The Impasse of Authoritarian Regimes: The Case of Brazil

A redefinition of the concept of corporatism is seen pertinent to an analysis of the regulatory mechanism of the state in Brazil, drawing on the political theories of Guillermo O'Donnell & others. "Resplendent authoritarianism" marked Brazil's government of 1964; dedicated to the preservation of the bourgeois political order & economic invigorization based on private ownership, it suppressed subversive activity. By its favorable posture toward democratization, the Geisel government brought into the open the crisis that had existed only in latent form under the previous regime, but faced the impasse of Latin American authoritarian regimes -- the dilemma of how to liberalize the press & dismantle the repressive regime without creating an institutional system that succumbs to the opposition. The Figueiredo government continued this democratic trend, disconcerting the opposition by offering amnesties, party reform, & eventually direct elections; but it also faced the economic problems inherited from the previous regime, now more acute under growing social pressures. Brazil's government is currently in transition from authoritarianism to limited democracy -- a "democracy of elites." The expansion of the governmental bureaucracy continues, while the dilemma of how to control the social pressure from wage earners remains. S. Whittle.