Federative Republic Case Study

I. History of Brazil
The Federative Republic of Brazil, located in South America, is the largest country in Latin America and the fifth-largest country in the world (Burns, 1993). The roots leading to the establishment of the federative republic began more than half a millennium ago. In 1500, a Portuguese expedition left Portugal headed for the southern tip of Africa, to sail around the Cape of Good Hope and then go north to India (Skidmore, 1999). However, the lead ship, commanded by Pedro Álvares Cabral, went off course into the Atlantic eventually reaching what is now the Brazilian state of Bahia (Burns, 1993). They docked in Brazil on April 23, 1500 (Skidmore, 1999).
What followed next was a series of land conflicts between the French, Spanish, and Portuguese colonizers all vying for a piece of this new exotic land. In addition to conflict between the colonizing powers, a war broke out between the colonists and the indigenous populations. Ultimately, the colonists won (Skidmore, 1999). In 1550, to secure ownership to the
The Dutch succeeded in gaining control of part of Brazil and maintained power for almost 30 years. In 1654, the Dutch powers were removed by a coalition of Brazilians. The 17th Century is characterized by Portugal expanding its territory into the surrounding region (Skidmore, 1999). Then in the 18th century the mining industry was established and gold was discovered in Minas Gerais and Mato Grosso. In 1763, the capital was moved from Salvador to Rio de Janeiro to keep control over the new mining areas (Skidmore, 1999). On September 7, 1882 Brazil gained its independence from Portugal, where they maintained a monarchy until slavery was abolished in 1888. In 1889 Brazil was proclaimed a republic. After a few decades of populist and military leaders, the military regime peacefully ceded power in 1985 (Skidmore,