Union of South American Socialist Republics (Inbivio)
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Union of South American Socialist Republics | |
|---|---|
Flag
Great Seal
| |
| Motto: "Na revolução estamos unidos" In revolution we are united | |
| Anthem: Arize O 'Americas! | |
| Location of the USASR (green) in South America (light grey) Location of the USASR (green) in South America (light grey) | |
| Capital | Rio de Janeiro |
| Largest | São Paulo |
| Official languages | Portugese Spanish |
| Recognised regional languages | 36 indigenous languages |
| Ethnic groups | N/A |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism 85.4% Protestantism 10.32% Spiritism 2.86% Other 1.42% |
| Demonym(s) | South American, Brazilian |
| Government | Federal single-party socialist state |
• First Secretary | Francisco Paolo Oliveira |
• State Minister | Lorenzo Varela |
• President of the Worker's Congress | Eunício Oliveira |
| Legislature | People's United Congress |
| Central Committee of the Union | |
| Worker's Congress | |
| International treaty between Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay | |
• Treaty of La Paz | 12 December 1940 |
• Amendment of Montevideo | 12 December 1945 |
• Amendment of Sao Paolo | 4 July 1978 |
• Current constitution | 1999 |
| Area | |
• | 10,594,920.9 km2 (4,090,721.8 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• 2016 estimate | 232,493,914 |
• 2010 census | 230,885,604 |
• Density | 21.94/km2 (56.8/sq mi) |
| GDP (PPP) | estimate |
• Total | $3.313 trillion |
• Per capita | $14,252 |
| GDP (nominal) | estimate |
• Total | $2.273 trillion |
• Per capita | $9,765 |
| Gini | 39.9 medium |
| HDI | 0.794 high |
| Currency | Real (R$) (URL) |
| Time zone | UTC-2 to -5 (BRT) |
| Date format | dd.mm.yyyy |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +133 |
| Internet TLD | .us |
The South American Union (SAU, Portuguese: União Sul-Americana, USA; Spanish: Unión Sudamericana, US), officially the Union of South American Socialist Republics (USASR, Portuguese: União das Repúblicas Socialistas Sul-Americanas, URSSA; Spanish: Unión de Repúblicas Socialistas Sudamericanas, USSS), is a federal single-party socialist state in South America. It is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At 10.59 million square kilometers (4.09 million square miles) and with over 230 million people, the USASR is the world's X-largest country by area and the X-most populous. The capital is Rio de Janeiro, and the most-populated city is São Paulo. It is the largest country to have Portuguese as an official language and the only one in the Americas. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Pacific to the east, the USASR has a coastline of 8,886 kilometers (5,521 mi). The USASR borders Peru to the west, Gran Colombia to the north and Argentina-Chile to the south, Norway to the east through X, and covers XX.X% of the continent's land area. Its Amazon River basin includes a vast tropical forest, home to diverse wildlife, a variety of ecological systems, and extensive natural resources spanning numerous protected habitats. This unique environmental heritage has been greatly threatened by mass deforestisation and development.
The territory of the USASR was inhabited by numerous tribal nations prior to the landing in 1504 of explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral in Brazil, who claimed the area for the Portuguese Empire. Brazil remained a Portuguese colony until 1808, when the capital of the empire was transferred from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro. In 1815, the colony was elevated to the rank of kingdom upon the formation of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. Independence was achieved in 1822 with the creation of the Empire of Brazil, a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system. The ratification of the first constitution in 1824 led to the formation of a bicameral legislature, now called the National Congress. The country became a presidential republic in 1889 following a military coup d'état. The Spanish speaking states of the USASR were colonised by the Spanish Empire shortly prior to the Portuguese arrival in Brazil, their independence would come later in the 19th century through the efforts of Simon Bolivar. An authoritarian military dictatorship under Getúlio Vargas came to power in 1930 in Brazil, however poor governance, economic stagnation and socialist agitation resulted in his overthrow in 1939 during the Brazilian Red Revolution. The new regime under Luís Carlos Prestes quickly came into conflict with neighboring Argentina, in what became the Brazilian Revolutionary Wars. By 1940, the Brazilian socialist government had seized control of Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia. A short conflict with Chile in the same year saw further expansion with the capture of the disputed territories on Bolivia's behalf. In December, these countries formed the USASR as a federation. Over the next three decades the USASR would develop economically through a centrally planned economy, becoming the dominant power in South America, in the 1970s the USASR began supporting leftist guerillas in neighbouring Colombia, Peru and Venezuela. In 1978, First Secretary Tiago Venâncio reforms the USASR under the slogan of "Popular Socialism", which opens up the economy and introduces limited but direct democracy at the local level.
