“Prices that cannot be paid”: Itamaraty’s conservatism and anti-communism in the early 20th century (1900 – 1945)

Abstract

Abstract This article focuses on anti-communist practices conducted by the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs during the first half of the 20th century. We believe that anti-communism was fostered by Itamaraty’s conservative and aristocratic ethos, playing an important role in Brazilian foreign policy from Rio Branco’s administration (1902-1912) to the Vargas Era (1930 – 1945). This helped shape the authoritarian foreign policy adopted during the Military Dictatorship twenty years later (1964 – 1985). Therefore, the foreign policy of the dictatorship, rather than a “step out of cadence,” is rather a continuity of practices established long before the Cold War.

Keywords

• Brazilian Foreign Policy
• Diplomatic History
• Anti-communism