The Red Dawn

For the United States, the Cuban Revolution was one of the troubling moments throughout the Cold War. But what if other nations in Latin America have fallen to Socialist regimes?

Military intervention of 1961
After Jânio Quadros' resignation, Vice-President João Goulart was visiting China at the moment and was hindered to assume the presidency by the Brazilian Forces. Ranieri Mazzilli was appointed as the provisional President, while members of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the Brazilian Labour Party gathered in the Campanha da Legalidade, a movement led by governor Leonel Brizola. During the march, Brizola was arrested, and Mazzilli was replaced by a triumvirate formed by Odílio Denys, Gabriel Grün Moss, and Sílvio Heck.

The military intervention in the country lasted three months, banned the Communist Party (PCB) and a few members of the Labour Party (PTB), and ordered the National Congress into forced recess. Social movements were suppressed, unstabilizing the country. The flight that was returning Jango to Brazil landed in Caracas, where Jango stood for one month before returning.

Fearing a civil war, the triumvirate resigned, reopened the National Congress, and appointed Ranieri Mazzilli as President again. Mazzilli decided to call for Presidential elections and legalized the Communist Party. The actions ended up rising the popularity of the Communist Party among the people. On polls, the Social Democratic Party and the Communists were leading, while the Labourists were behind.

Background
Throughout the months of protests during the Military Intervention of 1961, the Communist Party went underground but remained active in protests and rebellions. The heads of the protests were former senator Luiz Carlos Prestes, former deputy Carlos Marighella and writer Jorge Amado. After the return of Ranieri Mazzilli, the party was legalized once again.

In the same week which took office, Ranieri Mazzilli convoked general elections for a constituent assembly. Presuming that was unable to reach the Communist Party, the Labour Party withdrew from the election and announced the support for the Communist Party, along with PST (Social Labourist Party) and PSP (Social Progressive Party).

Election of Luiz Carlos Prestes and Constitution of 1963
The candidate Luiz Carlos Prestes was elected in a run-off against Social Democratic candidate Juscelino Kubitschek. The run-off was held on 22 July 1962. Prestes took office on August 25th, exactly one year when the Campanha da Legalidade begun.

Still, in 1962, the left-wing parties, except for the Communist Party, formed the Brazilian Socialist Party, which was considered a step to merge both parties which comprised the new government. Both parties held the majority of the lower and upper houses. The new constitution was adopted on June 6th, 1963, which changed the name of the United States of Brazil to People's Democratic Republic of Brazil, and characterized Brazil as a democratic socialist regime.

Index

 * List of Nations