Discuss the issues related to immigration to Brazil, followed by a discussion of the waves of immigration to Brazil.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Portugal prohibited immigration from other countries to Brazil to prevent other European countries from establishing any claims to territory, but Brazil was the major destination for slaves from Africa. Brazil has a rich immigration history from many countries and became a melting pot. What is unique is that Brazil may have the highest degree of intermarriage in the world. Immigration into Brazil came in three primary waves. The first wave of mass immigration occurred during the second half of the 19th century. Europeans were welcomed as a means to replace slave labor in coffee cultivation. The second immigration wave was from 1904 to 1930. Another 2.1 million Europeans from Italy, Poland, Russia, and Romania immigrated, most arriving after World War I. Various factors limited immigration during Brazil’s third wave (1930–1964): Demand for coffee declined in the Great Depression of the 1930s, new laws protected native workers making it difficult for immigrants to find jobs, and the government initiated policies to encourage Europeans to assimilate into Brazilian culture. The immigrants of the 1930s came primarily from Japan.