Fourth Brazilian Republic

United States of Brazil
Estados Unidos do Brasil
1946–1964
Flag
(1960–1964)
Motto: "Ordem e Progresso"
(English: "Order and Progress")
Anthem: "Hino Nacional Brasileiro"
(English: "Brazilian National Anthem")
CapitalRio de Janeiro (until 1960)
Brasília (after 1960)
Common languagesPortuguese
Religion
(1950)
GovernmentFederal presidential republic
(19461961; 19631964)
Federal parliamentary republic
(19611963)
President 
 19461951 (first)
Eurico Gaspar Dutra
 19611964 (last)
João Goulart
Prime Minister 
 19611962
Tancredo Neves
 1962
Brochado da Rocha
 19621963
Hermes Lima
LegislatureNational Congress
Senate
Chamber of Deputies
Historical eraCold War
31 January 1946
18 September 1946
 Brasília as capital
21 April 1960
25 August–7 September 1961
8 September 1961
24 January 1963
31 March/1 April 1964
Population
 1950
51,944,397
 1960
70,992,343
CurrencyCruzeiro
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Third Brazilian Republic
Military dictatorship

The Fourth Brazilian Republic, also known as the "Populist Republic" or as the "Republic of 46", is the period of Brazilian history between 1946 and 1964. It was marked by political instability and the military's pressure on civilian politicians which ended with the 1964 Brazilian coup d'état and the establishment of the Brazilian military dictatorship.

This period was marked by often tumultuous presidencies of Eurico Gaspar Dutra, Getúlio Vargas, Café Filho, Juscelino Kubitschek, Jânio Quadros and João Goulart. In 1945, president Getúlio Vargas was deposed by a bloodless military coup, but his influence in Brazilian politics remained until the end of the Fourth Republic. During this period, three parties dominated national politics. Two of them were pro-Vargas — the Brazilian Labour Party (Partido Trabalhista Brasileiro, PTB) to the left and the Social Democratic Party (Partido Social Democrático, PSD) in the center — and another anti-Vargas party, the rightist National Democratic Union (União Democrática Nacional, UDN).