João Goulart

João Belchior Marques Goulart (March 1, 1918—December 6, 1976) was the last left-wing president of Brazil (1961–March 31, 1964) until the October 6, 2002 election of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The Goulart Administration

Congress was reticent to give Goulart the mandate because of military opposition to his left-wing tendencies. As a compromise solution, Brazil adopted a parliamentary government model. After two years of unstable governments, parliamentarism was overwhelmingly rejected in a plebiscite in 1963 and Goulart regained the lost authority.

Related Topics:
A parliamentary government model - Plebiscite

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The Goulart years were marked by nationalist reforms, closer ties to leftist political groups, and conflict with conservative sectors of society. He signed decrees expropriating oil refineries and uncultivated land owned by foreign companies. When he attempted to gain extraordinary powers to accelerate reforms, he accused of attempting to set up up a leftist dictatorship.

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