History
Creation
The Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira (Portuguese for Brazilian Social Democracy Party) is a political party in Brazil. It was founded in June 25, 1988, having "democracy as a fundamental value", and bringing together different political groups as "progressive liberals", "Christian democrats", "social democrats" and "democratic socialists", according to the party's manifesto.
The PSDB was created at a very significant moment in the history of Brazilian politics. On April 21, 1985, the Brazilian people witnessed the premature death of Tancredo Neves, the last president not elected directly by the people since the beginning of the dictatorial government.
The party began to form during the 1988 National Constitutional Assembly. A high proportion of the first members of the party came from the so-called "historic PMDB ". This was and still is a very large party with many internal conflicts. The creators of the PSDB were dissatisfied with the results of the Constitutional Assembly, and decided to create a party to reflect the need for national political renewal. As the manifesto states, the new party was created "away from the official benefits, but close to the pulsing of the streets". One of the founding members was Jose Serra, who ran and lost for president against Luís Inácio Lula da Silva.
Modern times
Many years after its creation, the PSDB grew faster than any other party in the history of Brazil, with an astonishingly good performance in elections at all levels. President Fernando Henrique Cardoso enjoyed eight years of stable and productive government, which without doubt consolidated the new era of Brazillian political history.
Unfortunately, the size of the party does not today permit the new and less known members of the party to preach the principles of its foundation with the same force as its leading members. The party grew as any other organization of its kind. Yet it remains one of the most democratic parties in the country, with one of the strongest philosophical groundings.
Political alignment
The PSDB questions the use of outdated political labels, such as "left" and "right". To quote a document elaborated by Fernando Henrique Cardoso´s office in 1990:
"If left means to be against the existent social order, and right in favor, the social-democracy is without doubt a left current.
"A social democrat is before anything someone who has critical sense — who perceives the injustices of the society and has no fear in opposing to them, even taking the risk of being taken as a subversive or dreamer."
The party principles put the discussion of specific topics before the use of generalized and uncertain labels.
For example, the party does not preach nationalization or privatization in general. To quote from the same document, the consensus is that the state must not be too big or too small, but "have the size and functions corresponding to the needs of the whole of society."
External link
Last updated: 05-23-2005 10:18:16
