Brazil, 1937–1945
Autocracy · Republic · South America · World War II era
Vargas’s Estado Novo in Brazil, a corporatist authoritarian regime of censorship and state-led industrialization that joined the Allies in the war.
Getúlio Vargas proclaimed the Estado Novo in 1937, a centralized, corporatist and authoritarian regime with censorship, a suppressed congress and state-led industrialization and labor legislation. Nationalist and modernizing, the regime nonetheless joined the Allies and sent troops to fight in Italy. Pressure for democratization led to Vargas’s removal and elections in 1945.
Dominant patterns
- Personalist Rule
- Authoritarian Shift
- Regime Stabilization
Political-science factor profile
Each factor 0–100; higher = stronger authoritarian / crisis pole (except institutional stability, where higher = stronger institutions).
| Centralization of Power | 70 |
| Media Control | 72 |
| Repression | 62 |
| Nationalism | 68 |
| Militarization | 55 |
| Economic Stress | 45 |
| External Conflict | 45 |
| Cult of Personality | 68 |
| Elite Fragmentation | 45 |
| Institutions | 55 |
| Social Polarization | 50 |
| Corruption & Patrimonialism | 52 |
| Ideological Mobilization | 62 |
| External Sovereignty | 88 |
Economy & society
| GDP per capita | $1600 (intl-$) |
| GDP growth | +3%/yr |
| Population | 42.0M people |
| Share of world population | 1.8% |
| Urban share | 31% |
| Territory | ~8.5M km² |
| Capital population | ~1.8M |
Closest historical twins
The country-eras whose structural profile most resembles Brazil 1937–1945, by similarity score (0–100).
- Turkey, 1923–1938 – similarity 88/100 · shared: Personalist Rule, Authoritarian Shift, Regime Stabilization
- China, 1978–1989 – similarity 88/100 · shared: Personalist Rule, Authoritarian Shift, Regime Stabilization
- China, 2012–2024 – similarity 82/100 · shared: Personalist Rule, Authoritarian Shift, Regime Stabilization
- Portugal, 1933–1974 – similarity 82/100 · shared: Personalist Rule, Authoritarian Shift, Regime Stabilization
- China, 1993–2004 – similarity 81/100 · shared: Personalist Rule, Authoritarian Shift, Regime Stabilization
- Saudi Arabia, 2015–2024 – similarity 81/100 · shared: Authoritarian Shift, Regime Stabilization
- Indonesia, 1966–1998 – similarity 78/100 · shared: Personalist Rule, Authoritarian Shift, Regime Stabilization
- Ghana, 1957–1966 – similarity 78/100 · shared: Personalist Rule, Authoritarian Shift
What followed
- A centralized corporatist dictatorship.
- A return to elections in 1945.