Abstracts - "The Second World War and Defense Policy in Brazil"
Vágner Camilo Alves (Universidade Federal Fluminense)
“The Brazilian declaration of war: analysis from synchronic and diachronic perspectives.”
It is well known, by historians, political scientists and internationalists, that Brazil led Brazil to declare war in August 1942. Following subsequent attacks carried out by a U-Boat on the coast of Bahia and Sergipe against ships carrying out cabotage trade, The Vargas government reconfirmed a state of belligerency with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.
The objective of this presentation is to explain this fact in a theoretically informed way. Synchronically, comparing the Brazilian situation as that which occurred in other Latin American countries, especially Mexico, whose war was also declared for similar reasons, in May 1942. Diachronically, explaining the differences between the Brazilian declaration of war vis-à-vis what happened as a country in the First World War, when belligerence was also decreed following the destruction of national merchant ships by German submarines.
Ana Amélia Gimenez Dias, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora
The Reintroduction of Religious Assistance Service in the Brazilian Army: A Study on Brazilian Chaplains of World War II
In 2024, we celebrate not only the eightieth anniversary of the arrival of the first contingents of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force (FEB) in the Italian Theater of Operations during World War II, but also the resurgence of the Religious Assistance Service (SAR) of the Brazilian Army. It is crucial to emphasize that, regarding Brazil, the establishment of the initial timeline of religious assistance activities in the Land Forces remains shrouded in uncertainty. However, the presence of religiosity, mediated by a priest, is evident in various historical contexts.
Brazil initially adopted Catholicism as the official religion under the absolutist political regime established by Portugal in 1824, thus subordinating the Catholic Church to the State. In this context, the influence of Catholic religiosity permeated various social and institutional spheres, including the Army, which from its inception reflected the influence of the Portuguese matrix. However, this dynamic underwent a significant transformation with the transition from monarchy to republic. The promulgation of the First Republican Constitution marked the official rupture of relations between the Army and the Church. The Ecclesiastical Corps of the Army was abolished, along with religious rituals such as masses, sacramental distributions, and respect for holidays and holy days.
During the Estado Novo (New State), a group of chaplains was integrated into the Brazilian Expeditionary Force (FEB) during World War II, marking the beginning of the reintroduction of SAR in Army garrisons. This proposal aims to present the process of re-creating the Army's SAR during World War II, analyzing how the political and social context of the Estado Novo influenced this reintroduction and the resurgence of religious expressions in the barracks. Furthermore, it seeks to investigate the performance and routine of the 27 chaplains who accompanied the FEB during the months of combat on the Italian theater of operations front. The proposed communication, resulting from a master's research, seeks to demonstrate the integration of these priests and pastors into the barracks, their training, and the main functions they performed during their tenure. The analysis of the activities carried out by the FEB chaplains during World War II reveals not only the daily life of these religious figures but also their multiple actions and the main challenges they faced while representing a link between the sacred and the profane in the Italian fields of World War II. In this sense, the present communication seeks to present a theme that transcends the analysis of wartime conflicts by incorporating cultural issues related to the greatest conflict of the 20th century.
Dennison de Oliveira, UFPR
The Brazilian Expeditionary Force returns home: the celebration of the Brazil-United States Military Alliance in the context of the end of World War II (1945)
At the end of World War II in Europe on May 8, 1945, the Brazil-US military alliance entered a new phase. Post-war concerns about Hemispheric Defense and maintaining the principle of Continental Solidarity continued to be priorities for US authorities. Brazilian leaders intended to capitalize as much as possible on the advantages obtained from the military alliance with the US, aiming to achieve world power status through them. Such concerns presided over the planning and execution of the parade for the return of the first echelon of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force (FEB) that would be held on Rio Branco Avenue in Rio de Janeiro, then the federal capital, on July 18, 1945. The parade, although massive and spectacular, was designed to be even more impressive. The original proposal called for an entirely motorized parade, consisting of almost 900 vehicles. These included more than 60 of the heavy weapons captured from the Germans during the fighting waged by the FEB. In addition to the original proposal for the parade, conceived by the US military authorities, this research is dedicated to examining the events scheduled by the Brazilian government that occurred in parallel, such as the decoration of high-ranking US Army officers, ceremonies and official visits, as well as discussions and negotiations on the sale of weapons to Brazil. US authorities such as Generals Wooten, commander of the United States Army Force South Atlantic (USAFSA), Marshall of the Combined Chiefs of Staff (CCS) and Arnold of the War Department (WD) were involved in the process. For them, Brazil should continue as an ally in the war against Japan and the Lend Lease program had to continue so as not to harm the friendly attitude of the Brazilians. The US Generals who commanded the FEB during the Italian Campaign (1944-1945), Clark and Crittemberger, visited civil and military authorities in Belo Horizonte (MG), Petrópolis (RJ) and Porto Alegre (RS). The context of the FEB's return to Brazil probably represented the height of President Getúlio Vargas' prestige at home and abroad, and was also characterized as a brief moment of sacralization of the brotherhood in arms between Brazilians and Americans within the framework of the Good Neighbor Policy. Among the documents consulted in this research, it is worth highlighting the collections of the JBUSMC (Joint Brazil United States Military Commission), then headquartered in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), deposited in the American National Archives (US National Archives II) in Maryland (USA).