Causes of the Left Turn
According to Levitsky, there are two long term factors that contribute to the Left’s resurgence in Latin America; one being inequality and the other being the institutionalization of electoral competition. Inequality, being a severe problem in Latin America, with the unequal distribution of wealth from the rich to the poor led to Left focused politics. Calls for socialism and redistribution were raised because of the economic and social inequality in many Latin American countries. Because of the stability that was being caused by the beginnings of many long-term democracies in the region, people could run for an office that was corrupt or filled with incumbents. These new politicians could argue for social reform and Leftist policies and still win. Both of these factors were extremely positive for Latin America in the long-run considering it helped them overcome the struggles they faced during the Cold War and attempted to bolster the economy. The economic crisis of the late 90’s and early 2000’s was essential in the rise of the left and it explains the time period in which it occurred. Without the economic crisis spurring on inequality, the unequal distribution of wealth, and anger with ineffective governments, the Left would never have become as influential or successful.
This same process is seen in Brazil as stated in the Hunter (2005) article, Lula was able to gain power and succeed due to his Leftist policies including Bolsa Familia. Similar to other countries in the region the PT adopted policies and plans to redistribute the country’s wealth through policies such as massive land reform. At the same time, the PT wanted political participation and no corruption, this is different than other usual socialist regimes. The rise of the PT is due to similar reasons but it’s structure and ideological purpose were much different than prior Brazilian parties or the corrupt governments seen in other countries. Although Lula’s party and terms in office have had corruption scandals that are still ongoing today, the positive impacts of Lula’s time in office are far-reaching and aren’t undermined with the party being attached to vote buying or anything else. Lula has stayed extremely positive in the eyes of the public because of his Leftist policies. He developed social reform and a policy of low inflation. By removing the causes for Leftist governments, the PT was able to succeed and attempt to quell the anger caused by a severe unequal distribution of wealth.
What role to you think the end of the Cold War had on the rise of the Left? With the collapse of the Soviet Union, socialism was no longer seen as a threat to the US sphere of influence. It seems pretty likely that had Lula been president in the 1970s he would have been deposed in a coup by US-backed anti-communists like Allende.