Getúlio Vargas
Getúlio Vargas was a pivotal figure in Brazilian history, known for his long and complex political career that spanned several decades. Born into a wealthy ranching family in southern Brazil, Vargas transitioned from a military background to law, eventually becoming the governor of Rio Grande do Sul in 1928. His rise to national prominence began in 1930 when he led a coup to assume the presidency, following a contentious election. Vargas established a provisional government and later, in 1934, was elected president, during which he implemented significant reforms, including labor rights and the introduction of a minimum wage.
However, his rule took a turn towards authoritarianism with the establishment of the Estado Novo regime in 1937, which suppressed political opposition and curtailed civil liberties. Despite these repressive measures, Vargas maintained popular support, particularly among urban workers. His governance was marked by economic initiatives, social reforms, and a complicated relationship with international politics, particularly during World War II, where he initially aligned with fascist ideologies before supporting the Allies.
Vargas’s legacy is multifaceted; he is remembered for promoting Brazilian nationalism and significant labor reforms, but also for his repressive tactics against dissent. His life ended tragically in 1954 when he died by suicide amid political pressure, leaving behind a complex legacy celebrated annually in Brazil as “Father Getúlio.”
Getúlio Vargas
- Born: April 19, 1883
- Birthplace: São Borja, Brazil
- Died: August 24, 1954
- Place of death: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Brazilian dictator (1930-1945, 1951-1954)
Cause of notoriety: While Vargas’s quasifascist dictatorship created some reforms that benefited Brazil, it also supported a brutal secret police force and repressed free speech and other civil liberties.
Active: 1930-1945
Locale: Brazil
Early Life
Born in the southernmost state of Brazil, Getúlio Vargas (zhay-TOO-lee-oh VAR-gahs) was from a prosperous gaucho (cowboy) ranching family. He abandoned his early military career, finished law school in 1909, and became state attorney general in 1910. He rose through the Brazilian political ranks, always supporting the boss in power.
Political Career
In 1928 Vargas became governor of the state. In 1930 he ran for president as the Liberal Alliance candidate. When the other candidate won, Vargas led an army to Rio de Janeiro to depose the ruling president, Washington Pereira, to prevent him from inaugurating the president-elect, Julio Prestes. Vargas assumed the presidency of a provisional government.
In 1933 Vargas was elected to a four-year term as president of Brazil, and in 1934 he initiated a new constitution. An attempt by the Communist Party to take control of the country led Vargas to declare a state of emergency and assume autocratic powers. Vargas’s term of office was due to end in 1937; Brazilian law prohibited him from succeeding himself. Loath to surrender power, he used the fear of communism to carry out a coup d’état and create a new government called the Estado Novo (new state), modeled after the similarly named government of António de Oliveira Salazar, dictator of Portugal, and borrowing elements of European fascism.
The Estado Novo favored the ruling oligarchies but drew support from urban workers by enacting a minimum wage law and codifying all labor reforms into a single labor act. Vargas also enacted reforms in social security and granted women the right to vote. He initiated economic reforms that benefited Brazil. He also abolished all political parties, developed a centralized police force, jailed political dissidents, and encouraged a sense of nationalism that included anti-Semitism. The press was censured, and the secret police repressed dissidents through torture and assassination.
During World War II, despite his fascist tendencies and his early notion of sending troops to support Adolf Hitler, Vargas supported the Allies. His term of power was to end in 1943, but he used the war as a rationale for continuing in office, stating that elections would be held when possible. He made the same claim in 1944. When he showed no intention of stepping down from the presidency, he was overthrown in a coup d’état in October, 1945.
Vargas, who had maintained widespread popular support, was freely elected president in 1950. However, he no longer had the autocratic power of his Estado Novo days. He again created some economic reforms, focusing on energy resources, creating the Brazilian Petroleum Corporation in 1953 and beginning the Brazilian Electric Power Company. Inflation, however, was rampant, and Vargas no longer had the support of the military, which demanded that he resign. On August 24, 1954, Vargas wrote a lengthy suicide note to the people of Brazil, suggesting that his was a sacrifice for the nation. He then shot himself through the heart.
Impact
Getúlio Vargas strengthened the military, stimulated the economy, and promoted international trade and international relations. He accomplished some labor reforms, gave women suffrage, and encouraged a sense of Brazilian nationalism. However, he also repressed free speech and supported a brutal secret police. Every August Brazil sees memorial celebrations in honor of “Father Getúlio,” friend of the poor.
Bibliography
Levine, Robert. Father of the Poor? Vargas and His Era. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998. A narrative portrait of Vargas; includes translations of Vargas’s diary and suicide note, a chronology, and a bibliographic essay.
Rose, R. S. One of the Forgotten Things: Getúlio Vargas and Brazilian Social Control, 1930-1954. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2000. An effort to correct the “restricted memory” of Brazilians who honor Vargas each August 24 by reminding readers of the brutality and repressiveness of the Vargas regime.
Williams, Daryle. Culture Wars in Brazil: The First Vargas Regime, 1930-1945. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 2001. An investigation into the politics of culture and the state in the construction of a Brazilian identity.