978-1-4222-3296-5

Chronology

On April 22, Pedro Álvares Cabral, sailing from Portugal to the East Indies, lands on the eastern coast of South America (what is now Brazil); he claims the land for Portugal. King João III of Portugal sends the first settlers to Brazil. Jesuit priests arrive in Brazil; eventually they will provide some protection for the indigenous people. Brazil’s colonial capital is moved from Salvador to Rio de Janeiro. Pedro, the son of King João VI, declares Brazil’s independence from Portugal and crowns himself Pedro I, emperor of Brazil. Pedro I abdicates his Brazilian throne as a result of an unsuccessful war with Argentina. Slavery is abolished in Brazil; over the next decade, a large influx of European immigrants arrives. The monarchy is overthrown, and a federal republic is established in Brazil with the central government controlled by coffee interests. A popular uprising places Getúlio Vargas at the head of a revolutionary government which attempts to reform politics and modernize Brazil. Vargas commits suicide amid political and economic turbulence. Brazil’s economy grows rapidly under President Juscelino Kubitschek. Gold is discovered in Minas Gerais.

1500

1531 1549

1690s

1763 1822

1831

1888

1889

1930

1954

1956–61

Kubitschek moves capital to Brasília.

1960 1964 1985 1989

A military coup ushers in 25 years of non-democratic rule. Military hands back power to the civilian government.

Fernando Collor de Mello is elected president.

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