Sue Branford
Published: 2003
Total Pages: 144
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An up-to-date account of the sweeping victory for the left in Latin America's largest country. Look, my friend. I don't speak the language here, I've got no money, the food stinks, there's no rice, no beans. I'd rather be arrested in Brazil than stay in this dump of a country.Lula, on being advised to stay in the United States after his brother had been arrested in Brazil as a communist subversive, 1975 In October 2002, Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva made history when he became Latin America's first democratically elected socialist leader since Salvador Allende. Lula and his Workers' Party won comfortably with nearly 62 percent of Brazil's popular vote. This book examines the Workers' Party's origins and electoral history, outlining the key politicians behind it and the riveting story of their four successive tries for power. It charts Lula's extraordinary life story, his rise from poverty, decades of struggle in the country's union movement, and his increasing political influence and eventual victory. With coverage of the first six months of the new government, the authors explore how Lula's government is dealing with current crises elsewhere in Latin America from the neo-liberal collapse in Argentina to political instability in Venezuela, and how it is managing potentially difficult relations with the United States and the IMF.
