Getúlio Vargas
Getúlio Vargas (1882-1954) was born in São Borja, Rio Grande do Sul, into a prominent ranching family with political roots. He briefly served in the army before studying law, graduating in 1909 and becoming a state attorney. He died by suicide in Rio de Janeiro.
Political trajectory
Vargas was elected as a state deputy in Rio Grande do Sul in 1909 and later served as a federal deputy in Brazil’s National Congress in the early 1920s. He was appointed Minister of Finance in 1926, then resigned to become governor of Rio Grande do Sul in 1928. After losing a contested presidential election in 1930, he led a revolution that year and took power as the head of a provisional government. From 1930 to 1937, he oversaw a new constitution in 1934 which expanded federal authority, quadrupled the electorate, and included women’s suffrage, along with significant labor and social reforms. After an uprising in 1937, he seized near-absolute power, enacted a new constitution, suppressed political opposition, and curtailed civil liberties. He was removed from power in 1945 by the military. He won election as president in 1950 and ruled as a democratically elected leader from 1951, focusing on economic nationalism and labor rights, until his suicide in 1954.
Contradictions
The text notes that Vargas, despite suppressing political opposition and civil liberties, was still known as the “Father of the Poor” and retained popular support. His government was known for both repression and modernization, pushing industrialization but using secret police to silence dissent.
Sources
Ledford-Miller, Linda. 2023. “Getúlio Vargas.” EBSCO Research Starter. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/politics-and-government/getulio-vargas.
Fisher, Lillian Estelle. . 1944. "GETULIO VARGAS, THE STRONG MAN OF BRAZIL," Social Science 19 (2): 80. https://search.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/getulio-vargas-strong-man-brazil/docview/1291018013/se-2.
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.