Defense of the nation, patriotism, the guarantee of national sovereignty. The military and civilians who overthrew João “Jango” Goulart from the federal government in 1964 held the Brazilian flag to justify their seizure of power and their stay there for more than two decades.
According to them, overthrowing a democratically elected president was necessary to save Brazil from Soviet communism, which had arrived in the Americas through Fidel Castro’s socialist regime in Cuba.
As part of their patriotic mission, however, uniformed commanders and politicians didn’t see a problem in sharing their strategies with the U.S., even exposing Brazil to American armed intervention.
In turn, the global superpower backed dictatorships in the region in the name of preserving freedom and combating what it saw as anti-American nationalism.
This pile of contradictions on both sides made the joint coup attempt possible, but also produced a series of tensions during the generals’ period in power.
In the second episode of the special series about the Brazilian military dictatorship, from within to abroad, we are starting our dive into the international connections of the regime, beginning with the U.S. We tell how it participated in the coup, as well as how bilateral relations were conducted from then on.
If you missed the first episode, check it here.
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This episode used music from Envato. License codes: A Thriller by elite_music (Y8ZJS7WTX4), Mysterious Suspenseful Investigative Documentary by lucafrancini (7LB2QQX), Cinematic Background Documentary by cleanmindsounds (4HZEH99), Anxious Documentary by Tonydrumer (HYDCL9BXZV), and Sci-Fi Background Cinematic by cleanmindsounds (RGEY2Q7ZUX), Full Speech of President João Goulart at the Central do Brasil Rally. (13/03/1964), Farewell Remarks to President of Brazil by JFK Library, “What is nationalism?” (1976) – Brazil’s National Archive – Brazilian Military Regime’s Governmental Propaganda, “Everyone has a duty to fulfill” (1968) – Brazil’s National Archive – Brazilian Military Regime’s Governmental Newsreel Propaganda, “September Seventh” (1977) – Brazil’s National Archive – Brazilian Military Regime’s Governmental Propaganda, Governmental Propaganda of the Medici Administration.
Listen to episode 1:
In this episode:
- Isabela Cruz holds a law degree from the State University of Rio de Janeiro and a master’s degree in social sciences from the Fundação Getulio Vargas. Prior to The Brazilian Report, she covered politics and the judicial system for Nexo.
- Larissa Corrêa is a history professor at the Pontifical Catholic University in Rio de Janeiro. In her PhD thesis, at the State University of Campinas, she analyzed in depth the trade union relations between Brazil and the United States during the Brazilian military dictatorship.
Background reading on the dictatorship:
- An overview of the Brazilian Military Dictatorship.
- How the Brazilian press covered the 1964 coup at the time.
- The AI-5, the legal measure that made torture and repression legal.
- CIA documents which prove that the Brazilian government killed people during the Military regime
- Why Brazil has never punished its dictators.
- Get to know all of Brazil’s presidents in this interactive.
Do you have a suggestion for our next Explaining Brazil podcast? Drop us a line at [email protected]
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