 1932, as part of a broad reform in the electoral process encouraged by the Revolution of 1930. Its creation was a great institutional advance, ensuring that the elections had the backing of a body theoretically immune to the influence of the representatives.
TAYLOR, M. Electoral justice. In: AVRITZER, L.; ANASTASIA, F. Political reform in Brazil. Belo Horizonte: UFMG, 2006 (adapted).
In relation to the democratic regime in the country, the analyzed institution had the following role:
a) Implemented direct vote for president.
b) Combated systematic fraud in investigations.
c) Changed the rules for candidacies under the dictatorship.
d) Promoted allegations of administrative corruption.
e) Expanded participation with the end of the census criterion.
RESOLUTION: LETTER B
The creation of the Electoral Court in 1932 reflected the interests of lieutenants, who, since the 1920s, had sought reforms in the Brazilian electoral system in order to avoid the frauds that happened in an uncontrolled manner during the First Republic. The creation of the Electoral Court happened with the promulgation of a new Electoral Code, which brought other reforms, such as the adoption of the secret ballot. In the long run, the result of this was that Brazilian elections became safe and without the risk of manipulation, as was the case in the First Republic.
_______________
*Image credits: FGV/CPDOC
**Image credits: FGV/CPDOC
***Image credits: FGV/CPDOC
By Daniel Neves
Graduated in History