Revolution in Brazil
The first chapter introduces the main political and cultural actors engaged in the struggles in Northeastern Brazil during the Cold War. The chapter analyzes the origin stories of the different groups to show how certain versions that reinforced the trope of o Nordeste gained more attention in the mass media. The groups include the main rural social movements in the Northeast in the 1950s and 60s – the Ligas Camponesas, the Brazilian Communist Party Rural Syndicates, and the Catholic Church Federations; “Conservatives” including large landowners, the mainstream media, and state police; Brazilian development institutions such as SUDENE (Regional Development Agency); Brazilian regional and national politicians, U.S. journalists and government officials in the Northeast; and cultural movements and artists including filmmakers and popular poets. The chapter also outlines the regional, national, and international historical context of Northeastern Brazil in the 1950s and 1960s.