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This work should be of interest to those who would like to understand Brazil and Latin America, past and present. First published in 1985, and now expanded and revised to include a new chapter on women, the book explores the social, political, economic, and intellectual currents that shaped 19th century Brazil and whose reverberations continue to be felt throughout contemporary Brazilian society. Placing her findings in a comparative context with regard to US history, the author concentrates on crucial moments in Brazilian history to shed light on a number of vexing questions. Why in a nation so rich in material resources is there so much poverty? How was slavery abolished without bloodshed in a country where slaves had represented the main labour force for almost 400 hundred years? Why did self-described liberal elites twice lead the country toward authoritarian regimes? In exploring these and other puzzles, she uncovers the realities behind many of the persistent myths surrounding the Brazilian empire.