O PTB: entre o Estado e as massas (1960-1964)

Abstract

The Partido Trabalhista Brasileiro (PTB), was created from a process of reestablishing democracy carried out in 1946, which had s it s primary objective to maintain Getúlio Vargas in power. Despite its growth, the PTB could not form a coalition in the National Congress capable of accomplishing the reforms and keep the President of the Republic in power. The problem raised here in this inquiry resides in the lack of union within the PTB, in light of the threat of a coup. Therefore a theoretic historigraphical analysis was made, with the objective to explain the position of the PTB on the coup of 1964 and its challenges in supporting the Jango Government in the conjuncture of conspiracy that was developing at that time. Complementing on the information from the historiography on this subject, I used as sources the Leaf periodicals of São Paulo, Globo and the works of Alberto Pasqualini Bases e sugestões para uma política social. In its beginning the PTB had two characteristic ideas: a working project and a bond with getulismo. We come to conclude that, in its beginning, this acronym composed of politicians and syndicalists who presented a central politician attribute, of combining with the administrative device of the State, specifically linked to the Ministry of the Work. For a second time, the party presented a gradual disconnection of getulismo and adopted a reformist way. Pasqualini was the most significant idealist of this trend, and its ideas have remained alive throughout the history of the party. In the context of the years of 1960, the PTB assumed a radical position in relation to the reforms, collaborating to intensify the political crisis. Nor the PTB, or the left had been able to form a strong defense against the military coup because they were so extreenly divided. At that moment the forces polarized, the PTB itself was broken up, moreover, the belief that the victory would daze the progressive groups, while imagining to possess the necessary endosements for a conflict with the right. All this set of factors alied to the dissapointment for the constitution on the part of the involved groups which contributed to the 1964 outcome.