Books in Brief

Revolution in Brazil, by Irving Louis Horowitz (Dutton, $7.50). Not to be misled by the title, prospective readers should note that this book predates the overthrow of the Communist-riddled government of João Goulart. The study of Brazilian politics and society here is only incidental to the author’s restatement of the major tenet of Marxist dogma, the inevitability of socialism. History will not be denied “redistributive justice… entailing as it must high-level planning, confiscation of latifundias, and expropriation of foreign investments.” Thus, “the politics of socialism are more nearly representative of the economics of rationality than is the free-market, free-enterprise system.” That the economics of rationality is more demagoguery than economics and more spurious than rational is clearly demonstrated in the discussion, inter alia, of inflation. Inflation “lowers the standards of living, absolutely in terms of real income, and relatively in the relation of classes. There is, however, a directly political consequence of inflation which tends to offset its negative economic features. Inflation reinforces support for the Goulart regime….” Elsewhere, and more to the point, “It is far easier to reroute wealth by printing more paper money than by raising taxes.” The book includes numerous articles by prominent Brazilian Communists and fellow “agrarian reformers,” including Celso Furtado, who set up the Sudene agency and was the author of the disastrous Plano Trienal. Still regarded as “a distinguished economist” in some quarters, Furtado reportedly did receive professorship offers from Columbia, Harvard and Yale. His influence on Professor Horowitz has been admittedly substantial; better luck to his American students.

R. H. MILLER

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Revolution in Brazil, by Irving Louis Horowitz (Dutton, $7.50). Not to be misled by the title, prospective readers should note that this book predates the overthrow of the Communist-riddled government of João Goulart. The study of Brazilian politics and society here is only incidental to the author’s restatement of the major tenet of Marxist dogma, the inevitability of socialism. History will not be denied “redistributive justice… entailing as it must high-level planning, confiscation of latifundias, and expropriation of foreign investments.” Thus, “the politics of socialism are more nearly representative of the economics of rationality than is the free-market, free-enterprise system.” That the economics of rationality is more demagoguery than economics and more spurious than rational is clearly demonstrated in the discussion, inter alia, of inflation. Inflation “lowers the standards of living, absolutely in terms of real income, and relatively in the relation of classes. There is, however, a directly political consequence of inflation which tends to offset its negative economic features. Inflation reinforces support for the Goulart regime….” Elsewhere, and more to the point, “It is far easier to reroute wealth by printing more paper money than by raising taxes.” The book includes numerous articles by prominent Brazilian Communists and fellow “agrarian reformers,” including Celso Furtado, who set up the Sudene agency and was the author of the disastrous Plano Trienal. Still regarded as “a distinguished economist” in some quarters, Furtado reportedly did receive professorship offers from Columbia, Harvard and Yale. His influence on Professor Horowitz has been admittedly substantial; better luck to his American students.

R. H. MILLER