Since the introduction of economic reforms in 1978, the USASR's economy has been one of the world's fastest-growing. As of 2016, it is the world's X-largest economy by nominal GDP and X largest by purchasing power parity (PPP). The USASR is also the world's X largest exporter and X-largest importer of goods. The USASR is a recognized nuclear weapons state and has the world's X largest standing army and X-largest defense budget. The USASR is a member of the United Nations. The USASR is also a member of numerous formal and informal multilateral organizations, including the League of American States, São Paulo Accord Association, Pacific Forum, the X, the X and the X. The USASR is a great power and a major regional power within South America, and has been characterized as a potential superpower.
History
Prior the Brazilian Revolution in 1938, it had been ruled near-consecutively by repressive authoritarian dictatorships, the last of which, was under Getúlio Vargas. The other constituent republics too, long suffered under strong often military regimes. Brazil prior to 1938 suffered from economic stagnation, socialist agitation and oligarchic governance, with power vested in a title circle of generals, coffee oligarchs around Vargas.
Revolution and war (1938-1940)
The causes of the Brazilian Red Revolution of 1937-38 is still widely debated, however, it is accepted that the direct causes of the revolution began with the 1930 Brazilian Revolution, which resulted in the rise to power of Getúlio Vargas. Despite his success in assuming power, Vargas faced considerable resistance from oligarchs who continued supporting the previous constitution and government, while farmers, peasants and urban workers were being drawn to socialism by Luís Carlos Prestes. Yet, with the Vargas government too busy confronting its elite rivals, Prestes travelled to the rural interior of Brazil to rally coffee farmers, rubber plantation workers and ranchers against the repressive policies of the wealthy oligarchy that constituted Vargas' base.
At the same time, revolutionary committees, known popularly as "Gangues Vermelhas", sprang up across the country. The Landless Worker's Socialist Party, led by Luís Carlos Prestes, pushed for socialist revolution in the countryside and on the streets of Brazil's cities. Economic collapse caused by Vargas' over-production of coffee and rubber soon resulted in violence in rural areas, while solidarity rallies and strikes took place in the cities. Violence soon broke out as Vargas sought to regain control. On 7 July 1938, the Worker Combatant Groups ("Grubatra") stormed the Catete Palace in Rio de Janeiro, executing Vargas and his cabinet and ending the rule of his government and leaving all political power to the "Revolutionary Committees". This event would later be officially known in state bibliographies as the Great Socialist Revolution. on July 10 1938, the Revolutionary Committees elected Prestes Acting President, who promptly declared a Socialist State.
Immediately, similar revolutions took place in Uruguay and Paraguay with Brazilian assistance. This resulted in Argentina intervening to defend the status-quo in both states. Fearing an Argentine invasion of Brazil, Prestes immediately mobilised the Brazilian populace and dispatch soldiers to defend the revolutionaries in Uruguay and Paraguay. What followed was a fourteen-month conflict, that resulted in a Brazilian victory, leaving over 400,000 people dead. On November 5 1939, Argentina signed the Treaty of Porto Alegre, ceding the provinces of Corrientes, Misiones and Entre Ríos to Brazil, while recognising the socialist governments of Uruguay and Paraguay. On January 1 1940, a Brazilian backed coup took place in Bolivia, which was immediately countered by a military-backed counter-coup leading to a popular uprising. The Brazilian revolutionary government, deployed over 300,000 militia and soldiers into Bolivia to aid the uprising, Bolivia fell to Brazil on February 22, 1940. The deployment of 50,000 Chilean soldiers resulted in a swift Brazilian invasion of northern Chile on March 2, the suddenness and brutality saw the Brazilian forces reach as far south as Copiapó, Chile surrendered on March 28, ceding to the United Worker's Republic of Bolivia, the Atacama provinces, that Bolivia lost during the War of the Pacific. These three conflicts are collectively known as the Brazilian Revolutionary Wars, in total 680,000 people died, but resulted in Brazil becoming the dominant power in South America.
