This collection of six useful and informative essays on the emergence of contemporary Brazil from military rule and authoritarianism to an opening toward democracy is welcome and timely. In his introduction Wayne Selcher provides a brief overview of Brazilian political life since 1964, then sets forth the intent of this volume in analyzing and assessing the political liberalization initiated under President Geisel after 1977 and carried forward in the Figueiredo presidency after 1979.
Enrique Baloyra concentrates on the contradictions of the 1977 to 1981 period as the military lost all political legitimacy and its modest yet controlled reforms stimulated the opposition to push for further liberalization. His perceptive analysis begins with various perspectives of the liberalization process as well as contradictions of authoritarian control. Three useful charts supplement the discussion.
Selcher’s informative essay focuses on the economic and political crisis of the Figueiredo government and its tactical maneuvering through the 1982 and 1985 elections. He identifies the major political parties as the abertura evolved and the opposition rose to power under the New Republic. David Fleischer reworks the analysis of this period with attention to the Brazilian congress and its political party representation. He effectively combines discussion with electoral and party data, presented in 16 tables. Robert Packenham examines political discourse since 1964 in an analysis of the changing thinking of social scientists and intellectuals. His essay is rich in detail and identification of various trends of thought and their political implications.
Donald Share and Scott Mainwaring look at “transitions through transactions,” or negotiation between the ruling authoritarian regime and the democratic opposition to bring about liberalization. Their useful analysis provides comparative perspective with attention to Brazil and Spain. Ronald M. Schneider attempts political forecasting through a six-stage process leading to examination of alternative scenarios for the future. The basis of his approach is an evaluation of the relative influence of 29 political groups over the past generation; each group is described systematically in order to identify economic and political perspectives.
My own interpretation of this period would take issue with Baloyra’s credit to the military for allowing a democratization to take place (labor unrest and a rapidly growing and vigorous opposition undermined what little credibility the military counted on); with Packenham’s focus on an emerging liberalism and a fading Marxism (when in fact Marxism has been adapting to changing political conditions in Brazil and elsewhere that call for pluralism and socialism); and with the emphasis of most of the essays on institutional, especially political-party, politics (thereby avoiding analysis of the state, social classes, and the consolidation of capital within Brazil and its connections with the evolving internationalization of capital). However, the essays of this volume stand well on their own and provide us with a wealth of information and ideas on contemporary Brazil.
