WEEK 7: Successful Coups

Definition of a coup

• a rapid, illegal, and often violent overthrow of a govt by the miltary or elites

• often quick, conducted by insiders, targets executive power, often justified as restoring order

• EX: iran, gutaemala, greece, turkey

Brazil structural background

economic and social structure

• large and diverse

• mix of mining and agriculture with industrial life

race, slavery and society

• slavery legacy → aroudn 4 million enslaveed Africans imported and lsvery was abolished in 1888

• there was no formal segregation or aparhteid after slavery → more racial mixing

  • BUT still persistent inequlaity → white incomes are 2x non white

• Immigration and whitening policy → encouraged european migration to dilute black population

Polticail history before the coup

Long term instabilty

• 1889; monarch overthrown

Vargas Era (1930-45)

• Military backed rule

• insdustrializaiotn and welfare expansion

• authoritarian

Democratic period (1945-64

• first real democratic expereiment

• ends with 1964 COUP

Instituional causes of the Coup

• intituions made the coup likely

1. Fragmented presidential system

   1. seperate elections fof pres, vp and legislatuer

   2. this reulted in conflicting mandates, no unified govt and permanent deadlock

2. weak party system

   1. parteis were poorly instituionalized and idelogically insonsistent

   2. Politiclans would often switch parties

3. This created an unstable coalition and no effective governance

4. Powerful regions

   1. governors were very strong and there was weak cetnral authority

5. Strong military

   1. cohesive, organized isnttuion, history of intervention

Immediate political crisis (1960-64)

1960 election

• President Quadros was conservative and VP Goulart was left wing

• buit in conflict

1961 crisis

• Quadros resigns unexpectedly and Goulart takes power which was opposed by miltary

• solution: shift to parliamentary system, weakens presidency

1963

• Plebiscite restores presidentail system

• Goulart regains power

• alienates: congress (lsot power) and miltary (defied them)

Economic crisis

• infaltion was rising, growth was stagnating, stikes increasing, food shortages

• political impact: middle class loses faiith in democracy

• elites fear redistribution

escalation to coup

Goularts actions

• land reform proposals

• nationalization policies

• left-wing rhetoric

• ALIENATES: elites and miltary

Social breakdown

• mass prtesting on both sides

• union radicaliziaon

• military unrest

• NOBODY DEFENDED DEMOCRACY

Role of the Us

• cold. war context → fear of communism

• they supported the coup and oppostion, even funded propoganda

• BUT this is not enough of an explanation

the coup - March 31 1964

Sequence

• miltary mobilizes (Minas Gerais)

• forces move towards rio

• little resistance

• Goulart refuses civil war adn flees

Why so easy?

• no unified resistance

• military cohesion

• elite and ergional supprot

aftermath

• Military dictator ship → Pres. Castelo Branco

Policies

• rule by decree

• party bans

• repression