Luciano Aronne de Abreu and Marco Aurélio Vannucchi have put together a good collection of essays by Brazilian scholars on a wide variety of subjects that shaped Brazil during Getúlio Vargas's first period of rule (1930–45). There is some original research in a few of the chapters, while others rely on the secondary literature. All the essays do an excellent job of situating new arguments about the period in the appropriate historiographical context. The book is highly recommended for graduate and advanced undergraduate students, and for non-Brazil specialists among faculty.
The editors make a logical and important point about the Revolution of 1930 that first brought Vargas to power. It did indeed usher in an era of significant changes, especially in terms of the state's role in the economy and social relations, but those changes did not preclude aspects of previous eras from being part of the new order. The...