Unification of republics (1940)
Following the end of the conflict with Chile, the Brazilian, Bolivian, Paraguayan and Uruguayan socialist governments met in Fortaleza to discuss how best to protect their revolutions. Shock and anger swiftly spread across to the northern regional power of Gran Colombia, which was seeking Mexican support. During the summit, Uruguayan revolutionary leader, Xavier de Luna Pizarro proposed a federal union of the republics. This swiftly gained Brazilian and Bolivian support, with only Paraguay expressing concern; the others immediately drew up a rough power-sharing structure, widely reported to have been done on a napkin, in which all states would give equal representation to the federal legislature, with republic leaders sitting on a federal council with veto power over constitutional amendments that may unbalance the equilibrium, Paraguay accepted the proposal.
Over the next months, a constituent assembly was convened to develop a constitution that was put to referendum in all four countries, the "Yes" vote won out, but not without allegations of fraud and violence by non-socialist holdouts. On 12 December 1940, the constitution came to force and the Union of South American Socialist Republics was founded. Prestes became First Secretary of the newly formed, South American Worker's Socialist Party, thus becoming leader of the new nation.
An intensive restructuring of the economy, industry and politics of the country began in the early days of the Socialist government in 140. A large part of this was done according to the La Paz Initial Decrees, government documents signed by Prestes and the Federal Council (this was exclusively formed of Prestes and the leaders of Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia). One of the most prominent breakthroughs was the "Acender a Nação, Acender a Revolução" (Ignite the Nation, Ignite the Revolution) plan, which envisioned a major restructuring of the Union economy based on total electrification of the country. The plan was developed in 1940 and covered a 10 to 15-year period. It included construction of a network of 30 regional power stations, including ten large hydroelectric power plants, and numerous electric-powered large industrial enterprises. The plan became the prototype for subsequent Five-Year Plans and was fulfilled by 1949.
Consolidation (1940-1946)
From its creation, the government in the USASR was based on the one-party rule of the South American Worker's Socialist Party (Prestistas). Prestes and the Federal Council immediately began to order the mass-round up of critics, counter-revolutionaries and anyone who criticised federalisation. The mass nationalisation of land soon resulted in the mass killing of landowners, landlords and coffee oligarchs. In Bolivia, many mining moguls were executed publicly after show trials, while in Paraguay and Uruguay these people were executed on the grounds of "crimes against the people." In Brazil, the government took it further, with the mass-round up of Japanese Brazilians into Favelas under the suspicion that the deeply religious community would become a fifth-column for the anti-communist Japanese Empire, an estimated 13,000 Japanese Brazilians died during the force relocation between 1940 and 1941. Censorship was soon introduced with the federal nationalisation of all printing houses and publishers, this was followed by the nationalisation of the trade union movement, with the creation of the All-South American Worker's and Peasant's Union.
The stated purpose of the one-party state was to ensure that capitalist exploitation would not return to the USASR and that the principles of democratic centralism would be most effective in representing the people's will in a practical manner. Debate over the future of the economy provided the background for a power struggle in the years after Prestes' death in 1946. In 1942, the USASR government began to introduce collectivisation across the Union, the same period saw a massive purge of the education systems in the republics and the re-writing of history textbooks to present the South American struggle for independence in a socialist perspective. In April 1942, the Federal Council voted unanimously in favor of protecting the Catholic Church, forming the People's Ecclesiastical Affairs Department - this body would be key in the state's seizure of control over the Catholic Church within the USASR and the dominance of Liberation Theory.
In 1943, the Federal Council reformed the State Security Commission into the General Intelligence Commissariat (commonly known as COMINGEL). The GIC swiftly became all-pervasive recruiting thousands of informants in all levels of society, including the youth. In 1944, the Federal Council self-disbanded, ending its power-by-decree and handing power to the People's United Congress.
On December 12 1945, in celebration of the USASR's fifth anniversary, the regime passed the so-called Montevideo Amendment, which officially created the Socialist Union of the Atacama and the Socialist Free State of Argentina out of the territories taken from Chile and Argentina respectively, during the Brazilian Revolutionary Wars as Constituent Republics. The same amendment officially granted equal rights to all Amerindian peoples in the USASR, while the various People's Militias formed during the Wars in all four states were formally merged into the People's Revolutionary Army.
