A concise history of Brazil

by Boris Fausto

"Excellent one-volume history of Brazil by leading Brazilian social historian is suitable for advanced students and sophisticated general readers. Emphasizes political and economic history. Treats colonial and 19th-century history seriously as political history; one-third of book covers 1930-80. Unlike other recent one-volume histories, such as those by Skidmore (see item #bi 00004885#) and Levine (see item #bi 00000173#), work does not cover contemporary events (1980-90), and the evaluation of the transition from 1964 dictatorship to electoral politics is reticent. Often narrates events by synthesizing differing interpretations in historiography of key issues: nature of Portuguese imperial state, reasons for 19th-century Brazilian territorial unity, relation between slavery and peasantry. Good summary discussion of demography and class structure, but little overt explanation of political culture and almost no references to folkways and the arts"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v.