Prisioners, Rights and War in Vargas Government, Brazil (1942-1945)

Abstract

The theme of the internment of the Japanese, German and Italian civilians in concentration camps in Brazil, under the condition of prisoners of war, leads us to various questions related to imprisonment, civil liberties, nationalism and international and national politics. The prisoners of war status was imposed upon the “Axis subjects” in face of two political plans: the first one aiming to construct a modern national project for Brazil, the second one seeking an outstanding position in the international context. This issue sparked a debate in the Vargas government which allows us to perceive the contradictory positions, the ruptures and the political battles at the moment of the Estado Novo’s disarticulation (1942-1945). This text deals specifically with the Brazilian political environment during the Second World War in order to denote the Vargas government internal fissures which became visible when tackling a very sensitive issue at that time: the internment of the “Axis subjects”. Poring over the motivations and bringing to surface the Vargas government interest in the treatment of the Axis’ foreigners in Brazil during the war can contribute to the understanding of the involvement of the country in that conflict. By doing that, we can also detect the breaches and the fissures in the heart of the political and governmental elite which was at pains to handle the problematic internment of civilians and the Geneva Humanitarian conventions.