Rubber soldiers

Persons of Brazil drafted to harvest rubber

Rubber soldiers (Portuguese: Soldados da borracha) were people in Brazil who were compulsorily drafted to harvest rubber in the Amazon rainforest during World War II.[1]

The "rubber soldiers" program was a consequence of the Brazil-United States Political-Military Agreement during the war, after the United States was cut off by Japan from its major supply of rubber in Malaysia.[1] About 55,000 persons were mostly transferred from drought-stricken northeast areas and contributed to the second rubber boom in Brazil.[2] They were enlisted into the Serviço Especial de Mobilização de Trabalhadores para a Amazônia (SEMTA; "Special Service of Mobilization of Workers for the Amazon"), with support of several other governmental organizations.[2]

Each migrant signed a contract with SEMTA which offered a small salary for the worker during their transport to the Amazon region. Upon arrival, they received a payment of 60% of the total profit which had been obtained with the rubber. The basic kit they received included basic clothing, eating equipment, a net, and a carton of cigarettes. After being recruited, the volunteers were placed in specially-built housing, under strict military watch, and then sent into the Amazon, on trips which could last two to three months.[citation needed]

For many workers, it was a one-way journey. About 26,000 rubber workers died in the Amazon,[3] after having exhausted their energies extracting the "white gold." They died of malaria, yellow fever, and hepatitis,[4] and were attacked by animals such as jaguars, snakes, and scorpions. The Brazilian government also did not fulfill its promise to return the "rubber soldiers" to their homes at the end of the war as heroes and with housing comparable to that of the military.[1]

## See also

[edit]

* Plan Rubber

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Brazil 'rubber soldiers' fight for recognition - Americas - International Herald Tribune", by Larry Rohter, The New York Times, October 13, 2006 (retrieved Feb 11, 2013)
2. ^ a b "Exército da borracha", Época, March 26, 2004 (retrieved February 12, 2013)
3. ^ Neeleman, Gary (2017). Rubber Soldiers: The Forgotten Army that Saved the Allies in WWII. Schiffer Military History. ISBN 9780764353321.
4. ^ * New York Times:Manaus Journal, For the Rubber Soldiers of Brazil, Rubber Checks

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Getúlio Vargas

* 14th and 17th President of Brazil (1930–1945; 1951–1954)
* 13th President of Rio Grande do Sul (1928–1930)
* Senator for Rio Grande do Sul (1946–1951)

First Presidency|

* Revolution of 1930
* Constitutionalist Revolution
* 1934 Constitution
* Communist Uprising
* National Security Tribunal [pt]
* Cohen Plan
* 1937 Brazilian coup d'état
* 1937 Constitution
* Integralist Uprising
* Nationalization campaign
* March to the West
* Good Neighbor policy
* Brazil in WW2
* A cobra vai fumar [pt]
* Brazil-United States Political-Military Agreement
* Potenji River Conference
* SEMTA [pt]
* Rubber soldiers
* FEB
* Battle of Monte Castello
* Battle of Collecchio
* Battle of Montese
* Battle of the Atlantic
* Brazilian ships attacked [pt]
* DIP [pt]
* CNP
* DASP [pt]
* Manifesto dos Mineiros [pt]
* Ousting of Vargas

Second Presidency|

* Brazilian Coffee Institute [pt]
* Federal Law No. 2,004 of 1953 [pt]
* O petróleo é nosso! [pt]
* Impeachment effort
* Rua Tonelero shooting

Personal life and politics|

* Law School of Rio Grande do Sul [pt]
* Rio-grandense Republican Party
* Castilhism
* Liberal Alliance
* Brazilian Labour Party
* Brazilian Academy of Letters
* Retrato do Velho [pt]
* Suicide letter

Elections|

* 1930 general election
* 1934 general election
* 1945 general election
* 1950 general election

Legacy|

* Banrisul
* CSN
* Brazilian Election Justice
* A Voz do Brasil
* Companhia Siderúrgica Belgo-Mineira [pt]
* CLT
* CTPS
* Petrobras
* Vale S.A.
* BNDE
* Banco do Nordeste
* FNM

Family|

* Darcy Vargas (wife)
* Lutero Vargas (son)
* Alzira Vargas [pt] (daughter)
* Manuel Sarmanho Vargas [pt] (son)
* Manuel do Nascimento Vargas (father)
* Benjamim Vargas (brother)
* Iara Vargas (niece)
* Vargas Neto [pt] (nephew)
* Celina Vargas do Amaral Peixoto [pt] (granddaughter)
* Ivete Vargas (grandniece)

Related|

* Queremism [pt]
* Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith
* Populism
* Getúlio Vargas
* Presidente Vargas
* Presidente Getúlio
* Getúlio Vargas Museum [pt]

* ← Brazilian military junta of 1930
* José Linhares →

* ← Eurico Dutra
* Café Filho →

* Getúlio Vargas
* Cultural representations

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