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The History And Roles Of Brazil's Political Culture

Decent Essays

Brazil’s inhabitants are controlled by a federal presidential republic form of government. This means that power is shared between the states and national governments. The Federative Republic of Brazil is governed by an executive, legislative, and the judicial branch. There are 26 states and 1 federal district in Brazil. Moreover, voting is voluntary between 16-18 years of age, but required between 18-70 years of age (“The World Factbook: Brazil”). This is significant because only 32 countries in the entire world enforce compulsory voting. Brazilian political culture consists of jeitos and despachantes. Jeitos are a short-cut through troublesome tasks like obtaining a driver’s license, passport, or marriage license (“Brazil”). Despachantes …show more content…

Spiritists believe that humans are trapped in a spirit’s body and that moral perfection is essential in life (“Brazil”). Even though the separation of church and state is enforced, a close relationship exists between them. Throughout Brazilian history, “the Catholic Church has either strongly endorsed the state or vigorously challenged the status quo” (“Brazil”). One major conflict was the movement of liberation theology. As a result, Catholicism has transformed into a charismatic religion. Culture and Arts To add, Brazil’s culture is defined by family, socialization, and arts. First, women are employed in low-skilled and low-paying jobs compared to men. The population of women has been slow to gain their rights. For example, they did not earn the right to vote until 1932 and were subservient to men (“Brazil”). Next, Brazilians encourage households with extended family members because they promote support and positive emotions. Surprisingly, white children go to school for an average of 6.6 years and colored children attend 3.5 years of school in Brazil (“Brazil”). The individuals that reside in this country express their emotions through touch and have relaxed personalities. Also, Brazil’s health care systems are underfunded compared to other countries. Changing topics, Jorge Amado is the best known contemporary author of Brazilian literature (“Brazil”). Folk literature is popular among this country’s population. Another cultural aspect of Brazil is music,

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