GLIMPES OF BRAZIL

1 Political history timeline

2 Geo-political significance

3 Comparative analysis

4 Relationship

Table of content

1500 : Brazil was "officially” discovered. Portuguese

land in the area and claim it to the Portuguese crown.

Brazil’s first colonizer were met by Tupinamba Indi-

ans, one group in the vast array continent’s native

population.

1822 : Son of Portuguese king declares independence

from Portugal and crowns himself Peter I, Emperor of

Brazil.

1888-89: Slavery abolished. Large influx of European

immigrants over the next decade. Monarchy over-

thrown, federal republic established with central gov-

ernment controlled by coffee interests. Brazil produces

65% of world's coffee by 1902.

1930-37: Revolt places Getulio Vargas at head of provi-

sional revolutionary government. Vargas leads coup,

rules as dictator with military backing. Economy placed

under authoritarian state control, start of social wel-

fare revolution and reform of laws governing industry.

POLITICAL HISTORY TIMELINE

Colonial days 1939-45 : Brazil initially de-

clares itself neutral but in 1943

joins Allies in World War II. Vargas

ousted in military coup. Elections

held under caretaker government.

New constitution returns power to

states.

1951-54 : Vargas elected president, but faces stiff opposi-

tion. Vargas commits suicide after military gives him the

options of resigning or being overthrown.

1956-61: Juscelino Kubitschek is president, helping Brazil

achieve rapid economic growth. Kubitschek moves capital

to Brasilia. Janio Quadros elected president, but resigns

after several months, plunging country into constitutional

crisis. Succeeded by left-wing vice-president Joao Goulet.

Military Rule Economic woes 1989-94: Fernando Collor de Mello becomes first directly elected presi-

dent since 1960. Introduces radical economic reform but promised eco-

nomic improvements fail to materialise, and inflation remains out of con-

trol. Fernando Henrique Cardoso elected president after helping to bring

inflation under control. Makes controversial moves on land issue, seizing

land for distribution among poor, and allowing indigenous land claims to

be challenged.

1995: President Cardoso acknowledges the existence of slavery in Brazil

and pledges to tackle the problem.

1998-2000: Cardoso re-elected. IMF provides rescue package after econ-

omy hit by collapse of Asian stock markets. Celebrations to mark Brazil's

500th anniversary marred by protests by indigenous Indians, who say

that racial genocide, forced labour and disease have dramatically cut

their population from an estimated 5 million before the Portuguese ar-

rived in 1500 to the current 350,000.

2001-2002: President Cardoso abolishes two development agencies for

the Amazon and the northeast. The authorities say the agencies set up

bogus projects to steal development funds estimated at more than $1

billion. Members of the Landless Workers Movement, demanding land

reform, occupy President Cardoso's family ranch.

1964 : Goulet ousted in bloodless coup, flees into exile. Military

rule associated with repression but also with rapid economic

growth based on state ownership of key sectors.

1974: General Ernesto Geisel becomes president, introduces

reforms which allow limited political activity and elections.

1985: Tancredo Neves elected first civilian president in 21 years

under the electoral college system set up by the military, but falls

ill before he can be inaugurated and dies shortly afterwards. His

vice president Jose Sarney becomes president at time of economic

crisis.

1986-88: Sarney introduces Cruzado Plan, freezing prices and

wages in effort to control inflation. But inflation explodes when

freeze is lifted. New constitution reduces presidential powers.

Lula elected 2002: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, popularly known as Lula, wins presiden-

tial elections. The former shoeshine boy heads Brazil's first left wing gov-

ernment for more than 40 years. At his inauguration in January 2003 he

promises political and economic reforms and pledges to eradicate hunger.

2003-04: Space rocket explodes on the ground at

the Alcantara launch base, killing 21 people. Wave

of land invasions, dubbed "Red April" by activists.

Brazil, along with Germany, India and Japan,

launches an application for a permanent seat on the

UN Security Council.

