Until the Storm Passes: Politicians, Democracy, and the Demise of Brazil’s Military Dictatorship

Description

A free open access ebook is available upon publication. Learn more at www.luminosoa.org. Until the Storm Passes reveals how Brazil's 1964–1985 military dictatorship contributed to its own demise by alienating the civilian political elites who initially helped bring it to power. Based on exhaustive research conducted in nearly twenty archives in five countries, as well as on oral histories with surviving politicians from the period, this book tells the surprising story of how the alternatingly self-interested and heroic resistance of the political class contributed decisively to Brazil's democratization. As they gradually turned against military rule, politicians began to embrace a political role for the masses that most of them would never have accepted in 1964, thus setting the stage for the breathtaking expansion of democracy that Brazil enjoyed over the next three decades. Cover Title page Copyright page Contents List of Figures List of Media Files Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction A (Political) Class That Rules Structure versus Rational Choice and Generals versus Civil Society Sources and Chapter Outline 1. “The Blood of the Youth Is Flowing” From Jubilation to Disillusion: A “Revolution” Gone Astray “I Stand in Solidarity with the Students”: Politicians and the Student Movement 2. “The Funeral of Democracy” Weighing Benefits and Risks: The Political Class and Military Maneuver under Duress “To the King, I Give All, Except My Honor”: The Congressional Debate “History Alone Will Judge Us”: The Closing Arguments and Vote Conclusions 3. “The Political Class Has Learned Nothing” “The Resumption of the Revolution”: The Aftermath of AI-5 “You Become a Leper”: The Political Class Is Purged “Zeal for the Collective Interest”: Reshaping the Political Class through Reform Conclusions 4. “Sheltered under the Tree” “It Is Not Necessary to Live”: The Autênticos and the Anti-Candidacy Building a Party from the Bottom Up: The Rise of Orestes Quércia in São Paulo “Our People Are Still at a Very Low Level”: Détente and “Relative Democracy” Conclusions 5. “We Aren’t a Flock of Little Sheep” “Brazil Is Doing Well. Are You?” 1974 and the Rebirth of the MDB The Limits of Détente: The Military Overreacts to the 1974 Elections The Audacity to Strong-Arm the Generals: Paulo Maluf Runs for São Paulo Governor127 Conclusions 6. “We Cannot Think about Democracy the Way We Used To” 1978: “The Most Peaceful Strike Ever Seen in São Paulo” 1979: “It Is Up to the Workers to Change the Rules of the Game” 1980: The Republic of São Bernardo Conclusions 7. “I Want to Vote for President” Hanging on by Their Fingernails: The Military Attempts to Retain Power “Democracy within Reach”: The Political Class and Mass Mobilization in Diretas Já “I Saw the People Born of the Masses”: The Promise and Limits of Popular Mobilization “Only Good Politics Can Save Them”: The Political Class and the 1985 Election Conclusions Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index