The Failed Search for an Entente Cordiale: The Epilogue of the Anglo-Brazilian Relationship in the Mid-1940s

Abstract

Scholars have long argued that the British debate on whether to assume a new role during Brazil’s transition from an agricultural to an industrialised economy in the mid-twentieth century revolved around the efficacy of maintaining the nation’s expensive imperial commitments in the face of shrinking revenues. This chapter focuses instead on Brazilian agency and local debates in Brazil about the country’s foreign links and future requirements. It concludes that neither the Brazilian nor the British sides ever fully understood the other’s objectives in the post-war period, and this misunderstanding provides an explanation for the modest results of the partnership during the Cold War.