Mass Media Revolution Success in Brazil - Research Paper Example

 “The unification and integration of the Brazilian society over the preceding decades, the increased organization and focus of the movement, and support from more efficient means of communication with masses due to mass media revolution, have all contributed to the success of the Landless movement’ Contents Contents 1 Introduction 2 Socioeconomic movement 2 Media Revolution 3 Military rule and Migrations 4 Landless Movements 4 MST (Landless workers movement) 5 Analysis 6 References 6 Introduction The eventual demise of the colonial era brought independence to many nations all around the world. These nations however are still facing many different problems which include land divisions, instable governments, economic depravity etc. The colonization of these regions greatly affected the social and cultural climate of these regions. The colonizer had to make major changes in the system to gain control of these regions and uproot any threats of mutiny or independence which ever perspective one holds. Therefore in order to strengthen their control the colonizers changed many different spheres of life in these territories. The whole system which was previously working in these conquered territories was destroyed. There are many different examples of this change. The African tribal system was uprooted and destroyed which is still resulting in civil wars in that region. The landlord concept was introduced in Zimbabwe which led to a bloody civil war and eventual removal of these landlords. Similarly in Brazil the colonies were interested in the sugarcane industry of Brazil. A dispersed village population could not produce this crop on a mega scale and fulfill needs of the colonizers. Therefore a new system was setup. A few individuals both locals and colonizers were given vast areas of land. They were to control and manage their own separate regimes to ensure there was not out break against the colonizers. This has a twofold advantage. The colonizers could totally control the people through their land lords and moreover a consistent supply of sugar cane was made possible. To further spoil the already disturbed society salves were brought in from Africa to work on these farms as labor. For centuries this system has prevailed. The reason of this discussion to establish the understanding that the any movement would not be successful until it is backed by a social and economic revolution. The workers on these farms have been kept away from independence and education for centuries. Therefore in order to have a successful chance at uniting them and liberating them from this tyranny, awareness and economic opportunity are required. Socioeconomic movement The sugar trade had been replaced by the gold rush in the 18th century. This however as expected did not last long. Soon after independence Brazil became the largest exporter of coffee in the world. This meant that most of its revenues came from agricultural growth. The slave labor had already been eliminated from the Brazilian society in 1889. This however was replaced by other forms of slave labor which constituted workers taking loans from landlords and then working at low rates to pay off interest and principal. The landlords system therefore was further strengthened by the coffee era. These land owners were able to buy more men and political power with this money. The great depression of the 1930s combined with over production of 1920s greatly reduced the demand of coffee. This reduced prices and created problems for the Brazilian landlords. The 1960s and 70s saw a great growth in the industrial sector of Brazil. This industrial growth however created many problems for the Brazilian government. The young economy could not manage the rapid increase in inflation due to this inflow of funds. Therefore the Brazilian economy saw massive surges in inflation during the 1980s and 90s. These were however tackled and controlled after many failed attempts. The Brazilian economy has however taken a major turn in the late nineties. A new breed of industries has given boost to the Brazilian economy. Brazil has become a major center for outsourcing for the western world. A major part of this outsourcing consists of automobile and technology oriented products. This has not only increased the number of people who are educated but also prompted the government to establish an efficient communication network. This communication network has not only created awareness in Brazilian about national issues but has also played an important part in uniting billions of dispersed Brazilians on important issues. The independent media of Brazil is therefore a voice which finally unites ideologies and voices of the 190 million Brazilian. Moreover the economic stability and education has enabled people to finally raise their voices to the social injustice which was a reminiscent of the colonial era. Media Revolution The media revolution is not only restricted to mass media such as news paper and television. The main player in this social revolution has been the internet. This is because not restrictions can be imposed on any social movement which starts from the internet. All news is available to the citizens and the government can no longer control public perceptions by controlling new. The popularity of social media such as Facebook and MySpace has also brought about a social revolution. They provide Brazilian from different backgrounds to unite on similar issues and ideas. Moreover different online forums invite millions of young Brazilian and provide an open platform for debate and argument. The social organizations have taken full advantage of these social revolutions. They are using these social networks to create public awareness about issues. Moreover websites are being run by all major social movements. They eliminate the constraints set by the vast distance between different points of views. The communication channels have also been expanded in Brazil. They are connecting many smaller towns to rest of the Brazil. Brazil currently has a very effective network of railroads, roads and airports. There are over 1.98 million km of roads in Brazil which is over fives time over from the total road network in 1970s. The most impressive increase has been in the airport network of Brazil. There are over 2500 airports currently operating in Brazil. This is the second largest number after USA. They enable goods and people to move efficiently from different parts of Brazil. These means of communication also bring with themselves new ideas and transmit issues of these regions to rest of Brazil. Military rule and Migrations The political governments of old in Brazil were usually represented by or totally controlled by the Landlords. Therefore they did not represent the people and their point of views. The military regime was a fresh change for the Brazilian. The army consisted of the locals and thus had comparatively more representation of the people. This created a sense of nationalism in Brazil. Moreover the industrial revolution in Brazil ensured that people founds jobs in cities thus they became an attractive migration hubs. This not only reduced the power of land lords but also provided people with more education and awareness. Thus they could better understand the issues of their native regions in national context. Landless Movements There have been many different movements for Land reforms in Brazil. These movements however had some basic disadvantages. First of all the government and avenues of power were usually controlled by the land lords and they were able to pressurize the people through the government machinery. Moreover the lack of consolidated effort resulted in small outbreaks which were easily controlled. The activist were usually bought off or threatened directly. The families were threatened and forced to evacuate and migrate. It is a sad fact that since 1989 there has been shockingly