War of La Plata (1946-1948)
Following the formation of the USASR in 1940, the defeated states of Chile and Argentina moved to secure an alliance against the new dominant power in South America. Following Argentina's defeat, the civilian government was overthrown in a violent coup d'état, known as the Bloody Dawn Revolt, in which popular war-time general Agustín Pedro Justo became President. Justo's regime was dominated by nationalist business people and military officers and he vowed to "return sacred Argentina" in reference the provinces of Corrientes, Misiones and Entre Ríos. Between 1939 and 1945, Justo's regime focused entirely on rebuilding Argentina's shattered military, including its army and navy. Justo successfully secured his Chilean alliance in a secret pact signed in 1941, while he soon gained Mexican and Ciguayan financial and materiel aid.
The USASR had been preparing for a second conflict with Argentina immediately upon its founding, with the construction of extensive defensive fortifications along the Argentine-Paraguayan border and the Paraná River, which in 1945 constituted the border between Argentina and SFS Argentina. Unbeknownst to the Justo regime, the USASR had infiltrated Argentine high-society with agents, primarily drawn from the Argentine diaspora in Paraguay and Brazil. The USASR had become aware of the pact between it and Chile as early as 1942 and made further preparations for an impending war.
Justo framed any conflict against the USASR as "rectification of the Asuncion Humiliation", in reference to the Treaty of Asuncion which barred the Argentine military from entering within 25km of the border, while capping the Argentine military at 100,000 personnel, they were also barred from constructing battleships. However, the USASR was poor at observing Argentina's adherence and by 1944, the Argentine military had grown to 450,000 soldiers and it had begun construction on two moderately sized battleships. Many historians within the continental former-US claim that the USASR purposefully failed to enforce the treaty, wishing for a second conflict to "forcefully put down the Argentinians indefinitely."
Despite the preparations and extensive fortifications of the Paraná Line and Héctor Lizárraga Line, the USASR had missed identified the date of the Argentine invasion by over four months. As such, on September 5 1946, the Argentines invaded with over 300,000 soldiers, against an estimated 15,000 USASR soldiers positioned along the entire border. Despite stiff resistance, the Argentines seized Asunción on December 31 1946, while successfully, albeit with heavy losses, crossed the Paraná River into SFS Argentina. The Argentine advance was stalled at the Battle of Dios Rios, where entrenched USASR forces held in stalemate.
In order to break the stalemate, the Chileans invaded the Atacama Republic on February 19 1947, it faced stiff but limited resistance due to the difficultly for the USASR in deploying sufficient troops over the vast distance, smaller Argentine force invaded southern Bolivia several days later. However, the USASR by May 1947 had deployed sufficient forces in the Atacama and Bolivia to hold the Argentine-Chilean advance and counter-attacked. The main thrust through the Atacama Desert, which saw the first use of tank and mechanised forces in South American history, shattered the Chilean force. In August the USASR defeated the Chileans at the Battle of La Sarena, which opened up Santiago to attack. On September 10, the Chileans surrendered. Facing an assault on western Argentina, the Argentines were forced to withdraw forces from the eastern front, this weakened their lines, enabling a USASR counter-attack.
After a year of bloody failed assaults on the USASR lines in the east, the Argentines were nearing collapse due to attrition. After the surrender of Chile and the re-deployment of Argentine forces, USASR forces drove west through Paraguay and SFS Argentina to within 10km of Beunos Aries before Argentine surrendered on January 19 1948. Justo was overthrown by a democratic revolution on January 25.
The war ended with over 1.9 million dead, with Argentina suffering over 500,000 military deaths and 385,000 civilian. USASR bombing of Argentine cities and naval bombardments had crippled its economy and the loss of so many able workers would have a lasting effect on the country for decades. Chile suffered over 146,000 deaths and extensive damage to its economic infrastructure. The USASR suffered over 330,000 dead military and civilian and emerged as the undisputed power in South America. Argentina was forced to pay reparations and vow to never again launch an aggressive war against the USASR, to which it agreed. On June 28 1957 however, Chile and Argentina would XXX.
