PapersFlow Research Brief
Brazilian History and Foreign Policy
Research Guide
What is Brazilian History and Foreign Policy?
Brazilian History and Foreign Policy refers to the historical evolution of Brazil's political, economic, and diplomatic strategies, particularly its dependent development model, regime transitions, anticommunist mobilizations, and aspirations as a regional power in Latin America.
This field encompasses 37,330 works examining Brazil's development economics and policy, including innovation, bureaucracy, globalization, sustainability, infrastructure, foreign investment, and social security. Key analyses cover relationships among multinational corporations, state enterprises, and local capital during Brazil's capital accumulation phase, as detailed in Evans (1979). Studies also address political continuity from the 1964–85 military regime to democracy and Brazil's foreign policy choices as an intermediate state.
Topic Hierarchy
Research Sub-Topics
Dependent Development Theory in Brazil
This sub-topic analyzes Cardoso and Faletto's framework on multinational-state-local capital alliances shaping Brazil's industrialization and inequality. Researchers examine its applicability to contemporary globalization dynamics.
Bureaucratic-Authoritarian Regime in Brazil
Studies explore the 1964-1985 military regime's economic policies, technocratic bureaucracy, and repression of labor movements. Research assesses its legacy on inequality and democratic transitions.
Brazilian Foreign Policy and Regional Power Status
This area investigates Brazil's intermediate state positioning, MERCOSUR leadership, and South-South diplomacy under Lula and successors. Analysts study constraints from domestic politics and U.S. relations.
Anticommunism and Political Repression in Brazil 1917-1964
Researchers trace anticommunist discourses, state surveillance, and elite alliances from Vargas era to the 1964 coup. Studies include cultural propaganda and labor movement suppression.
Patronato Político Formation in Brazilian History
This sub-topic examines the historical construction of political patronage networks linking landowners, industrialists, and state actors from Empire to Republic. Research covers coronelismo evolution and party machines.
Why It Matters
Brazilian History and Foreign Policy provides frameworks for understanding Latin American development challenges, such as the alliance of multinational, state, and local capital that shaped Brazil's economy, as Evans (1979) analyzed with 920 citations. This informs current discussions on foreign investment and infrastructure policy. For instance, de Lima and Hirst (2006) outlined Brazil's actions as a regional power, influencing its responsibilities in international affairs amid globalization, with 377 citations. Hagopian (1996) explained persistent traditional politics post-military rule, affecting democratic transitions and social security reforms in emerging economies.
Reading Guide
Where to Start
'Dependent Development: The Alliance of Multinational, State, and Local Capital in Brazil' by Peter Evans (1979), as the most-cited work (920 citations) with a focused abstract on core economic relationships central to Brazil's history.
Key Papers Explained
Evans (1979) 'Dependent Development: The Alliance of Multinational, State, and Local Capital in Brazil' establishes the economic dependence framework, which Hagopian (1996) 'Traditional Politics and Regime Change in Brazil' extends to political continuity during military-to-democracy shifts. Deutsch (2005) 'Em guarda contra o “perigo vermelho”: O anticomunismo no Brasil (1917–1964)' adds historical anticommunist drivers behind the 1964 coup, while de Lima and Hirst (2006) 'Brazil as an intermediate state and regional power: action, choice and responsibilities' builds on these to analyze modern foreign policy aspirations. O’Donnell (1978) 'Reflections on the Patterns of Change in the Bureaucratic-Authoritarian State' connects bureaucratic patterns across these eras.
Paper Timeline
Most-cited paper highlighted in red. Papers ordered chronologically.
Advanced Directions
Research focuses on unresolved tensions in dependent development and regional power dynamics from foundational papers like Evans (1979) and de Lima and Hirst (2006), amid ongoing Latin American policy studies; no recent preprints or news available.
Papers at a Glance
| # | Paper | Year | Venue | Citations | Open Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dependent Development: The Alliance of Multinational, State, a... | 1979 | Foreign Affairs | 920 | ✕ |
| 2 | Constituiçao da República Federativa do Brasil : promulgada em... | 1989 | — | 558 | ✕ |
| 3 | Traditional Politics and Regime Change in Brazil | 1996 | Cambridge University P... | 440 | ✕ |
| 4 | Brazil as an intermediate state and regional power: action, ch... | 2006 | International Affairs | 377 | ✕ |
| 5 | Em guarda contra o “perigo vermelho”: O anticomunismo no Brasi... | 2005 | Hispanic American Hist... | 370 | ✕ |
| 6 | Para descolonizar os estudos de economia política e os estudos... | 2008 | Revista crítica de ci... | 336 | ✓ |
| 7 | Os Donos do Poder: Formação do Patronato Político Brasileiro | 1978 | Hispanic American Hist... | 319 | ✓ |
| 8 | Burocracia e ideologia | 2006 | Editora UNESP eBooks | 289 | ✕ |
| 9 | Reflections on the Patterns of Change in the Bureaucratic-Auth... | 1978 | Latin American Researc... | 281 | ✓ |
| 10 | Unanswered threats: political constraints on the balance of power | 2006 | Choice Reviews Online | 274 | ✕ |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is dependent development in Brazil?
Dependent development describes Brazil's capital accumulation through alliances among multinational corporations, state-owned enterprises, and local private entrepreneurs. Peter Evans (1979) in 'Dependent Development: The Alliance of Multinational, State, and Local Capital in Brazil' argues this model maintained dependence despite growth. The paper has received 920 citations.
How did anticommunism shape Brazilian history?
Anticommunism in Brazil peaked in the 1930s, leading to the Estado Novo, and in the early 1960s, prompting the 1964 coup. Sandra McGee Deutsch (2005) in 'Em guarda contra o “perigo vermelho”: O anticomunismo no Brasil (1917–1964)' details these mobilizations and supporting movements. It holds 370 citations.
What role does Brazil play as a regional power?
Brazil pursues recognition as a 'big country' in world affairs through autonomous foreign policy. María Regina Soares de Lima and Mónica Hirst (2006) in 'Brazil as an intermediate state and regional power: action, choice and responsibilities' examine its choices and duties. The work has 377 citations.
What explains political continuity in Brazil?
Traditional politics persisted through the 1964–85 military regime into democracy. Frances Hagopian (1996) in 'Traditional Politics and Regime Change in Brazil' contrasts this with expected changes. It received 440 citations.
How did bureaucracy function under Brazil's authoritarian state?
Bureaucratic-authoritarian states featured patterns of change analyzed in historical context. Guillermo O’Donnell (1978) in 'Reflections on the Patterns of Change in the Bureaucratic-Authoritarian State' presented findings from a 1975 seminar. The paper has 281 citations.
Open Research Questions
- ? How have multinational-state-local capital alliances evolved in Brazil's post-1979 foreign investment landscape?
- ? What factors sustained traditional politics beyond the 1985 democratic transition?
- ? To what extent do anticommunist legacies from 1917–1964 influence contemporary Brazilian policy?
- ? What constraints limit Brazil's foreign policy autonomy as an intermediate regional power?
- ? How does bureaucratic ideology interact with regime changes in Brazil's development model?
Recent Trends
The field maintains 37,330 works with no specified 5-year growth rate; foundational papers from 1978–2006, such as Evans with 920 citations and de Lima and Hirst (2006) with 377 citations, continue to dominate citations.
1979No recent preprints or news coverage reported in the last 12 months.
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