O government of Fernando Henrique Cardoso it comprised two terms of office, the first from 1995 to 1998 and the second from 1999 to 2002. He was the 34th president of Brazil.
Their mandates were marked by an effective implementation of the neoliberalism in Brazil, privatizing state-owned companies. In addition, he was responsible for consolidating the Plano Real and for constitutional reforms.
Index
- Biography
- FHC Government - Summary
- First term (1995–1998)
- Second term (1999–2002)
Biography
Fernando Henrique Cardoso, also known as FHC, was born on June 18, 1931, in Rio de Janeiro. As a child, he moved with his family to Sao Paulo.
FHC comes from a traditional family, composed of military and politicians from the time of the Empire. Captain Felicíssimo do Espírito Santo, his great-grandfather, was deputy, senator and vice president of the province of Goiás.
In 1952, he graduated in Social Sciences at the University of São Paulo (USP). In 1953, he marries anthropologist Ruth Cardoso and has three children with her.
In the same year, he became a teaching analyst for the Sociology chair at USP's Faculty of Philosophy.
He was a professor at the Faculty of Economics at USP from 1952 to 1953. In 1954, he was elected the former student representative and became the youngest member of the University Council of USP.
In 1955 he becomes the first assistant of Florestan Fernandes and teaching assistant to Roger Bastide (visiting professor at USP), a French sociologist.
He became a Doctor of Social Sciences in 1961, with a paper on the capitalism and the slavery.
Like 1964 military coup, he was forced into exile, as he is accused of subversion. lived in Chile for three years.
In Chile, Fernando Henrique worked at the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and at the Latin American Institute for Economic and Social Planning.
He taught at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (Flacso) and at the University of Chile.
In 1967, he was invited to teach in France and moved to Paris. There he taught at the University of Paris-Nanterre.
In 1968, he returned to Brazil and held the chair of Political Science at USP. Like AI-5 he compulsorily retires as a professor at USP, at just 37 years old.
He founded the Brazilian Center for Analysis and Planning (CEBRAP), a place of intellectual resistance to the military dictatorship. However, he continues to teach at several foreign universities.
In 1974, he was invited by Ulysses Guimarães to elaborate the electoral platform of the Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB).
In 1978 he launched himself as a candidate for the senate for São Paulo, by the MDB. He did not win, but became Franco Montoro's understudy.
FHC Government - Summary
Fernando Henrique Cardoso assumes the presidency of Brazil in 1995, for the Social Democracy Party Brazilian (PSDB), committing to maintain the stability of the real, to reduce public spending and size of State. He defended the Minimum State.
He accelerated the privatization program initiated by the Collor government, managing to approve changes in Congress in the Constitution, including the breaking of the state oil and telecommunications monopoly.
O FHC government authorized the sale of several state-owned companies. According to official data, between 1991 and 2002 (Collor, Itamar and FHC governments), the government collected 30 billion dollars from the sale of these companies.
The sale of the state-owned companies stirred up the debate on privatization at the time.
In 1997, he approved in Congress a constitutional amendment that allowed the re-election of the President of the Republic, governors and mayors. As a result, in the 1998 elections, he won with 55% of the votes and won re-election.
It continues to adopt a neoliberal government with privatizations and high interest rates in order to attract foreign capital.
After raising interest rates, companies reduced their investment in production and laid off employees. There was an increase in unemployment in the country.
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Popular dissatisfaction grows, as does opposition to the government, both in Congress and on the streets.
However, it is important to point out that the FHC government made important advances in the area of public spending control.
Real plan
Before taking up the post of President of Brazil, Fernando Henrique Cardoso was the country's Minister of Finance (1993–1994).
The main purpose in this Ministry was to contain inflation and reorganize the economy. Together with some economists, he developed a gradual stabilization plan.
In March 1994 he created the Real Unit of Value (URV). It consisted of an index that reflected the variation in the purchasing power of money, serving as a unit of account and a reference of value.
On July 1, 1994, a new currency, the Real. The introduction of the new currency caused minimal levels of inflation in the country.
From then on, FHC became the main candidate in the presidential elections. Won elections in the first round, supporting his campaign in the success of Real plan.
He took office on January 1, 1995.
First term (1995–1998)
O first term of Fernando Henrique Cardoso consisted in the adoption of the following measures:
- Reduction in public spending;
- Reduction in the size of the State (Minimum State);
- Privatization of state-owned companies, such as Vale do Rio Doce, one of the world leaders in the mining area;
- Breaking of the state oil and telecommunications monopoly;
- It approved in Congress the constitutional amendment that allowed the reelection of the president, governors and mayors.
State reform and privatizations
In addition to privatizations, his government was marked by the reform of the civil service. Aiming to reduce state expenditures, FHC managed to weaken, in a certain way, the stability of the public service.
It freed up the hiring of outsourced services by public companies, ending stability.
Both state and federal companies were privatized. Railways, telecommunications, electricity companies and banks were privatized during FHC's government.
Second term (1999–2002)
Fernando Henrique Cardoso got his re-election from the bill sent to Congress, which was based on guaranteeing re-election for Executive positions.
In October 1998, the elections take place and FHC manages to be re-elected with the success of the Plano Real.
Maintaining a neoliberal policy of opening up to imports, continuing privatizations and establishing high interest rates in order to attract foreign capital, unemployment increases.
Popular dissatisfaction intensifies, increasing opposition to the government in Congress and on the streets.
In addition, his government had to face opposition from governors, opposition parties and social movements such as the MST.
In 2000, the Fiscal Responsibility Law was approved, which prohibits the public administrator from spending more than what is collected. If disrespected, it provides for serious punishments such as loss of political rights, payment of fines and imprisonment.
During the eight years of Fernando Henrique Cardoso's government, historical problems were not resolved, such as:
- Health precariousness;
- Bad income distribution;
- Social inequality;
- Limited access to free, quality public education.
Learn more at:
- Brazil Republic
- All the presidents of Brazil and their most outstanding achievements
- Liberalism - What is it, social, economic, political, neoliberalism
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