Vieira era (1946-1960)
During the early stages of the War of La Plata, Luís Carlos Prestes contracted malaria while visiting war-widows in Pará state. His illness was kept a state-secret as not to undermine morale on the front. On December 31 1946, Prestes died from the malarial infection, however his death was not announced until January 10, controversially the Central Committee of the Union reported that Prestes died of poisoning, presenting an Argentine POW as a skilled assassin. He was promptly executed and war fervor against Argentina reached new heights, radicalising the front line and home-front. He was succeeded by Foreign Minister João Ricardo Vieira.
Vieira oversaw the successful 1947 counter-attacks against Chile and Argentina and the resulting Treaty of Mendoza. Vieira vowed to focus the government's efforts on reconstruction, especially Asunción, which had suffered greatly during the brief Argentine occupation and the eventual battle to retake the city. During the immediate postwar period, the USASR rebuilt and expanded its economy, while maintaining its strictly centralized control. The Treaty of Mendoza allowed the USASR to extract vast industrial assets and resources from Argentina and Chile, including exclusive access to Guano deposits in northern Chile, which was processed into fertiliser and exported, while Argentine coal, copper, lead and gold were stripped mined until 1950. The USASR used the resources to export in order to fund reconstruction and industrialisation. Prominent Russian historian, Liuba Sizykh described the Treaty of Mendoza as a "fine example of enforced strip mining of a defeated hostile. The extent of USASR use of their national resources crippled any chance for rapid recovery by both nations. This perhaps was seen as a greater option than a unpopular and resisted puppet regime."
Vieira's administration also sought to focus on internal development. In 1948, the government introduced the Traveling Medical Corps that treated villagers in rural areas, while the government constructed over 500 hospitals, clinics and medical schools across the country. This was followed by the introduction of mandatory education, to meet demand, the government used literate soldiers from the front as teachers, which assisted in the de-mobilisation process. Over 1,200 schools were constructed between 1948 and 1958, while 103 universities and technical colleages were built across Brazil, Bolivia and Uruguay and Paraguay. The government also used de-mobilised soldiers as a mass work-force who constructed roads, railways, tunnels, bridges and river ports to further connect the "Brazilian Archipelago."
In 1953, the Vieira government founded PetroAmerSul, as the state oil company. Although major oil discovers would not be made until decades later, it signaled to South American states that nationalisation and state-ownership was a possibility. This was followed Cobamsul; the state rubber producer, Corcamsul; state coal and mining corporation. By 1955, the USASR was widely perceived to have fully recovered from the La Plata War and was now beginning to look beyond its borders.
In 1956, the former British colonies of Suriname and Guyana were re-constituted into the Socialist Union of the Guyanas. The USASR's influence began to grow rapidly elsewhere in South and Central America, it actively began supporting the Socialist Independence Party in Venezuela and the Popular Worker's Party in Ecuador, constituents state of Gran Colombia, while agents assisted in the creation of the Communist Party of Peru.
In 1957, Vieira signed the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Security with Britain, which saw British engineers, teachers, designers and military advisers pour into the country. The 1957 Treaty would prove vital in modernising the USASR's healthcare and education systems, which would prove equally vital in maintaining the USASR's position as the preeminent power south of the Panama Canal. British designers also assisted the USASR in domestic designs of jet-aircraft and missile technology, while radar was introduced. This would be Vieira's last success as he slowly retreated from front line politics.
Castro era (1960-1970)
In 1954, Cuban exile Fidel Castro fled to the USASR following a failed socialist uprising against the Ciguayan Republic. He was quickly granted citizenship and elevated within the South American Worker's Socialist Party by Vieira. Castro quickly became popular within the USASR, with his hardline position against the former-US nations, primarily the Ciguayan Republic and Algonquia. Castro pulled on rising patriotism and confidence within the USASR following its victory of the Argentine-Chilean alliance. In August 1959, Vieira announced that he would retire and proclaimed Castro his favoured successor.
On January 3 1960, Castro was duly elected First Secretary of the SWASP and the USASR. Castro appointed Bolivian Rodrigo Juan Astudillo as his State Minister a popular pragmatist. Castro immediately set the USASR on a confrontational path against the Ciguayan Republic, railing against its "exploitative occupation of Cuba."
