1. Populism
Vargas and Peron

2. Definition of Populism Debate: which is more accurate
Definition of Populism Debate: which is more accurate? Which fits Peron and/or Vargas more accurately?
Traditional Definition
Political Definition
Expansionary economic policies
Personalistic political leadership
Heterogeneous social foundation
Extension of social benefits
ISI
Political leaders who desire power and are willing to do what they need to do to grab it and hold on to it – (accounts for wishy-washy ideology and changing policies)

3. Rise to Power and Maintaining Power
Peron
Vargas
Built some public support among working classes as labor secretary, then was VP
Won a basically free/fair election in 1946
Opposition (radicals/socialists) were weak
Laboring classes frustrated by neo-liberal governments of the 1930s
Peron’s charisma and personalism
Debate: did he win because of his personality and political ability? Or because the opposition was so weak?
Brazil’s loose federation of states dominated since 1891 by café-au-lait alliance between Sao Paulo (coffee producers) Minas Gerais (cattle producers)
Minor states, including Rio Grande de Sul, form alliance against gov’t and nominate Vargas as candidate in 1929 elections
Vargas loses, but political unrest causes military junta to install Vargas as pres in 1930

4. Economic Policies Peron 1946-1975 Vargas 1929-1954
economic boom, declared economic independence
Increased wages, decreased price of beef, supported worker strikes (at first)
Nationalization of central bank, telephone, railways, docks
IAPI (bought ag products at low prices, sold abroad at high prices) profits subsidized domestic industrialization and welfare programs
ISI hurt rural areas
After 1949 economic crisis – inflation, no industrial output, beef and wheat prices collapsed because of Marshall Plan rebuilding of Europe response was to freeze wages, turned to foreign investors
1930 middle of great depression
focused on centralization of government power, some industrialization, but coffee prices slumped causing economy to fail
Estado Novo = response to the economic problems, started economic nationalism
EN began ISI – industrialization a main focus
State help mining, oil, steel, electricity, chemicals, motor vehicles and aircraft
Used profit from agriculture to fund industry
Regulated sale of coffee to make more profit
Welcomed foreign capital and transnational firms
1941 – played US and Germany off one another, benefitted from selling to both, ultimately allied with the US in 1944
1950 – controlling debt and inflation compete with Vargas’s populist political platform – he can’t make the economic choices he needs to and the opposition grows

5. Social Policies Peron 1946-1975 Vargas 1930-1954
Decalogue of Workers’ Rights in the Constitution of 1949 – wage increases, better working conditions, more rights to strike
Eva Peron Foundation– gave workers (“shirtless ones”) welfare, better health care – only semi-governmental
Justicialismo – loose ideology of Peronism, in favor of working class, workers’rights, social justice
Gave women the right to vote in 1947
La Communidad Organizado extended state control over unions, schools, universities, employers’ organizations
Shut down free press, jailed opposition
Empowered industrialists, entrepeneurs, middle class, organized working class through state trade unions
Workers’ rights – 8 hour work day, paid holidays, employment security, right to strike, minimum wage, health and safety
Estado Novo – curtailed civil liberties, outlawed political parties
Sindicatos – state-run labor unions that were supposed to provide base of political support and workers’ rights, but no one really joined them
National Economic Council – organization of workers unions and employers where all trade disputes were supposed to be worked out
Sindicato policies discouraged women from working

6. Political Policies Peron 1946-1975 Vargas 1930-1954
New constitution of 1949, increased state control, created direct elections (i.e., no electoral college type bureaucracy)
Used authoritarianism
Political base continued to be the workers – “shirtless”
Nationalist policies
Immediately replaced regional governors with own “interventors” to consolidate federal power
1932 Sao Paulo rebellion crushed
1934 New constitution with more federal gov’t power, Vargas elected as President
Integralists (fascists) and ALN (communists/socialists) fight for power in new gov’t
ALN crushed by Vargas in 1937
Vargas suspends constitution because he can’t be elected any more and creates Estada Novo – dictatorship, offers Integralist Salgado a position, Salgado refuses and Vargas crushes the Greenshirts
1945 Vargas leaves office to his minion Duarta
Elected a Senator from Rio Grande de Sul
1950 Elected President again

7. Treatment of Opposition
Peron
Vargas
Maintained election, opposition was allowed to exist, 30% on average in elections
Control of dissidents varied – depending on how well things were going
Jailed opposition when needed to
Outlawed dissident newspapers
Crushed ALN and Integralists
Outlawed political parties in the Estada Novo
Jailed opposition

8. Successes Peron 1946-1975 Vargas 1930-1954
Mystical control over the masses, influence lasted while he was in exile
Workers’ rights
Made unions stronger
Woman suffrage
Initial economic successes
Welfare and public health programs
Some industrialization
EN had initial economic success
Some industrialization
Created stronger federal government

9. Failures Peron 1946-1975 Vargas 1930-1954
Economy after 1949 went down – rampant inflation, increased foreign debt, trade imbalance
ISI hurt rural areas, damaged production of wheat and beef
Political and economic instability left years of governmental changes
Urban workers actually saw an overall reduction in income
Never really gained the popularity of the masses –was relatively popular, but nothing like Peron
Could not resolve the tension between his populist rhetoric and failed populist economic policies
Didn’t have a real ideology
ISI hurt rural areas, damaged coffee and cattle production
State-run trade-unions didn’t work (no one joined them)
Political and economic instability left years of governmental changes

10. Sample Thesis Statements
(this works for #8 or #5 –though they are slightly different questions)
In examining the administrations of Juan Peron in Argentina and Getulio Vargas in Brazil, one can see that short-term successes in economic policy led to long-term economic problems, social policies provided benefits to the working class and authoritarian political regimes created long-term instability.

11. Sample Thesis Statements
#7 Take this one out – I need to give you more information on this. Which I will do!

12. Sample Thesis Statements
#10 (cross out the either – you need to do both) Define populism in introduction (see powerpoint – expanding the economy, increasing welfare state, industrializing, charismatic leaders) Peron and Vargas can both be considered as having pursued populist policies because of their expansionist economic plans, which resulted in economic instability in both countries; their appeal to the working classes, which was more successful for Peron than for Vargas; and their introduction of the welfare state, which resulted in better rights for workers, but fewer civil liberties.