num_pages: 376
description: When World War II erupted in 1939 Brazil seemed a world away. Lush remote and underdeveloped the country and its capital of Rio de Janeiro lured international travelers seeking a respite from the drums of the war.  at the end of civilization as we know it claimed Orson Welles as he set out for the city in 1942. But Brazils bucolic reputation as a distant land of palm trees and pristine beaches masked a more complex realityone that the countrys leaders were busily exploiting in a desperate gambit to secure Brazils place in the modern world.In Brazil  acclaimed historian Neill Lochery reveals the secret history of the countrys involvement in World War II showing how the cunning statecraft and economic opportunism of Brazils leaders transformed it into a regional superpower over the course of the war. Brazils natural resources and proximity to the United States made it strategically invaluable to both the Allies and the Axis a fact that the countrys dictator Getlio Dornelles Vargas keenly understood. In the wars early years Vargas and a handful of his close advisors dexterously played both sides against each other generating enormous wealth for Brazil and fundamentally transforming its economy and infrastructure.But Brazils cozy neutrality was not to last. Forced to choose sides Vargas declared war on the Axis powers and sent 25000 troops to the European theater. This Brazilian expeditionary force arrived too lateand was called home too earlyto secure a significant role for Brazil in the postwar order. But within Brazil at least Vargas had made his mark ensuring Rios emergence as a major international city and effectively remaking Brazil as a modern nation.A fast-paced tale of war and diplomatic intrigue Brazil reveals a long-buried chapter of World War II and the little-known origins of one of the worlds emerging economic powerhouses.
language: English
title: Brazil: The Fortunes of War
publisher: Basic Books