Carneiro era (1972-1976)
Venâncio era (1976-1994)
Present
Geography
Climate
Government and politics
The USASR's constitution states that The Union of South American Socialist Republics "is a socialist federal union of republics under the people's democratic dictatorship led by the working class and based on the revolutionary alliance of workers and peasants," and that the state organs "apply the principle of democratic centralism." The USASR is one of the world's few remaining socialist states openly endorsing communism (see Ideology of the South American Worker's Socialist Party). The USASR government has been variously described as communist and socialist, but also as authoritarian and corporatist, with heavy restrictions in many areas, most notably against free access to the Internet, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, free formation of social organizations and freedom of religion. Its current political, ideological and economic system has been termed by its leaders as the "popular socialist dictatorshio", "popular socialism" (which is Marxism with elements of direct democracy, e-governance and populism) and the "socialist market economy" respectively.
South American Worker's Socialist Party
The USASR's constitution declares that the country is ruled "under the leadership" of the South American Worker's Socialist Party (SAWSP). As the USASR is a de facto one-party state, the First Secretary (party leader) holds ultimate power and authority over state and government serving as the paramount leader. The electoral system is pyramidal. Local People's Congresses are directly elected, and higher levels of People's Congresses up to the People's United Congress (PUC) are indirectly elected by the People's Congress of the level immediately below. The political system is decentralized, with state and sub-state leaders having significant amount of autonomy. Another six political parties, have representatives in the PUC and the People's Political Deliberation Forum (PPDF). The USASR supports the Leninist principle of "democratic centralism", but critics describe the elected People's United Congress as a "rubber stamp" body.
Government
The governing structure of the USASR's executive is more streamlined than in other socialist states past and present, with a complete merger of the State and Party apparatus. As such, the First Secretary of the USASR, is also First Secretary of the SAWSP and titular head of state, serving as the ceremonial figurehead under People's United Congress. The State Minister of the USASR is the head of government, presiding over the Central Committee of the Union composed of one vice premier and the heads of ministries and commissions. The incumbent First Secretary is Francisco Paolo Oliveira who is also the First Secretary of the South American Worker's Socialist Party and the Chairman of the People's Military Commission, making him the USASR's paramount leader. The incumbent State Minister is Lorenzo Varela, who is heads the Central Committee of the Union, the party's and state's top-decision making body.
Following the introduction of "Popular Socialism" in the 1980s, there has been moves toward political liberalisation, in that open contested elections are now held at the village and town levels. This is also accompanied by e-governance and direct democracy at the state-level. However, the party retains effective control over government appointments: in the absence of meaningful opposition, the SAWSP wins by default most of the time. Political concerns in the USASR include the growing gap between rich and poor and government corruption.
Constituent republics
Internally, the USASR is divided into seven constituent republics and two Autonomous Regions. The federal capital is Rio de Janeiro. All states, as well as the Autonomous Federal Region, have legislatures and governments, both patterned on the national model. Each state is further divided into districts and they in turn are divided into communes.
In order of population, the states are:
| Socialist Federative Republic of Brazil | Belo Horizonte | 208,000,000
|
Template:USASR map | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Worker's Republic of Bolivia | La Paz | 11,217,864 | ||
| Paraguayan Democratic Republic | Asunción | 6,897,384 | ||
| Uruguayan People's Republic | Montevideo | 3,444,006 | ||
| Socialist Free State of Argentina | Posadas | 3,330,182 | ||
| Socialist Republic of the Atacama | Antofagasta | 1,148,813
| ||
| Socialist Union of the Guyanas | Parimaribo | 1,331,671 |
Military
Main article: People's Revolutionary Army
The People's Revolutionary Army are the largest in Latin America by active and reserve personnel and the largest in terms of military equipment. It consists of the People's Revolutionary Army Ground Force (including the Ground Force Aviation Command and Strategic Forces Command), the People's Revolutionary Army Navy (including the Marine Corps and Naval Aviation), the People's Revolutionary Army Air Force and the People's Revolutionary Protection Force. The USASR's conscription policy gives it one of the world's largest military forces, estimated at more than 1.8 million reservist annually.
