This work offers a concise yet comprehensive account of the rich and varied history of Brazil, placing the political, economic and cultural events of today into broad historical context. The book opens with an overview of pre-colonial Brazil and goes on to examine the history of Portuguese exploration and the slave trade between Africa and the Americas. It looks at the influences of immigrants in creating modern Brazil and the more than three decades of military dictatorship that preceded the development of the vibrant democracy that characterizes the country today. Also examined are the hallmarks of Brazilian popular culture: soccer, carnival, music and television dramas.
