O government inJanio Quadros it lasted only seven months, and that is why he was the president of the republic who spent less time in the power. Despite the short duration, his government was marked by esdr measures.úxulas, such as bans on cockfights and bikini. In a bipolar world like the one in Cold War, the independent foreign policy was the main highlight of that government.
On August 25, 1961, Jânio Quadros resigned from the presidency claiming “terrible forces” against his government. This unexpected act provoked a military crisis that, for very little, did not end in civil war.
Read too: 1946 Constitution – landmark of Brazil's first democratic experience
1960 Elections
The 1960 Elections marked the continuity of the democratic process started in 1946, shortly after the end of the dictatorship of the new state (1937-1946). These were free elections, with presidential candidates chosen by their parties and voters being able to choose who was the best to receive their vote.
Unlike previous elections, in 1955,
the political climate was milder, without tensions or traumas. In 1960, the first presidential elections would take place soon after the inauguration of Brasilia. The elected would be the first to take office in the new federal capital.Jânio Quadros was one of the presidential candidates for the National Labor Party (PTN). Born in Campo Grande (MS), he made his political career in São Paulo. He was elected councilor, deputy, mayor of the capital and state governor. His presidential campaign was based on political morality and fighting corruption. At that time, there were numerous allegations of corruption in the works of Brasilia construction. The campaign symbol was a broom because Jânio promised to "sweep" the country's corruption.
The National Democratic Union (UDN), defeated in the last three presidential elections, decided to bet its chips on Quadros and gave up its own candidacy to support him in the 1960 elections.
Quadros' direct competitor was Marshal Henrique Teixeira Lott, who had been Minister of War of the Juscelino Kubitschek government (1956-1960). He was the government candidate, but his campaign did not excite the electorate. President Kubitschek himself did not enthusiastically support him, much less try to transfer his popularity to the Lott candidacy. The marshal lacked charisma and did not encourage the public who attended his rallies.
Elections took place on October 3, 1960, and Jânio Quadros was elected president of the republic, conquering 5.6 million votes and becoming, until that moment, the most voted president in all of Republican history. At that time, the vice president was also elected. Milton Campos was the vice-presidency of Jânio's ticket, while João Goulart, for the second time, disputed the vice-presidency of Lott's ticket. Jango was elected vice.
The inauguration of Jânio Quadros and João Goulart took place on January 31, 1960, in Brasília. The federal capital was not yet fully ready, and the event took place amidst dust and unfinished buildings, but Juscelino Kubitschek fulfilled his promise to succeed him in Brasília.
Janio Quadros government
Characteristics of the Jânio Quadros government
When Jânio Quadros assumed the presidency of the republic, in the beginning of 1961, the world was going through the Cold War, the ideological dispute between U.S and Soviet Union. This bipolarity influenced government decisions, but Jânio determined that the relations Brazil's external markets would not be guided by war, but rather independently, without taking into account at ideologies. Thus appeared the independent foreign policy.
Brazil could make trade agreements with countries belonging to the capitalist and socialist blocs, but this independence could generate contradictory government actions Brazilian. At the same time that they sought, with international economic organizations, to negotiate the Brazilian debt or take out loans to pay the bills, President Jânio Quadros decorated Ernesto Che Guevara, one of the leaders of Cuban revolution and one of the main enemies of the United States.
Another striking feature of the Jânio Quadros government was the publication of related decrees à morality and to the mores. The president decreed bans on cockfighting and the use of bikinis in beauty contests and the award for public servants who spent 50 years of service without having any faults.
The media suffered prior censorship when Quadros issued a decree banning immoral scenes that “exercise a harmful influence on the spirit of children and youth” or that they would exploit superstition and belief popular. When he was mayor of São Paulo, Jânio Quadros had also adopted moralistic measures. It was common to see him in public offices to supervise the compliance with the schedule by the municipal server.
Despite these eccentric measures, Quadros' government had not faced any political or military crisis, unlike his successors. His election was not contested, after all, he was the presidential candidate who received the most votes throughout republican history up to that time. The opposition had not yet found a way to question the government, despite some pointed criticisms. The udenistas, who were radical oppositionists, were in government.
The first seven months of Jânio Quadros' government had not gone through any military revolt as happened in previous years. However, the president himself decided to start a crisis which almost turned into civil war.
