Juscelino Kubitschek and the Development of Brazil — 1991 ·

By Robert J. Alexander

Kubitschek was one of the most important political leaders of Brazil during the twentieth century. As president, he pushed decisively for the industrialization of the largest of the Latin American nations. He also provided his country with the most democratic regime it had ever experienced. His leadership stimulated a flowering of Brazilian culture in literature, art, music, and architecture. By establishing Brasilia as the nation’s capital in the interior of the country, he reoriented the thinking of Brazilians and changed their outlook from one of pessimism to one of an exuberant optimism that lasted until the profound crisis of the 1980s.

Juscelino Kubitschek and the Development of Brazil focuses on Kubitschek’s presidential administration, his economic development program, and his political maneuverings, but it also follows him from the time he left the presidency through the military coup of April 1984.

Robert J. Alexander is a professor in the Economics Department of Rutgers University.