Juscelino Kubitschek

Juscelino Kubitschek was a Brazilian doctor and politician who served as the 21st president of Brazil from 1956 to 1961. His term was marked by economic prosperity and political stability, being most known for the construction of a new capital, Brasília. Kubitschek was born on September 12, 1902, in Diamantina, Minas Gerais, to a wealthy and influential family. He graduated from the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte in 1927, and worked as a physician and a professor. He entered politics in 1934, as a member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), and was elected federal deputy in 1935. He was also the mayor of Belo Horizonte from 1940 to 1945, and the governor of Minas Gerais from 1951 to 1955. He was known for his public works and his support for the development of the interior of Brazil. He ran for president in 1955, with the slogan "Fifty years of progress in five", and won with 36% of the vote, defeating Juarez Távora and Adhemar de Barros. He took office on January 31, 1956, and launched an ambitious plan of national development, based on industrialization, infrastructure, and education. He also pursued a moderate foreign policy, maintaining good relations with both the United States and the Soviet Union. He faced opposition from the conservative sectors of the society, especially the military, who accused him of corruption and communism. He also faced inflation and fiscal deficit, which eroded his popularity. His most remarkable achievement was the construction of Brasília, a modern and planned city, designed by Oscar Niemeyer and Lúcio Costa, to be the new capital of Brazil. The project was completed in less than four years, and inaugurated on April 21, 1960. Kubitschek transferred the federal government from Rio de Janeiro to Brasília, and symbolically handed over the keys of the city to the people. Kubitschek left office on January 31, 1961, and was succeeded by Jânio Quadros. He retired from politics, but remained influential and popular. He was invited to run for president again in 1965, but the military coup of 1964 prevented him from doing so. He was stripped of his political rights, and went into exile in France and the United States. He returned to Brazil in 1967, and resumed his medical practice. He died on August 22, 1976, in a car accident near Resende, Rio de Janeiro, at the age of 73. There are suspicions that his death was orchestrated by the military regime, but no conclusive evidence has been found. He is regarded as one of the most visionary and charismatic leaders in Brazilian history, and Brasília stands as his legacy.