Brazilian Unions and the Struggle Against the Entrepreneurial-Military Dictatorship (1964–1985)

The entrepreneurial-military dictatorship (1964–1985) had a significant impact on workers’ struggles in Brazil. Since President Getúlio Vargas’s terms in office (1930–1945 and 1950–1954), an urban working class developed along with urban and rural unions that were coupled to the state. The pre-coup years (1950–1964) were a period of increasing social reforms, including an expansion of Brazil’s unions. This chapter analyses workers’ struggles against the dictatorship between 1968 and 1985.