See too: Vice presidents who took over the government in Brazil
Jânio Quadros' resignation and military crisis
At the August 25, 1961, Jânio Quadros sent a note to Congress communicating his resignation with the justification that "terrible forces" preventedat the to rule. Parliamentarians were taken by surprise because there was no reason for such an extreme act.
The night before, the governor of Guanabara, Carlos Lacerda, had gone on television to inform him of the meeting he had with the president at Palácio da Alvorada and of the strange request from the leader of obtaining the articles he had written in the 1950s in which he called for a state of emergency so that the country could make reforms that would end the legacies of the state dictatorship New. Lacerda's speech could be answered by the president himself, but the resignation was already in Congress.
The resignation of Jânio Quadros was, in fact, a failed coup attempt. The president's plan was to gain broad powers, weaken Congress, and rule like a dictator. The resignation was a pretext for the population to take to the streets and ask for their stay. It was supposed that popular support would give him strength to force the Parliament to be submissive to him.
Vice President João Goulart was sent to a diplomatic mission in China, which, in 1961, was governed by the Communist Mao Tse-Tung. Being in a communist country, Jango would be prevented from governing, as the military would not agree with that. Even the date of resignation was purposely chosen: August 25 is Soldier's Day, and the president's unexpected departure would provoke a backlash in the barracks.
Although the plan was perfect on paper, it didn't materialize. There was no popular commotion for the permanence of Frames in the power. Brasília was the federal capital, but there were not many people living in the city. Parliamentarians accepted the resignation request, despite the initial shock with the unexpected news. Jânio Quadros boarded for São Paulo, and, from there, left for the Europe aboard a ship. The president's outlandish plan had serious consequences for the democracy Brazilian.
According to the Constitution, upon the president's resignation, power should be occupied by his vice president. However, Jango was far from Brazil and could not take office immediately. While the deputy did not return from China, The Presidence was temporarily occupied by Ranieri Mazzilli, president of the Chamber of Deputies. The military ministers announced that they would not allow Jango's inauguration, citing his connection with the communism, but this reaction was not unanimous in the Armed Forces and among politicians.
The III Army, located in Rio Grande do Sul, took a stand in favor of Jango's possession. The governors of Goiás and Rio Grande do Sul, Mauro Borges and Leonel Brizola, respectively, organized the Legality Network, in which they defended the immediate possession of João Goulart in order to fulfill the Constitution. The possibility of taking up arms was considered to ensure compliance with the law.
Resistance from military ministers ceased when the National Congress approved the Parliamentarism. Thus, João Goulart could take possession, but with restricted powers. On September 7, 1961, he was finally sworn in as the new president of Brazil.
Summary about the Jânio Quadros Government
Jânio Quadros took office as president of the republic in 1961 and ruled for only seven months.
Independent foreign policy: diplomatic relations with other countries without Cold War interference.
Moralistic measures: ban on bikini and cockfighting.
Resignation for "terrible forces", but trying a coup to have more power.
solved exercises
Question 1 - Independent foreign policy was one of the main marks of the short period of existence of the Jânio Quadros government. Its main feature was:
A) prevent US imperialism from interfering in government decisions.
B) promote agreements with other countries regardless of whether they were aligned with the US or USSR.
C) demand compensation from Portugal because of Brazilian independence in 1822.
D) isolate Brazil from any international relationship.
Resolution
Alternative B. The independent foreign policy of the Jânio Quadros government was aimed at bringing Brazil closer diplomatically to any country, without taking into account its ideology.
Question 2 - Jânio Quadros used the broom as a symbol of his presidential campaign in 1960. This was because:
A) Brazil was facing a serious crisis linked to urban sanitation.
B) a broom factory sponsored Jânio Quadros' campaign.
C) was an attempt by the candidate to win the housewife's votes.
D) the candidate intended to “sweep” the country's corruption.
Resolution
Alternative D. Jânio Quadros' presidential campaign was marked by a moralistic speech. He severely criticized the expenditures made by the Juscelino Kubitschek government and the allegations of corruption involving the construction work in Brasília. The broom became the symbol of ethical cleanliness.
Image credit
[1] Newspaper Correio da Manhã / commons
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historiab/governo-janio-quadros.htm
