“A toque de caixa”: the 1961 parliamentary solution between a “white revolution” and a “coup on institutions”

The so-called “parliamentary solution” to the crisis inaugurated on August 25, 1961, has been mostly interpreted by historiography as a solution that both avoided a civil war and legitimized the civil power of the National Congress. In both interpretations, parliamentarism is seen as a point of arri...

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Bibliographic Details
Author: Cunha, Pedro Luís Cavalcante da
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2025
Country:Brasil
Institution:Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)
Repository:Faces da História
Language:Portuguese
OAI Identifier:oai:seer.assis.unesp.br:article/2774
Online Access:https://seer.assis.unesp.br/index.php/facesdahistoria/article/view/2774
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Parlamentarismo
Congresso Nacional
1961-1964
João Goulart
Parliamentarism
Federal Congress
Description
Summary:The so-called “parliamentary solution” to the crisis inaugurated on August 25, 1961, has been mostly interpreted by historiography as a solution that both avoided a civil war and legitimized the civil power of the National Congress. In both interpretations, parliamentarism is seen as a point of arrival, an interpretation which fails to pay attention to the dynamics of speeches and political positions immediately after its implementation. This article aims to contribute to the literature on the subject by rethinking the impact of the adoption of parliamentarism, as it occurred, on the ideological-partisan articulation of Brazil from then on, basing itself upon two types of sources: 1) the speeches made in “Pequeno Expediente” of the Chamber of Deputies in the sessions between the adoption of the new system and the moment when João Goulart took office; 2) a brief analysis of parliamentary books and pamphlets released at the time.