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João Goulart
Historical figureBrazil1919-1976

João Goulart

President of Brazil (1961-1964) · Vice President of Brazil (1956-1961)

Brazilian president from 1961 to 1964, a labor politician and protege of Vargas who pushed land reform, workers' rights and limits on foreign capital until the army overthrew him.

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Profile on 12 axes7 of 12 documented
ECONOMYSTATESOCIETYWORLDOwnershipMarketsWelfareAuthoritySecurityStructureMoralityReligionTechnologyCultureTradeForeign
Where they stood

João Goulart, axis by axis

  1. 01Ownership-40
    PublicPrivate

    His land decree covered idle estates beside federal highways and railways, and he wanted the state to control oil refining. He did not call for wide nationalisation of industry.

  2. 02Markets-45
    PlannedFree
  3. 03Welfare-55
    SharedSelf-reliant
  4. 04Authority-15
    DemocraticStrong leader

    He took office as an elected vice president by lawful means. In 1964, though, he tried to push reforms past Congress with decrees and mass rallies. Critics saw a threat to institutions, while supporters saw democratic pressure.

  5. 05Security-20
    LibertyOrder
  6. 06StructureNo clear record
    LocalCentral

    No clear position on federal versus central power is documented.

  7. 07MoralityNo clear record
    ProgressiveTraditional

    His program centred on labor and land, not on family or moral law.

  8. 08ReligionNo clear record
    SecularReligious
  9. 09TechnologyNo clear record
    EmbraceCaution
  10. 10CultureNo clear record
    MulticulturalNational identity
  11. 11Trade+40
    GlobalProtected
  12. 12Foreign policy+5
    CooperationStrength

    His independent line restored ties with Moscow and rejected sanctions on Cuba. It stressed sovereignty and neutrality over blocs or force, so the score is close to neutral.

5 axes have no clear record, so matching leaves them out.

Who was João Goulart?

João Goulart, nicknamed Jango, was born to a ranching family in São Borja, the same town as Getúlio Vargas. He rose through the Brazilian Labor Party and served as Vargas's labor minister in 1953-1954. His call to double the minimum wage helped cost him that job. Brazilians elected him vice president in 1955 and 1960. When President Jânio Quadros quit in 1961, military leaders tried to stop Goulart from taking over. A deal made him president, but under a parliamentary system with weaker powers, which a vote in January 1963 undid. His push for sweeping reforms split the country. The army removed him on 1 April 1964, and he died in exile in Argentina in 1976.

Political views

  • As labor minister in 1954 he asked for the minimum wage to be doubled, and Vargas later agreed.Source: www18.fgv.br
  • Signed the 1962 law creating a year-end thirteenth salary and the 1963 Rural Worker Statute, which brought labor protections to farm workers.Source: planalto.gov.br
  • In 1962 he signed a law that tightened rules on foreign investors and capped how much profit they could send out of the country.Source: planalto.gov.br
  • Issued a decree in March 1964 allowing the government to take over land beside federal highways and railways for land reform.Source: planalto.gov.br
  • Opened a campaign for 'basic reforms' with a rally of around 150,000 people in Rio de Janeiro on 13 March 1964, and asked for constitutional change to carry them out.Source: www18.fgv.br
  • Re-established ties with the Soviet Union in 1961 and in 1962 refused to back American-led sanctions on Cuba.Source: www18.fgv.br

Legacy

Goulart's time as president is one of the most disputed periods in Brazil's history. Supporters, and many historians, see a reformist democrat who tried to bring labor rights, land and schooling to the poor majority and who was toppled by a plot of soldiers and civilians with American backing. Critics at the time, including most of the press, Church leaders and business, said he allowed communist influence, fed strikes and indiscipline in the ranks, and tried to get round Congress. Economists note that his Three-Year Plan, drawn up by Celso Furtado, did not stop rising inflation. The coup began 21 years of military rule. In 2013 Congress annulled the session that declared the presidency vacant, and his body was dug up to test claims, never proven, that he was poisoned.

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João Goulart: questions

Why was João Goulart overthrown?

The armed forces removed him on 1 April 1964 after months of tension. Opponents said he was drifting left, backing strikes and defying Congress. Supporters say his reforms threatened landowners and elites, and that foreign powers helped the plot.

What were Goulart's basic reforms?

They were a package aimed at land reform, wider voting rights, more schooling and tighter control of foreign capital. He said some of them needed constitutional change.

Was João Goulart a communist?

No. He led the Brazilian Labor Party, which came from the tradition of Vargas, not the Communist Party. His enemies accused him of tolerating communists, and he did restore ties with the Soviet Union.

Sources