2005-06: Murder of US born missionary and cam-

paigner for Amazon peasant farmers Dorothy Stang

throws conflict over land and resources in Amazon

into spotlight. Government unveils plan to protect

part of region from encroachment. Death squad kills

at least 30 people on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro,

the city's worst massacre in over a decade. It is

suggested that rogue police are responsible.

2007: Antislavery team frees more than 1,000 people from a sugarcane

plantation in the Amazon. Government officially recognizes for first time

human rights abuses carried out under military dictatorship between 1964

and 1985. More than 500 people are believed to have been killed or

"disappeared". The speaker of the Brazilian Senate and a key ally of Presi-

dent Lula, Renan Calheiros, resigns in order to avoid an imminent im-

2008-09: The EU halts all imports of Brazilian beef, saying its foot and mouth

disease checks are "unacceptable". Government launches scheme offering

cash payments and immunity for illegal weapons, in an effort to get 300,000

guns off the streets. Government launches scheme offering cash payments

and immunity for illegal weapons, in an effort to get 300,000 guns off the

streets. Brazil and Paraguay reach a deal to end their long running dispute

over the cost of energy from the giant Itapúa hydroelectric plant on their

border.

2010: President Lula begins push for bigger Brazilian

diplomatic role with visit to Middle East. Weeks later he

goes to Iran. Brazil gives formal approval for construction

of controversial hydroelectric dam in the Amazon rainfor-

est, expected to be the world's third largest.

2011: Chamber of Deputies votes to ease restrictions

on the amount of land farmers must preserve as forest,

raising fears of deforestation in the Amazon. Brazil grants

building permit for Belo Monte dam on the Xingu River in

the Amazon, a project opposed by indigenous groups and

environmentalists. Government launches Brasil Sem

Miseria (Brazil Without Poverty) welfare scheme, aimed at

lifting millions out of extreme poverty.

2012: Truth Commission starts investigating abuses during 1964-1985 mili-

tary dictatorship.

GEO-POLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE The connection between geography and history has been taken for granted in the 'prophecies' about

Brazil's future and diagnoses about its current position in time. Being in the future is associated with

standing out as a global power. Power is in the future, shared by people in the future. Temporal and

spatial categories are often used interchangeably in the old and new analysis about what/where the

country in relation to what/where it should be. The 'rise' or 'emergence' to its (almost) 'future' or

(almost) position of 'global player' are informed by a conventional understanding of geopolitics that re-

duces the possibilities of politics and history to determined representations of space. As far as econo-

mies go, the world's seventh largest has been one of the BRICS for a decade, but when it comes to its

geopolitical role, Brazil wants to be seen as a rock. After a century of a coffee economy, the 20th cen-

tury brought revolution, protectionism, an economic miracle amid a series of military juntas, a debt

crisis, a decade of hyperinflation and the impeachment of a civil president. The development has al-

ready brought a quadrupling of GDP since 1993 to $2.09 trillion, right before the 1994 introduction of

the now famous Real Plan, a group of measures meant to snuff out inflation and stabilize the economy. Brazil — which survived the financial crisis

better than most — played an important role in post-crisis G20 initiatives

on banking regulation, currencies and other financial issues. It's also been

more involved in World Bank and IMF initiatives and policies. Lula —

though a committed Socialist, oddly enough had a very positive personal

relationship with President George W. Bush — also played a role in mitigat-

ing friction between the U.S. and Venezuela's populist president Hugo

Chavez. In the field of possibilities and reasoning for Brazil's emergence to

the 'global future', power seems to be conceptualized as both relative and

material. In Lula's statements, and from the perspective of Brazil as the

leader of the G20 in the negotiations in the World Trade Organization, the

distribution of resources matter as one of the defining principle of power.

