Parties, puppets and paradoxes: Changing attitudes toward party institutionalization in post-authoritarian Brazil

Abstract

Party system development in new democracies is impacted by various legacies of the previous authoritarian regime. This study employs survey research to test for the impact of the authoritarian experience on the orientation of Brazilian politicians toward party building. The manipulation of political parties by the Brazilian authoritarian regime of 1964-85 generated an antipathy towards disciplined parties on the part of civilian politicians who supported the military. This antipathy was strong in the first years of democracy but diminished over time, as the crisis of Brazil's New Republic heightened elite awareness of the necessity of effective parties. The findings generate hypotheses that can be tested in other post-authoritarian party systems. Copyright © 1997 SAGE Publications.