A política econômica da Era FHC através dos diários e memórias do presidente (1995 – 2002)

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of the economic policy implemented in Brazil during the government of Fernando Henrique Cardoso (1995-2002). It uses as main sources the records made by FHC in his diaries and in a memoir. Participating in the dispute over the memory of his own government, FHC defends his legacy through these documents, projecting himself as a modernizing agent in the history of Brazil. His impressions become tools for understanding the formulation and implementation of the investigated economic policy, considering the decisive role that the president has in that historical process. The FHC Era is situated at a time of important changes in the brazilian economy, in which a social liberal model emerged as a response to the crisis that took place in the 1980s. The influence of orthodox economists was crucial for this to occur. The government operated between the pressures of the financial system and social demands, based above all on the ideas of its technical staff, which, in general, defended liberalizing measures. The fight against inflation gained prominence, putting other themes of economic policy in the background. In this context, three specific aspects are examined: the “Plano Real”, Brazil's insertion in globalization and the social policy.