Fernando Henrique Cardoso

Fernando Henrique Cardoso (born 18 June 1931), also known by his initials FHC, is a Brazilian sociologist, professor, and politician who served as the 34th president of Brazil from 1 January 1995 to 1 January 2003. He was the first Brazilian president to be reelected for a subsequent term. An accomplished scholar of dependency theory noted for his research on slavery and political theory, Cardoso has earned many honors including the Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation (2000) and the Kluge Prize from the US Library of Congress (2012). A native of the city of Rio de Janeiro, he moved with his family to the city of São Paulo, where, in 1953, he married anthropologist and fellow university student Ruth Vilaça Correia Leite, with whom he had three children. FHC earned a degree in Sociology from the University of São Paulo and later became a professor emeritus at the same institution. Following the 1964 military coup, he faced persecution and went into exile in Chile and France, returning to Brazil in 1968. He taught at foreign universities and built a significant academic career, producing numerous award-winning social studies. After the impeachment of Fernando Collor, he was appointed by Itamar Franco to serve as Minister of Foreign Affairs and, subsequently, Minister of Finance. In the latter role, he led the development of the Plano Real, which stabilized the economy. Bolstered by the success of this economic plan, he was elected President of the Republic in the first round of the 1994 election. Cardoso was inaugurated as President on 1 January 1995. He continued the economic reforms that had been initiated by the previous administration, inflation rates remained low, several state-owned companies were privatized, and market liberalization increased the country's visibility in the international market. The government succeeded in passing economic and administrative laws, including one that allowed for the reelection of executive officeholders. In 1998, he won the presidential election in the first round, becoming the first president to be reelected at the time. During his second term, international crises, a significant devaluation of the Real, an energy crisis, and other events led to a significant drop in his popularity. Currently, he heads the Fernando Henrique Cardoso Foundation, which he founded in 2004, and serves on various advisory boards for different organizations abroad, such as the Clinton Global Initiative, Brown University, and the United Nations Foundation. He is also a member of The Elders, the Brazilian Academy of Letters, and the honorary president of the PSDB (Brazilian Social Democracy Party). Cardoso was also the 10th president of the International Sociological Association (1982–1986).

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