PARTIES, PUPPETS AND PARADOXES - CHANGING ATTITUDES TOWARD PARTY INSTITUTIONALIZATION IN POST-AUTHORITARIAN BRAZIL

Party system development in new democracies is impacted by various leg acies of the previous authoritarian regime. This study employs survey research to test for the impact of the authoritarian experience on the orientation of Brazilian politicians toward party building. The manip ulation of political parties by the Brazilian authoritarian regime of 1964-85 generated an antipathy towards disciplined parties on the part of civilian politicians who supported the military. This antipathy wa s strong in the first years of democracy but diminished over time, as the crisis of Brazil's New Republic heightened elite awareness of the necessity of effective parties. The findings generate hypotheses that can be tested in other post-authoritarian party systems.