The rise and fall of the Brazilian coffee regime: a political and global history (1956-1958)

• Grant number: 23/11123-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Effective date (Start): January 16, 2024
• Effective date (End): July 15, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Political Science - International Politics
• Principal Investigator: Alexandre Luis Moreli Rocha
• Grantee: Leonardo Façanha Derenze
• Supervisor: Sven Beckert
• Host Institution: Instituto de Relações Internacionais (IRI). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Research place: Harvard University, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/06317-5 - The rise and fall of the Brazilian coffee regime: a political and global history (1956-1958), BP.MS

Abstract

In the post-1945 period, coffee was the world's second-most traded primary good. While extensive research exists on the historical processes of the global coffee system during the 1960s, relatively little attention has been given to the Brazilian government's efforts to globally institutionalize this system during the 1950s. Despite Brazil's position as the largest global coffee producer and exporter, our understanding of its involvement in shaping the global coffee system remains limited. The period from 1954 to 1958 was marked by significant fluctuations in the international price of coffee and an increasing number of multilateral meetings among producer countries to establish new governance practices for coffee trade. Of particular interest is the International Coffee Conference held in Rio de Janeiro in 1958, which represents an apex for exploring the coffee multilateralism in the Americas at the time. Drawing on archival research from Brazilian institutions, we have identified a strong influence from the United States on this matter. As the largest coffee importer in the world, the United States society was not oblivious to this topic. The White House, branches of the federal government and the National Coffee Association (NCA) recognized the pivotal role that coffee played in the economies of Latin American countries such as Brazil and Colombia. In order to investigate the interactions between Brazil and United States, we will conduct archival research in public institutions in the U.S., such as the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Thus, we aim to illuminate how these engagements shaped the trajectory of the global coffee system post-1945. (AU)