Travel info

History of Brazil

The history of Brazil is very rich with different events and sights, therefore completely to understand about what there is a speech it is necessary to visit this country. But for this purpose the Brazil visa is required to you. Now, I will shortly tell about the basic stages of development of Brazil.

As distinct from inkas and mayas Brazilian Indians never developed the centralized civilization. Due to jungles and climate, there are little what remained to archaeologists for a study: a bit potteries, small groups of cockleshells, skeletons. When Portuguese landed ashore first, territories of today's Brazil were populated by various nations, and a population was made to six millions. Today Indians are less than 200 000, majority from which is hidden in the heart of the Brazilian jungles.

In 1500 Pedro Alvares Kabral, planning to swim to India, left from Lisbon with 1200 sea-folks on 13 ships and "quite by chance" blundered upon the Brazilian coast near a present city Porto Seguro. Some historians confirm that he planned to get exactly to Brazil.

Colonists discovered soon, that earth and climate is ideal for growing of sugar-cane, and decided the problem of labour force, enslaving Brazilian Indians. Slave-trade became profitable business soon, headed bandeirantes (men from San Paulo, parents of which are Indian and Portuguese). They hunted on Indians, pounding them deep into country which to the middle of XVII age attained peruvian Andes. Brazilians and Portuguese crowded on these territories, and the countless amount of slaves was brought from Africa, to die on the deposits of gold.

From middle of XVI century, and especially in XVII century, the African slaves replaced Indians on plantations. They were less vulnerable for European illnesses, but duration of their life was short. The associations of fugitive slaves (quilombos) developed during a colonial era. Their size hesitated from "mocambos" (little groups, hidden in the forests) to the large republic of Palmares. In 1690 it was found out gold. Brazilians and Portuguese crowded on these territories, and the countless amount of slaves was brought from Africa, to die on the fields of gold.

In 1807 the army of Napoleon entered to Lisbon. Two days to an attack the Portuguese prince-ruler, which then became don Juan VI, left to Brazil. Arriving, he appointed Rio de Janeiro as the capital of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and Algarve. Brazil was the unique colony of New World, becoming the administrative center of the European monarchy. In 1822 the son of prince-ruler, Pedro, which remained to govern a colony after returning of his father to Portugal, took out the sword and exclaimed independence or death! (Independencia ou morte!). At this time Portugal was too weak to militate against a favourite son, therefore Brazil became an independent empire without bloodshed.

During XIX century sugar as an important export product of Brazil was transferable coffee. A world economic crisis of 1929 year weakened influence of coffee planters on the state, and Liberal alliance at support of soldiery officers-nationalists was created.

In the middle of 1980 "the economic miracle" of Brazil, mainly got from loans in international banks, was outspent, and soldiery again passed the civil government to power. In November, 1989 the first possibility for 30 years to choose a president appeared for Brazilians. A new president was become by former champion on karate Phernando Kollor de Mello, winning on elections of socialist Louisa de Silva. Promising to be striven against a corruption and reduce inflation, Kollor got presidency, but at the end of 1992 he, reminding senior Indiana Jones to George Bush, was taken off from presidential position, laid to the corruption and in that managed the gang of extortioners and grafters, pumping out from an economy more than one milliard of the USA dollars. (He avoided imprisonment.)

The vice-president Itimar Franco became a president after retirement of Kollora in December, 1992, and at introduction of new currency real stabilized an economy. In November, 1994 Fernando Kardoso was chosen as a president, who is a creator of "Plano Real" (Real plan). Kardoso managed Brazil in the middle of 1990, here were strong growth of economy, stabilizing of currency and permanent foreign cash inflow. These achievements lost magnitude because of the inherited problems: losses of two million workplaces between 1989 and 1996 years and long complications in reform of agriculture. In the report of UNO it was declared in 1996, that in Brazil the most uneven distribution of material welfares in the world.

But it did not prevent Kardoso to satisfy congress of necessity to change a constitution, that he was able to serve the second term. In the total in 1998 without every labour he remained on the second quadrennial term. After elections real was devalued, that resulted in the period of diminishing of budgetary expenses, but to 2000 an economy again began to rise. However an economic increase doesn't mean social justice. More than 50 million Brazilians live in poverty. Achievements in education, landed reform and social help of contrary to the unhealthy system of health protection, overpopulation and state of environment. A corruption in Brazil still is a problem, in spite of attempts of it to eradicate.