Brazil's Beloved President Chose Death Over Military Coup

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:00]The father of the poor was killed by his own children. It's 1954, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Getulio Vargas has ruled for 20 years, creating labor laws and social programs that made him the most beloved president in Brazilian history.

[00:00:16]>> [music] >> Workers call him their savior. He builds hospitals, guarantees vacation time, and creates retirement benefits. The poor finally have a voice, and for years his popularity seems unshakable. But the military grows restless. The same officers he modernized with new equipment and training now plot in secret meetings. They deliver an ultimatum, resign or face a coup. Rather than surrender, he writes a final letter and takes his own life. The father of the poor was Getulio Vargas.