Classical Liberals in the Finance Ministry: Views on Eugênio Gudin’s economic policy in Brazilian newspapers (August, 1954-April, 1955)

Abstract

After taking office, just after Getúlio Vargas committed suicide, Brazil’s new president, João Café Filho, would surprise the country by appointing the liberal economist Eugênio Gudin as Minister of Finance. Gudin would choose a team of renowned technical intellectuals, among them Roberto de Oliveira Campos, Alexandre Kafka and Octávio Gouvêa de Bulhões – the latter as the head of the Superintendency of Money and Credit (SUMOC), the precursor of the Brazilian Central Bank. This paper seeks to provide a brief overview on the challenges and contradictions faced by that team while navigating a crisis worsened by a hostile international environment brought on by the previous administration policies. By using newspapers from that period as a source for historical research, we hope to advance understanding of a specific moment that has not been fully studied.