During the years 1930 to 1934, Vargas initiated a series of reforms that can best be described as an attempt to reconcile the radically diverging interests of his supporters, in a process collectively comparable to those of Benito Mussolini's fascist Italy. With the Brazilian economy steadily growing worse, it soon led to the rise of Getúlio Vargas, a populist governor of Rio Grande do Sul, whose ascendance relied heavily on a very diverse group of supporters.Īfter attaining power, Vargas quickly faced the problems with an any such diverse coalition would, with 'modernization' being only a vague term keeping the different groups together. This was mainly because of Brazil's reliance on foreign markets and loans, and with the price of coffee plummeting, the country headed into a deep recession. With the Old Republic of Brazil overthrown in the 1930 revolution, a political alliance known as the Liberal Alliance (Aliança Liberal) took power.
