This book follows three decades of democratic experimentation--and the rise and fall of constitutional government--in Brazil. Beginning with Getulio Vargas' fifteen-year rule and ending with the coup d'etat that ousted President Joao Goulart from office in 1964, Skidmore sets political events in the context of social and economic factors to show how the problems posed by economic expansion, an unfavorable trade balance, inequitable land distribution, and shifting political power have profoundly affected Brazil's growth and stability.