German Scare
The term perigo alemao (German scare) was employed by Brazilian politicians from the 1870s to World War I. Since German-speaking migrants had moved to southern Brazil in 1824, Portuguese speakers distrusted this new ethnic group that settled in exclusive and homogeneous communities.
The Germans were expected to contribute largely to the economic modernization of the country and to the branqueamento (the “whitening” of the population). Branqueamento refers to the governmental policy to limit and decrease the influence of the darker-skinned population of African descent in Brazilian society. By encouraging immigration from Europe, the number of lighter-skinned people would gradually increase and thus the population of Brazil would become “whiter” than before. Even though German-speaking immigrants were seen as playing an important role in the branqueamento, they appeared to resist integration and assimilation into Brazilian society, thus refusing to contribute to the branqueamento. Subsequently, Brazilian nationalists called the German communities quistos etnicos (ethnic ulcers) and branded them as obstacles to national unity. After German unification in 1871, this discourse became more important since Brazilian nationalist politicians suspected Germany of seeking colonies in South America—especially in southern Brazil. German Brazilians living in the southern provinces of Brazil were seen as the fifth column of the German Empire that would eventually help Wilhelm I to establish colonies in Brazil.Rene Gertz
See also Brazil
References and Further Reading
Gertz, Rene E. O perigo alemao. Porto Alegre: Editora da Universidade, 1991.