ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the support systems that maintain the Brazilian bourgeoisie and its state. It deals with an examination and discusses the doctrine of the hegemony of the international bourgeoisie in order to underscore the preponderant role of the state. The chapter demonstrates that since 1964 the Brazilian bourgeoisie has been isolated from the centers of power by the military and the bureaucracy; a dependent society is fundamentally different from the advanced capitalist economies. Economic growth was not only encouraged by the state at the regulation level, but was also stimulated by a strong, direct participation by the state in financing and production. The chapter describes the second National Development Plan, which can be considered as an unequivocal expression of the autonomy of the Brazilian state. With international capital becoming both more expensive and less available, the Brazilian authorities were obliged to face a declining rate of growth and to consider new alternatives.
