Leonel Brizola

Leonel Brizola was a Brazilian socialist politician who served as governor of Rio Grande do Sul (1959-1963) and Rio de Janeiro (1983-1987, 1991-1994). He was also the brother-in-law of President João Goulart, and played a major role in resisting the 1964 military coup that overthrew him. Brizola was born on January 22, 1922, in Carazinho, Rio Grande do Sul, to a poor and humble family. He graduated from the University of Porto Alegre, and worked as a teacher and a lawyer. He joined the Brazilian Labour Party (PTB) in 1945, and was elected state deputy in 1947. He became the leader of the PTB in the Chamber of Deputies, and supported the populist policies of President Getúlio Vargas. He was elected mayor of Porto Alegre in 1955, and governor of Rio Grande do Sul in 1958. He implemented a series of social and economic reforms, such as land reform, public education, and cooperatives. He also supported the nationalist and anti-imperialist agenda of his brother-in-law, João Goulart, who became vice president in 1956 and president in 1961. Brizola organized the Legalist Campaign, a civil-military movement that prevented a coup attempt by the conservative forces that opposed Goulart's inauguration. He became a national hero and a potential successor to Goulart. However, his radicalism and popularity also made him a target of the right-wing opposition and the United States, who accused him of being a communist and a demagogue. In 1964, a military coup ousted Goulart and Brizola, and initiated a 21-year dictatorship in Brazil. Brizola went into exile in Uruguay, where he founded the Brazilian Revolutionary Front, a resistance group. He later moved to the United States, Portugal, and France, where he continued his political activism. He returned to Brazil in 1979, after the amnesty law was passed. He tried to reclaim the PTB, but it was given to Ivete Vargas, a relative of Getúlio Vargas. He then founded the Democratic Labour Party (PDT), a socialist and nationalist party that claimed the legacy of Vargas and Goulart. He ran for president in 1982, but lost to Tancredo Neves. He was elected governor of Rio de Janeiro in 1983, and again in 1991. He faced many challenges, such as violence, poverty, corruption, and debt. He tried to improve the social conditions of the population, especially the children, by creating the Citizen Schools, a program that offered education, food, and health care to the poor students. He also defended the human rights and the democracy, and opposed the neoliberal policies of the federal government. He ran for president again in 1989, but finished fifth, behind Fernando Collor and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He supported Lula in the second round, but Collor won. He remained an influential figure in the Brazilian politics, and a mentor of many politicians, such as Ciro Gomes and Marcelo Freixo. He died on June 21, 2004, in Rio de Janeiro, from a heart attack. He is regarded as one of the most charismatic and controversial leaders in Brazilian history, praised for his honesty and courage, but also criticized for his populism and authoritarianism.