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Numbering close to 1,636,000 active personnel, the PRAGF has the largest number of armored vehicles in South America, including armored transports and tanks. It is also unique in Latin America for its large, elite forces specializing in unconventional missions, the People's Special Operations Command, and the versatile Strategic Rapid Action Force, made up of highly mobilized and prepared Special Operations Brigade, Infantry Brigade Parachutist, General Jungle Operations Battalion (Airmobile) and General Operations Light Infantry Brgiade (Airmobile) able to act anywhere in the country, on short notice, to counter external aggression. Due to the diverse geography of the USASR, it has specialist units for jungle warfare, mountain warfare and desert warfare. The states' Military Police and the Military Firefighters Corps are described as an ancillary forces of the Army by the constitution, but are under the control of each state's governor.
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The USASR's navy, the second-largest in the Americas, once operated some of the most powerful warships in the world with the two Minas Geraes-class dreadnoughts, which sparked a South American dreadnought race between Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. Today, it is widely considered a blue-water force and has a group of specialized elite in retaking ships and naval facilities, GRUMEC, unit specially trained to protect Brazilian oil platforms along its coast. The USASR operates two aircraft carriers; the NAe Revolução Vermelha and the NAe Comuna de Paris, it also operates several land-assault ships and amphibious assault vessels, while also operating numerous submarines including ballistic missile submarines.
The Air Force is the largest in Latin America and has about 800 manned aircraft in service and effective about 77,000 personnel.
The USASR is a recognised nuclear-armed power, having successfully tested its first nuclear device in 1982 through Project Hard Sun. It is estimated to operate up to 380 nuclear warheads, deliverable by submarine and land-based missile systems. The USASR operates a No first use policy.
Economy
The USASR is the largest national economy in South America, Xth largest in both Americas, the world's X largest economy and the X largest in purchasing power parity (PPP) according to the 2017 estimates. The USASR has a mixed economy with abundant natural resources. From its creation in 1940 until 1978, the USASR operated a command-economy, which while it secured the industrialisation of Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, it failed to alleviate the vast poverty levels. From 1978 onward, the government under First Secretary Tiago Venâncio, reformed and opened the economy toward a market-oriented mixed economy under one-party rule. The reforms resulted in rapid economic growth and development, which continue to this day, albeit at lower rates.
Agricultural collectivization was dismantled and farmlands privatized or handed to co-operatives, while foreign trade became a major new focus, leading to the creation of Special Economic Zones (SEZs). Inefficient state-owned enterprises (SOEs) were restructured and unprofitable ones were closed outright, resulting in massive job losses. The modern-day USASR is mainly characterized as having a market economy based on private property ownership, and is one of the leading examples of state capitalism. The state still dominates in strategic "pillar" sectors such as energy production and heavy industries, but private enterprise has expanded enormously, with around 10 million private businesses recorded in 2017.
Its GDP (PPP) per capita was $14,252 in 2016 putting the USASR in the XXth position according to XXX data. Active in agricultural, mining, manufacturing and service sectors, the USASR has a labor force of over a 137 million (ranking Xth worldwide) and unemployment of 5.2%. The country has been expanding its presence in international financial and commodities markets, and is a major emerging market. The USASR has become the fourth largest car market in the world. Major export products include aircraft, electrical equipment, automobiles, ethanol, textiles, minerals, footwear, iron ore, steel, coffee, orange juice, soybeans and corned beef.
Demographics
Urbanisation
| Rank | Republic | Pop. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 São Paulo  Rio de Janeiro |
1 | São Paulo | Brazil | 21,166,641 |  Belo Horizonte _-_Brasil.jpg) Recife | ||||
| 2 | Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | 12,340,927 | ||||||
| 3 | Belo Horizonte | Brazil | 5,107,020 | ||||||
| 4 | Recife | Brazil | 3,995,949 | ||||||
| 5 | Porto Alegre | Brazil | 3,879,783 | ||||||
| 6 | Prestes Cidade | Brazil | 3,835,024 | ||||||
| 7 | Fortaleza | Brazil | 3,567,037 | ||||||
| 8 | Curitiba | Brazil | 3,354,869 | ||||||
| 9 | Goiânia | Brazil | 2,313,886 | ||||||
| 10 | Antofagasta | Atacama | 2,299,009 | ||||||