Causes Of The Latin American Revolution Of 1930

The 20th century was a tumultuous century in Latin American history. Practically every country in the region was poor, undeveloped and nondemocratic. Latin American economies were closely linked to the international market; the countries were used for their vast resources and exports. The weak state of the Latin American countries led almost each country to fall into revolution. Brazil and Argentina experienced their revolutionary phases in 1935 and 1946 respectively. Beginning in 1930 and consolidating power in 1935, Getulio Vargas led the Brazilian Revolution of 1930 which successfully overthrew the government by military coup. Peron was elected president in 1946 by the public. These revolutions were caused by a multitude of institutional

The population of Brazil in 1930 was extremely unhappy with the state of their country and the behavior of the Brazilian government. “The vast majority lived in poverty … Many firms preferred to hire immigrants … lack of basic federal programs … Few rural Brazilians attended school … Rural people were considered by their more cosmopolitan countrymen to be guileless and lazy” (Levine 4). In other words, rampant rural poverty, lack of jobs or education, lack of government programs and ethnic and regional divisions caused the public to desire change. The elites in Brazil were equally upset at the economic conditions of the country. The Great Depression lowered the prices of books making the spread of revolutionary ideas through the elite class much faster. In addition, mentioned before, rural elites were not equal to their urban counterparts creating inequality and discontent in the elite class. Furthermore, as Vargas believed, many elites thought Brazil had hidden potential. “Vargas … believed that Brazil could be modernized rapidly through industrialization and social engineering” (Levine 5). Even some elites desired change because the rich would receive the majority of the benefits from industrialization. In Brazil there were political movements prior to the “Revolution of 1930”. The Rio Grande do Sul movement beginning in the 1920s advocated for the government to create social legislation. The Tenente movement, also in the 1920s, was more idealistic, calling for a reform of the government who they deemed neglected the Brazilian public. With these social movements already in place, it was easier for Vargas to start a revolution. Governmental breakdown was the institutional factor which was most critical in the Brazilian revolution. Vargas overthrew the Brazilian government by military coup, suggesting a majority of the military was more loyal to Vargas than the government. Lastly,