History of Brasília
Brasília, the capital city of Brazil located in the nation’s Federal District, has a history beginning in the colonial era and interactions with the native inhabitants of the area.
[1] The first propositions of relocating Brazil's capital began in the late 18th century, and after various plans and attempts at settlement, the city was inaugurated on 21 April 1960 following a four year construction period.
[5] The area where Brasília was established within the State of Goias had a long history of Indigenous inhabitance and held importance during the colonial era.
[1][6] The state gained its name from the Goia people, who lived centrally within the Captaincy, and were subject to colonial expansion in the 17th and 18th centuries, leading to their assimilation and decline.
[7] The movement's leader, Joaquim José da Silva Xavier, known as Tiradentes, had planned to establish a new capital for an independent Brazil in the city of São João del-Rei, located within the province of Minas Gerais.
[8][2] It was not until the first republic was declared in 1889 that the plans progressed further, with a statement in the new constitution urging the movement of the capital to an interior location, aiming to lessen the economic and social reliance on Rio de Janeiro and the South-East of Brazil.
The final commission made the designation of a 5850 square kilometre province for the new capital within the original space outlined by Cruls, an area and size which has largely remained the same since.
It focused on the local economies of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and sought to ease the burdens on these areas with the interior relocation of the capital.
Similar work camps spawned throughout the construction period due to the large influx of domestic and international migrant workers, driven in part by the vast publicity the city received.
[13] The lack of adequate financing for the city’s construction became a prolonged issue in successive governments following President Kubitschek's administration and the 1964 coup d'etat, and has been named as a contributor to hyperinflation and recession in the 1980’s.
[2] Dr Steffen Lehmann, an academic from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, explains this by saying, “At this time, Brasília was seen as a modern utopia that expressed optimism and trust in the future.”[11] This led to the creation of venerative documents such as the Ode to Brasília by Alberto Bonfim; “A pioneer city is rising architecturally bold, the first of its kind in this new urban mould.”[2] Its placement in the interior of the country was chosen to bring about social change by creating a stronger physical connection between the regions and the government, and thus a clearer national identity.
[5][15]Brazil underwent significant changes from 1964 onwards, when a military coup d‘etat ousted then president João Goulart due to economic and social crises.
Goulart’s left leaning policies were particularly attacked in the face of inflation nearing 80% annually, a large amount of which was attributable to Kubitschek’s presidency and the vast deficit expenditure on Brasília.
