Brazil and the Origins of the Multilateral Trading System

This article examines Brazil's position in multilateral trade negotiations from 1946 to 1960. It is an original contribution, as the focus only on developed countries in the literature on the creation of the multilateral trading system portrays developing countries as a monolithic bloc and does not use non-English primary sources. It is argued that Brazil was far from being a free rider in tariff negotiations and the position the country had on this issue can be explained by domestic rather than international constraints. This period also shaped Brazil's belief about the international trade order, something that had great relevance in later periods.