Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira (1902-1976), known as JK, was a doctor and politician from Minas Gerais.He was president of Brazil from 1956 to 1960, a period that is remembered as a time of optimism.
Biography
Juscelino Kubitschek was born in the city of Diamantina, in Minas Gerais, on September 12, 1902.
Born into a humble family, he studied at the Diamantina Seminary, where he completed a humanities course.
In 1922, he enrolled in the Medicine course at the Federal University of Belo Horizonte, graduating in 1927. He then studied surgery in Paris in 1931 and completed an internship at the Charité Hospital in Berlin.
JK’s Political Career
He entered politics through the hands of the federal interventor of Minas Gerais, Benedito Valadares, where he served as his chief of staff.
In 1934, he was elected federal deputy, but lost his mandate due to the 1937 coup, which would establish the Estado Novo .
Between 1940 and 1945 he was mayor of Belo Horizonte, where he carried out important works such as the Pampulha complex with designs by Oscar Niemeyer .
With the deposition of Getúlio Vargas , new elections are held and Eurico Gaspar Dutra is elected president.
In turn, JK was elected federal deputy and participated in the drafting of the 1946 Constitution.
In 1950 he was elected governor of Minas Gerais. During his government in the state he prioritized the binomial “energy and transportation”. In this way, he created CEMIG (Centrais Elétricas de Minas Gerais) and built five plants for the production of electric energy.
Presidential Election
On October 3, 1955, Juscelino Kubitschek won the presidential elections and João Goulart was vice president.
JK was elected by a coalition between the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the Brazilian Labor Party (PTB), parties with Getúlio Vargas origins. He assumed the presidency on January 31, 1956.
Upon assuming power, Juscelino Kubitschek established the motto of his economic policy, promising fifty years of progress in five years of government .
Brazil’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by an average of 7% per year. Furthermore, the per capita rate increased at a rate four times higher than the rest of Latin America.
After leaving the presidency, he was succeeded by Jânio Quadros and elected senator for the state of Goiás. With the Military Coup of 1964 and the publication of AI-1, which revoked the mandates of politicians considered a threat to Brazil, JK retired from Congress.
Death
Later, he decided to form the Broad Front, which brought together renowned politicians against the military dictatorship, such as Carlos Lacerda .
However, the project ended tragically. Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira died on August 22, 1976, in a car accident while traveling from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro.
JK Government
The JK Government is always remembered as “the golden years” in Brazilian history.
This is due to developmental euphoria, which consisted of encouraging the country’s economic progress by stimulating industrialization.
Likewise, optimism came from the construction of Brasília, the country’s new capital, from bossa nova and from the first World Cup victory in 1958.
Goals Plan to Develop Brazil
The global coordination of the JK government’s economic policy was based on the Goals Plan .
Presented during the electoral campaign, the plan defined the main objectives to be achieved, grouped into five sectors: energy, transport, industry, education and food.
At a time of cheap oil, the Plano de Metas opted for road transport. 20 thousand km of roads were built, the majority with private national capital.
Oil production jumped from two million barrels in 1955 to thirty million in 1960. Steel production, which was 1 million and 150 thousand tons, reached 2 million and 500 thousand tons in 1960.
In the durable consumer goods sector, numerous automobile and truck factories were installed, such as Mercedes Benz, Volkswagen, Willis Overland, General Motors and Ford.
Inflation and External Debt during the JK Government
To finance the modernization of Brazil, JK had to resort to foreign capital.
Thus, sectors such as the cigarette industry, electrical equipment, chemical products, pharmaceuticals and electricity have seen a strong increase in the presence of multinationals.
Foreign capital now accounts for 80% to 90% of the national economy. These factors contributed to rising inflation, which by the end of the government’s term reached 25% per year.
The growth of foreign debt worried foreign creditors. As a result, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) demanded that the government adopt a recessive policy, with a reduction in emissions, so that Brazil could receive new loans.
JK refuses to accept pressure from the IMF and temporarily breaks with the organization.
Juscelino’s term came to an end amid growing economic hardship. Inflation and the rising cost of living resulted in numerous strikes, especially in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
Construction of Brasilia
The construction of Brasília is perhaps the most visible legacy of the JK government.
The transfer of the capital to the interior of Brazil required a large amount of human and financial resources.
The inflationary process was also fueled by the costs of construction work in Brasília, which was inaugurated in 1960.
Curiosities
- Juscelino had a habit of taking off his shoes at any meeting. This was a delight for photographers who sometimes caught him wearing only socks.
- One of JK’s favorite songs was the song ‘Peixe-Vivo’, by Milton Nascimento and this was played at his funeral.
- Throughout Brazil, streets and avenues are named after Juscelino Kubitschek. The house where he was born in Diamantina has also been turned into a museum, and in Brasília there is the JK Memorial, which houses objects and documents belonging to the president and where he is buried.
Phrases
- “I believe in the final and inexorable victory of Brazil, as a Nation.”
- “Forgiveness is the mark of greatness, especially when one has a higher goal in view.”
- “The optimist may even make mistakes, but the pessimist already makes mistakes…”
- “Let us leave those who did not understand and love this work to oblivion and the judgment of history.”
- “The creation of Brasília, the interiorization of the government, was a democratic and irrevocable act of effective occupation of our territorial emptiness”.