Heist: To Steal A Nation
This topic is going to be focused on Brazil and how nations took advantage of the nation's economy due to it being young.
Money,Thievery,Resources
Brazil has always had a huge amount of resources and yet the nation today still faces many hardships even though it has a huge amount of wealth in its lands. Most of this is due to the past of brazil and how its industry was often shipped off to help other nations while brazil didn’t use its own wealth to improve itself as a nation [1]. I would like to explore why this happened and what was the case for it. I will be focusing on brazil in 1800 and the relationship it had with the world of import and export. Another important topic that will be brought up will be the actual currency of brazil as well as how they were able to control their own flow of funds. One important aspect will be banking, many nations’ lifelines are their own banks since they are able to collect from the citizens. I’ll be exploring the banking system of brazil and how it connected back to the industry[2}. This will give evidence to show how the economy of brazil was dependent on foreign investors. This in turn will show how the nation begins to develop a dependency on foreign help which lead to its industry not being locally owned and the nation of brazil facing hardships[2].
Brazil was seen as a big market with many discounted goods. Many nations took advantage of the emerging nation in 1822 as the Empire of brazil was just starting to make itself known in the world. Many foreign nations such as Britain wanted to secure a firm grip over the world market in general and the economy of nations[10]. Brazil was one of these nations as the British had their goods often exempted from tariffs which would help the British trade market but diminished that of Brazil’s[4]. It is also important to note that brazil was not the only country to go through things such as this[2]. However, the high amount of resources Brazil has to offer as well as the shaky of the new nations led to the nation being more taken advantage of[3]. Many nations saw the new country as an area to grow their own industry while also degrading and taking all the resources of brazil[3].
This is an image made in 1862 for national records it showed the Brazilian Display at the Exhibition in London in 1862. This image is able to show different meanings that are very different from each other. For example, the image while it is showing the superiority of certain items such as wood as well as medicinal plants. Also showing how brazil has much to offer and that its natural resources are unique and in some ways better than the current foreign powers. It could also show the indirect monetization of Brazilian goods that would later be used against brazil when Britain would try to extort the nation and economic power that the national l resources could have given Brazil.
The importance of this image shows how there was a great amount of understanding and knowledge that connected the people of brazil knew about their resources. For example, “He succinctly described more than, species used for dyes, medicine, and textiles, although application in civil construction was his focus.”[1].Brazilians understood what their compatibilities were as well as the very resources themselves. However, nations such as Britain would take advantage and use such things as a means to raise their own power and standing. They would also use the knowledge to benefit from the resources of Brazil.
This is an image made in 1861 in brazil as a way to show the wares that could be made from the Carnaúba Palm tree. this tree was known as the tree of life due to its many possible wares. the artist is unknown although retrieve via the national records of brazil the images were made for a publishing company known as Universal Typograph. This is showing how many Brazilian at the time were selling their resources in an effort to grow themselves. The images also show how Brazilian resources were being marketed to foreign powers and how the young nation was taken advantage of by these powers.
What is also interesting is the market separation and effect of capitalism. For example, through these images. it is well known that there is a massive disregard for the people of brazil as well as the economy. This can be seen through the commodification of natural resources. In addition to the resources, the economy was not cared for and was sold off so that other nations could profit from the resources. They are both selling their national resources as well their economic abilities and markers. This also allowed for the nation of brazil to be bought by foreign powers.
A bunch of Botanical Notes Written showing a Catalogue of Brazilian Items Sent to an Exhibition in Paris the author is unknown and it was made in 1867, The mere fact that this is a catalog gives off the capitalist nature, and marketing of a nation as a store, this was what the brazil nation to the European colonial power. It was seen as a shop where they could showoff and take the wares with nothing being done to them, and brazil did not benefit from this as they were not properly compensated for the goods which meant that they were losing both in terms of the number of resources available and the growing economy. This ties in really well with my argument since it shows actual proof of the Brazilian nation losing its wares as well as how it was portrayed to be lower and a play of shopping not as a nation that has goods with equal standing.
This image also reveals the categorization and cataloging of Brazil as a nation. For example, many things such as plants as well other resources were noted for their importance and abundance in Brazil. This cataloging of everything would make Brazil, look like a shopping magazine for foreign powers. They would see brazil as a possible way to raise their own power and have free reign. They would suck the nation dry of the power it could potentially have.
Map Tour
Camaçarí Brazil [7]
This area has one of the first resources that have been exported by many foreign nations. The camaçarí tree has many uses for the local people. Yet it was very well known at the time as a very strong type of wood that was also very flexible. For example, it was noted that this wood was much better than those exported from Europe and it made stronger ships for the military. This made the tree stand out to the foreign powers and was one of the many things that the nations especially France sent many engineers and people to buy up plots of land that had where the tree was located. This was one of the many first signs of nations taking Brazilian goods and bringing them back to their nations. Due to Brazilian goods being better and more usable than what was available to them[1].
France [11]
This area has one of the first resources that have been exported by many foreign nations. The camaçarí tree has many uses for the local people. Yet it was very well known at the time as a very strong type of wood that was also very flexible. For example, it was noted that this wood was much better than those exported from Europe and it made stronger ships for the military. This made the tree stand out to the foreign powers and was one of the many things that the nations especially France sent many engineers and people to buy up plots of land that had where the tree was located. This was one of the many first signs of nations taking Brazilian goods and bringing them back to their nations. Due to Brazilian goods being better and more usable than what was available to them[1]. Another important thing to know is that many of the techniques used by the french to control the eco many included many forms of running banking systems and making the french currency a local distributor. This would make brazil more dependent and thus make their goods as ways to provide currency and value to the french[2].
Recife, Brazil [12]
Due to the high amount of exporting going on about the things of the nation such as sugar, coffee, fruits, and many more. This led to many foreign nations sending a lot of support to build ports such as these that would allow Brazil to export more of its resources. While this may seem like a harmless act and in fact seem like it would befit brazil. This would only lead to a temporary boost in the economy. This was mainly due to the amount of exporting being done at the time, port like the one shown would only increase the amount sent. This would now allow Brazil to grow by using its own resources and due to its being in debt to other countries it would not get the full value[3].
Timeline
1822
Independence of Brazil and the creation of the Brazilian empire
1850
Eusébio de Queirós Law is made, and this causes the abolishment of the international slave trade in the country.
1854
Creation of the first railroad that would later be a lifeline of exports in the region
1861
Carnaúba Palm is widely advertised throughout the global market and it valued by many imperial powers[1]
1862
The Brazilian Display at the 1862 Exhibition in London
1869
Spain passes a law similar to the "freedom of wombs"
1882
Brazilian Anthropological Exhibition of 1882.
Dangers of Resources and new economies
Many nations have backgrounds and histories that are often forgotten and left in the past. As we can see through our exploration of Brazil today. The nation was taken advantage of it due to its relatively new stage in the world. When it was seen as a growing natural resources power in the world we saw that the nation was then made to be a supply nation imperial nation. For example France, Britain, and the United States of America, all these had played a part in twisting the Brazilian economy to use things that would seem a way to further when in reality the price would require brazil to fall behind and become in debt in the nation. This would lead to a devaluation of Brazilian goods since many would be sold in ways to pay for debt[2]. That would leave the natural resources to lose value thus meaning that brazil would not be able to fully benefit from the cost of it.
