Political Science 324 Summary
Theme 1: Introduction
YouTube: https://youtu.be/z-yzTSrjkxc
Bread and circuses = introducing things to distract people from what’s actually happening.
Some people argue that the soccer World Cup in SA was an example of this.
Corporatism: incorporating state, business and labor as part of a closed club. Not like a
democracy. Other interests groups aren’t important. Non-democratic way of pulling certain
groups together.
Theme 2: Making Race and Nation
Chapter 2: Trajectories from Colonialism
Portuguese influence on Brazil
There is a misconception surrounding Portuguese “racial tolerance”
In their colonies, the Portuguese supposedly used policies of incorporation
rather than imposition.
Colonial racial tolerance has been described as the result of Portugal’s
geographic proximity and contact with Africa.
Fryere argued that the early experience of domination by the Moors had
helped to prepare the Portuguese for respectful and friendly interaction with
Africans.
o Moors: “a dark-skinned race but one that was superior to the white race in various aspects of moral and
material culture”
The long warfare between Portuguese and Moors did not result in a spirit of
racial toleration
Moorish rule more likely cause racial antagonism, but disguised by
Portuguese as racial tolerance and respect to preserve their pride.
, After withdrawal of Moors, Portugal was the first European power to extend
itself into Africa in the 16th century.
o Portuguese colonialism in Africa was highly discriminatory and caused
high misery in Africa.
Financial pressures on Portuguese crown drove early conquests, including
Brazil.
In 16th and 17th centuries, the crown saw Brazil as a source of goods to be
extracted, with the geography allowing for only coastal settlement, limiting
colonization.
As a dominant European empire already in decline, Portugal was threatened
and injured in its pride by the invasion of Northern Brazil in 1624 by the rising
Dutch Empire.
Free and enslaved blacks fought with the Portuguese against the Dutch and
won, leaving the country more unified by its struggle against a common
enemy.
However, no great sense of national identity remained in Brazil after the Dutch
had left.
Slavery and subordination of blacks remained.
Gold was discovered in Brazil.
o This sparked 2 centuries of economic growth and trade.
o This proved to benefit the Portuguese crown which used the revenues
to pay for imports.
o A royal monopoly and tax on the gold trade was imposed, with gold
production encouraging a rapid expansion in the importation of slave
labor to work the mines.
o Mining and the rising threat of British and French competition further
impelled Portuguese penetration inland.
As the production of gold lessened, sugar, diamonds and coffee took its
place.
o Global demand for Brazilian sugar exploded when French production
fell.
The Portuguese king called Brazil the “milk cow” to his empire: In South Africa there was a
lot of international
competition between the
1. Diminished international competition Dutch and the British. The
discovery of gold is parallel
to that of SA.
Theme 1: Introduction
YouTube: https://youtu.be/z-yzTSrjkxc
Bread and circuses = introducing things to distract people from what’s actually happening.
Some people argue that the soccer World Cup in SA was an example of this.
Corporatism: incorporating state, business and labor as part of a closed club. Not like a
democracy. Other interests groups aren’t important. Non-democratic way of pulling certain
groups together.
Theme 2: Making Race and Nation
Chapter 2: Trajectories from Colonialism
Portuguese influence on Brazil
There is a misconception surrounding Portuguese “racial tolerance”
In their colonies, the Portuguese supposedly used policies of incorporation
rather than imposition.
Colonial racial tolerance has been described as the result of Portugal’s
geographic proximity and contact with Africa.
Fryere argued that the early experience of domination by the Moors had
helped to prepare the Portuguese for respectful and friendly interaction with
Africans.
o Moors: “a dark-skinned race but one that was superior to the white race in various aspects of moral and
material culture”
The long warfare between Portuguese and Moors did not result in a spirit of
racial toleration
Moorish rule more likely cause racial antagonism, but disguised by
Portuguese as racial tolerance and respect to preserve their pride.
, After withdrawal of Moors, Portugal was the first European power to extend
itself into Africa in the 16th century.
o Portuguese colonialism in Africa was highly discriminatory and caused
high misery in Africa.
Financial pressures on Portuguese crown drove early conquests, including
Brazil.
In 16th and 17th centuries, the crown saw Brazil as a source of goods to be
extracted, with the geography allowing for only coastal settlement, limiting
colonization.
As a dominant European empire already in decline, Portugal was threatened
and injured in its pride by the invasion of Northern Brazil in 1624 by the rising
Dutch Empire.
Free and enslaved blacks fought with the Portuguese against the Dutch and
won, leaving the country more unified by its struggle against a common
enemy.
However, no great sense of national identity remained in Brazil after the Dutch
had left.
Slavery and subordination of blacks remained.
Gold was discovered in Brazil.
o This sparked 2 centuries of economic growth and trade.
o This proved to benefit the Portuguese crown which used the revenues
to pay for imports.
o A royal monopoly and tax on the gold trade was imposed, with gold
production encouraging a rapid expansion in the importation of slave
labor to work the mines.
o Mining and the rising threat of British and French competition further
impelled Portuguese penetration inland.
As the production of gold lessened, sugar, diamonds and coffee took its
place.
o Global demand for Brazilian sugar exploded when French production
fell.
The Portuguese king called Brazil the “milk cow” to his empire: In South Africa there was a
lot of international
competition between the
1. Diminished international competition Dutch and the British. The
discovery of gold is parallel
to that of SA.