According to former Brazilian president Lula, power needs to be re-

distributed, and by redistribution of power he means the decentralization of

world trade and the de-concentration of wealthy

Brazil's population is very diverse, comprising many races and ethnic groups. In general, Brazilians trace their origins from four sources: Amerindians, Europeans, Afri-cans and Asians Brazil has conducted a periodical population census since 1872. Since 1940, this census has been carried out decennially. Scanned versions of the forms for each census distributed in Bra-zil since 1960 are available on-line from IPUMS International.[1] Brazil has experienced large degrees of ethnic and racial admixture, assimilation of cul-tures and syncretism. According to the 2008 PNAD (National Household Sample Survey), conducted by the IBGE, the Brazilian Statistics bureau, there were about 189,953,000 inhabitants in 2008.[2] As of the latest (2010) census, the Brazilian government estimates its popu-lation at 190.8 million. The population of Brazil is estimated based on various sources from 1550 to 1850. The first official census took place in 1872. From that year, every 10 years (with some exceptions) the population is counted.

India is the second most populous country in the world, with over 1.277 billion people (2015), more than a sixth of the world's population. Al-ready containing 17.5% of the world's population, India is projected to be the world's most populous country by 2022, surpassing China, its population reaching 1.6 billion by 2050.[5][6] Its population growth rate is 1.2%, ranking 94th in the world in 2013.[7] The Indian population had reached the billion mark by 1998.

India has more than 50% of its population below the age of 25 and more than 65% below the age of 35. It is expected that, in 2020, the average age of an Indian will be 29 years, compared to 37 for China and 48 for Japan; and, by 2030, India's dependency ratio should be just over 0.4.[8] India has more than two thousand ethnic groups,[9] and every major religion is represented, as are four major families of languages (Indo-European, Dravidian, Austroasiatic and Sino-Tibetan languages) as well as two language iso-lates (the Nihali language[10] spoken in parts of Maharashtra and the Burushaski language spo-ken in parts of Jammu and Kashmir). Further complexity is lent by the great variation that oc-curs across this population on social parameters such as income and education. Only the continent of Africa exceeds the linguistic, genetic and cul-tural diversity of the nation of India.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Relation between India and brazil The basis for the development of ties between India and Brazil rests on trade and commerce. The regional powerhouses share a relationship that is

gradual and progressive. However, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Brazil for the BRICS Summit can give a fillip to their bilateral

association. The India-Brazil ties evoke a lot of interest, but not much has been pursued academically. The literature comprises more on the multilat-

eral forums in which both the emerging nations are its members. Stuenkel, Antonio & Alden2, Harrell & Sengupta3, Cero and Vazar e among few

scholars who have contrib- uted to the India-Brazil relations and

its association in the pur- view of IBSA and BRICS. This back-

grounder attempts to com- prehend the bilateral relations and its

prospects. India and Brazil have a history of political cooperation

since the 1960s. It has been active on the multilateral forums but

the economic relations were dismal till the early 2000s. Like in

1964, India and Brazil joint- ly articulated positions in UNCTAD

(UN Conference on Trade and Development) and G77.12 Even

in 1967, both the countries condemned the idea of creating Non-

Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and instead insisted on using the

money not on arms, but by helping the developing nations to

fight poverty For long, India and Brazil had remained unexplored

by each other. The foremost reason being the 14,000

km26 distance it needed to bridge, the unstable polity of Brazil

and the lack of political will from both the sides to take the trade

relationship further. Brazil has become one of the most im-

portant trading partners of India in the entire LAC (Latin America

and Caribbean) region. However, India's total bilateral trade

(in goods) with Brazil fell to 9.5 billion dollars in 2013 decreasing

by 10.7 per cent from 10.6 billion in 2012 (trade in goods and services, though, surged to an estimated US$12 billion).27 Imports from Brazil to In-

dia that had grown sharply in 2012 from 3.2 billion USD to 5.6 billion USD fell back as sharply over in 2013 due mainly to reduction in crude oil ex-

ports of Brazil. Brazil's share in Indian export market was about 2.6 per cent whereas Brazil's share in Indian imports is about 1.3 per cent.28 Diesel

exports by Reliance itself account for more than 52 per cent of India's exports to Brazil, up from the forty one percent of India's exports in 2012. Oth-

er top Indian products exported to Brazil are: polyester yarn, chemical products, drugs and cotton yarn. Most of these products registered growth in

2013