Two Transitions in Brazil: Dilemmas of a Neoliberal Democracy

By Alfredo Saad Filho

The mass movements starting in June 2013 were the largest and most significant protests in Brazil in a generation, and they have shaken up the country's political system. Their explosive growth, size and extraordinary reach caught everyone – the left, the right, and the government – by surprise. This article examines these movements in light of the achievements and shortcomings of the democratic transition, in the mid-1980s, and the experience of the federal administrations led by the Workers’ Party since 2003.

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PS: If you read in Portuguese, an alternative explanation of the protests, by Marcos Nobre, is available here.