The 1960s in Brazil

Brazil is a country whose economy has been largely dependent upon the world price of coffee. It did not obtain independence from Portugal until 1822, and coffee has carried the economy for the fledgling nation ever since, even though Brazil has recently diversified both its agricultural and its service products. Brazil was the only South American country to send troops to Europe to fight the Axis powers in World War II, having had the resources as well as a percentage of expatriate Europeans to encourage participation. The economy accelerated under relatively stable leadership during the late 1950s and very early 1960s. In 1960, President Juscelino Kubitschek established Brasilia as the new national capital in an effort to shift economic strength to the geographic center of Brazil. Clarice Lispector wrote several cronicas (chronicles) in the news applauding Brasilia and its architecture. In 1964, a military coup attempted to...