The Second World War and the Rise of Mass Nationalism in Brazil Class, Race and Citizenship

This book reexamines the socioeconomic and political transformation that occurred in Brazil during the 1940s as a result of the Second World War.

“In this groundbreaking work, Alexandre Fortes unpacks the shape-shifting character of Getúlio Vargas’ first government in the context of a ‘long’ Second World War. Examining the nationwide anti-Axis street protests and the massive strike wave driven by rapid wartime industrialisation, Fortes offers an incisive analysis of the class and racial complexities of Brazilian nationalism.”

—Andrew Buchanan, University of Vermont, and author of World War II in Global Perspective, 1931-1953: A Short History

This book reexamines the socioeconomic and political transformation that occurred in Brazil during the 1940s as a result of the Second World War. Integrating social and political history, the author explores the adoption of new policies around state-sponsored industrialisation, the consolidation of Brazilian labour law institutions, and the expanded influence of ‘racial democracy’ in the country's domestic and foreign policy. The book argues that the nature of the Brazilian state and its definitions of citizenship were redefined both from ‘the top’ – as a result of Brazil’s integration in the new international order following the War – and ‘from below’ - as antifascism and mass nationalism opened new spaces for subaltern agency. Challenging traditional narratives on Brazil’s transition from the Estado Novo dictatorship of Getúlio Vargas to a postwar democratic experience, this book highlights the extent to which political developments were shaped by key global processes and foreign relations with the USA. The book also focuses on the ‘bottom-up’ forces and actors that brought about change in Brazil, emphasising the role of workers, protestors, and popular actors in shaping history. Breaking new ground in Brazilian historiography, this book makes a significant contribution to studies of populism and democratisation in Latin America.

Alexandre Fortes is a Full Professor of Contemporary History at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Previously, he was a Mellon Visiting Professor in the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at Duke University in the USA.

This book reexamines the socioeconomic and political transformation that occurred in Brazil during the 1940s as a result of the Second World War. Integrating social and political history, the author explores the adoption of new policies around state-sponsored industrialisation, the consolidation of Brazilian labour law institutions, and the expanded influence of ‘racial democracy’ in the country's domestic and foreign policy. The book argues that the nature of the Brazilian state and its definitions of citizenship were redefined both from ‘the top’ – as a result of Brazil’s integration in the new international order following the War – and ‘from below’ - as antifascism and mass nationalism opened new spaces for subaltern agency. Challenging traditional narratives on Brazil’s transition from the Estado Novo dictatorship of Getúlio Vargas to a postwar democratic experience, this book highlights the extent to which political developments were shaped by key global processes and foreign relations with the USA. The book also focuses on the ‘bottom-up’ forces and actors that brought about change in Brazil, emphasising the role of workers, protestors, and popular actors in shaping history. Breaking new ground in Brazilian historiography, this book makes a significant contribution to studies of populism and democratisation in Latin America.