O Brasil entre a vassoura do político e o fuzil do guerrilheiro: Tramas da condecoração de Che Guevara nos meandros da Guerra Fria (1958-1973)

Abstract

This research aimed to understand the national and international conjunctures in which Jânio Quadros moved, in order to answer the following question: Why did Jânio Quadros decorate Che Guevara? The work demonstrates its originality in the sources analyzed, in the questions raised and in the chosen approach, capable of filling historical gaps that until then seemed insurmountable. Based on a theoretical-methodological framework for the dialectical conception of history, I sought to understand the historical context of the worsening of the class struggle in Brazil and the intensification of international tensions, due to the defeat of the United States in the attack against Cuba in April 1961. It was used sources collected in the public archives of the Ministry of Foreign Relations (DF), National Library (RJ), Public Archive of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Chamber of Deputies, Federal Senate, Library of the Ministry of Finance (RJ) among other places. Based on the sources researched, it was possible to challenge the idea of single motivation and to identify that there were several motivations for Jânio Quadros to decorate Che Guevara, among which was that President Jânio would confirm his independence in relation to parties and politicians with an act of Politics Independent, in the context of non-alignment defended from Bandung.