This book is the first modern survey of the economic and social history of Brazil from early man to today. Drawing from a wide range of qualitative and quantitative data, it provides a comprehensive overview of the major developments that defined the evolution of Brazil. Beginning with the original human settlements in pre-Colombian society, it moves on to discuss the Portuguese Empire and colonization, specifically the importance of slave labor, sugar, coffee, and gold in shaping Brazil's economic and societal development. Finally, it analyzes the revolutionary changes that have occurred in the past half century, transforming Brazil from a primarily rural and illiterate society to an overwhelmingly urban, literate, and industrial one. Sweeping and influential, Herbert S. Klein and Francisco Vidal Luna's synthesis is the first of its kind on Brazil.

Herbert S. Klein is Gouverneur Morris Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia University, the former director of the Center of Latin American Studies and Professor of History, Stanford University. Specializing in the social, demographic, and economic history of Latin America, he has published over thirty books and 190 articles in several languages.

Preface; 1. The setting ¿ climate and soils of Brazil; 2. The peopling of Brazil to 1700; 3. The colonial economy and society; 4. The nineteenth-century economy; 5. The nineteenth-century society; 6: Industrialization and urbanization; 7. Liberalization and globalization; Bibliography; Index.