a murder every week on average related to land movements. The ineffectiveness of the government can be observed from the fact that in all this time only 3 case have been filed and only one prosecution made (Wright & Wolford, 2004). The large powerful land holders have always held vast tracts of land that were either given to these individuals by government authority or taken through force or fraud. Once in possession of these lands they have made every effort to maintain them as well as using their power and influence to even expand their holdings. The labor being used on these were local and African slaves, then in later labor arrangements using poor Brazilian workers and sharecroppers as well as foreign workers. These people worked very hard but found it very difficult to attain land for number of reasons and even if they did happen to gain their own land it was very difficult to keep and often taken away. The inability of these small time villagers to maintain their own land was very obvious. With weak communication networks and markets controlled by larger landlords it was very difficult for them to compete in the open markets. The large landlords used their influence to control the market and eliminate any chances for these smaller farmers to survive. Moreover water was also controlled by larger farm owners. The conditions were thus very unsuitable for smaller framers. They ended by renting their lands and went back to working for land lords. The lack of education and funds also resulted in poor land management. As there was no government body made to guide and help these small farmers, they ended up destroying the land with their bad agricultural decisions. MST (Landless workers movement) This is currently the largest movement in any domain in the entire South America. The aim of this movement as the name suggests is to redistribute the land in a socially acceptable manner in the people of Brazil. The movement has acquired considerable success over the last few years. The organizations recruits people from all over Brazil and currently has an estimated 1.5 million landless members organized in 23 out of Brazil's 26 states. First origins of the MST were seen in the late 1980s. Groups of landless workers tired of mistreatment, empty promises and unmet expectations began to organize. This was the first ever organization on such a massive scale. These families began to settle and create makeshift camps on large areas of land that were not being used by their owners. The ideology of these people however was not of violence; in fact they were a socialist group influenced by thinkers such as Marx, Lenin and Freyre. A very important factor here was that this time entire families were involved. Previously only men were involved in these movements thus long struggles could not be launched as they eventually had to return home to their families. Moreover the lives of family members were threatened in order to stop men from protesting. Thus despite all government efforts camps grew to hundreds of families which wanted the opportunity to use the land that was being unused and which they could make productive. These people wished to escape poverty, servitude and the hopelessness of the current system and become productive citizens, in order to do this they needed land. To be clear the movement was not looking for free land grants they wanted to pay for the land that they would get through fair loans worked out with the government. The landlords were of the impression that if anyone was given a chance to successfully stand up against them it would only invite more people to do the same. Therefore these actions were not welcomed by the landowners or the government. The structure of this movement was also a very strong point of its success. Previously all movements for land reforms were organized and orchestrated by a few individuals. Therefore it became very easy for the government and landlords to crush these movements. Those few people were usually arrested or murdered to eliminate the movement all together. MTC however had a very horizontal structure. This meant that all the families involved in the protest were part of the decision making body. Thus a common feeling of ownership for MTC ran to the very hearts of families involved. All these families were faced with harassment and every effort to break them up and move them was made. The food and supplies were blocked from coming in, the government tried to lure the inhabitants away with promises of land elsewhere as well as other efforts at dividing the group. On police raids the inhabitants of the encampment made a human wall to stop the security forces from entering. Eventually however the persistence, organization and resolve of the group strengthened by public sentiment helped the movement eventually achieve its demands from the government. The people were united and the media was giving them effective coverage. This meant that no harsh action could be taken against the protestors. Analysis The social awareness has been one of the major reasons that a land reforms movement has finally shown some success in Brazil. The economic revolution of Brazil has created a new class of rich in the Brazilian society. These are educated people who are involved in International business. This class owns money and power in the cities of Brazil. They are in continuous need of human capital for their industries and businesses. Not long ago the government of the Brazil was totally controlled and influenced by the land owners as they were the sole source of wealth and power. The power has now been divided. The modern elite industrialist support government policies which would bring more education and awareness to the people. This has given a government respite from the influence of landlords. This helped MST in gaining government support on some of its agendas. Initially MST faced problems in gaining support from the northern region. This was because this region was controlled by smaller labor unions indirectly controlled by the landlords. The elimination of sugar subsidies was a major blow to the previous system. As thousands of people lost their jobs the support for MST increased. This is another example of the economic movement resulting in a social change. The least developed area of Amazon has been the most difficult target for MST. This is due to economic and educational depravation of that region. The landlords have made their best efforts to keep education to a minimum in those regions. Conclusion The economic and social movement in Brazil has removed long tyranny of landlords. MST has gained support due to this social and economic shift. The increase in communication networks have increase the accessibility to regions which were before isolated from main stream society. Moreover the migrations to cities have increased awareness in people who were associated with MST. They have also become advocates for MST efforts for the landless class. References Raj, P. (2007). Stuffed & Starved. Portobello Books, London Miguel, C. (2005). The MST and Democracy in Brazil. Working Paper CBS-60-05, Centre for Brazilian Studies, University of Oxford Tarso, R. (2005). Brazil at the Crossroads: Landless Movement Confronts Crisis of the Left Branford, S., Jan, R. (2002).  Cutting the Wire: The Story of the Landless Movement in Brazil. London: Latin America Bureau Holston, J. (2002). Insurgent Citizenship: Disjunctions of Democracy and Modernity in Brazil. Princeton: Princeton UP. Ondetti, G. (2008). A. Land, Protest, and Politics: the Landless Movement and the Struggle for Agrarian Reform in Brazil. University Park, Pa.: Pennsylvania State UP Walker, G.E. (2002).  The Concept of Other in Latin American Liberation: Fusing Emancipatory Philosophic Thought and Social Revolt. Lanham, Md.: Lexington Wright, A.L., and Wendy, W. (2003).  To Inherit the Earth: the Landless Movement and the Struggle for a New Brazil. Oakland, Calif.: Food First Read More