Kimberly Dudeck

Comprehensive Chapter Review

Chapter 9: A Long Road to a Middle-class Society
Brazils rustic northeastern region has long been known for its high levels of
poverty, which are a consequence of unequal landholding, frequent droughts, political
corruption, poor transport infrastructure, and lack of education (166). The nine states
that make up this region of Brazil contain about half of the countrys poor population.
Many of the policies put in place by Cardoso and Lula made significant differences in the
northeast. The regions GDP, household income, and minimum wage all increased as a
result of the programs, such as the Bolsa Famlia plan. After taking a monthly income of
140 reais in 2010, the number living in poverty fell from 49.5 million in 2003 to 29
million in 2008, and 24.6 million by mid-2011 (168). For the first time since the 1960s,
the extent to which income was unevenly distributed among the population significantly
decreased. This evidence of progress signaled that democracy was at last doing its job of
addressing the deep-rooted unfairness in Brazilian society (168).
The social Class C expanded in response to the decrease in poverty. According to
the book, Class C consists of people with a household income of between 1,200 and
5,174 reais per month in 2011 (170). In a span of eight years, almost half of a million
Brazilians moved up into what was not necessarily the new middle class, but the new
working class. By 2011, this group totaled just over 100 million people, making up 55
percent of the population (170). Aside from an improvement in poverty rate, some
significant progress had been made in the health care world, as well. Throughout the
country of Brazil, life expectancy had risen by more than ten years, and infant mortality

rates had decreased tremendously. Although the statistics had improved, there was still a
shortage of doctors in Brazil. Following the street protests in June of 2013, Dilma
Rousseff contacted the neighboring countries and put in requests for foreign doctors to
work in the poverty stricken regions of Brazil. The government was able to reach an
agreement with Cuba to import 4,000 doctors (175).
The most important issue facing Brazil during this time had to do with the quality
of public education. Reorganized primary, secondary, and higher education school
systems were finally becoming available to Brazilians thanks to a constitutional
amendment known as Fundef. This national fund focused on basic education, and set a
national minimum for spending per pupil and for teachers salaries, mandating transfer to
poorer states and municipalities (176). As a result of the measures put in place, the
population of illiterates dramatically decreased in Brazil. In 2010, adult illiteracy
gradually declined to 9.6 percent of the population (176).
Another issue in Brazil is the social divide between the morro and the asfalto. In
Rio de Janeiro, for example, the morro (hill), as cariocas refer to the favelas, sometimes
overlooked the asfalto, the asphalted streets of moneyed districts (185). Favelas tend to
represent the ghetto of Brazil, especially in Rio. Gangs, drugs and violence are all
common characteristics of these areas. After Rio lost its status as Brazils capital, the state
experienced severe economic decline and neglect from the government. This resulted in
favelas becoming very widespread in this location. According to Michael Reid, the 2010
census found that 1.4 million people, or 22 percent of the citys population lived in
favelas (186). In January of 2007, the government was able to better manage the control
of the favelas by building police stations in the surrounding areas. A permanent police

presence was required in each town in order to diminish the frequency of violent crimes
and gang-related activity. Although gangs were still in existence, the murder rate in the
state of Rio fell dramatically from forty-two per 100,000 people in 2005 to twenty-four in
2012 (188). Brazil has come a long way over the past two decades, and it is evident that
its democracy is responsible for these positive changes. It is important for the country of
Brazil to continue to ensure the well-being and safety of its citizens in order for the
country to progress further in its accomplishments and become a middle-class society.