Brazil starts the game as a sleeping giant: the largest population and the most civilian factories in all of South America, but only 3 military factories and a government held together with pins after years of coups and uprisings. The question the entire focus tree answers isn't "how do I win the war," but "which Brazil do I want to build first" — because a communist revolution, an imperial crown restored, and Vargas's Estado Novo are three completely different countries flying the same flag.
Historical Background
After the 1930 Revolution, the Liberal Alliance brought Getúlio Vargas to power — a populist governor who ruled by decree at the head of a highly diverse coalition. In 1935 he crushed an attempted communist coup with backing from the Integralists, and in 1937, with his term set to end, he fabricated an alleged plot to justify a self-coup: he imposed the Estado Novo, a new authoritarian constitution concentrating all power in his own hands.
What You Need: Trial of Allegiance
Brazil only gets a focus tree of its own with the Trial of Allegiance DLC enabled. Without it, Brazil uses the generic focus tree shared by any minor nation without dedicated content — far more limited, with none of the paths this guide describes. Everything below assumes the DLC is enabled.
Starting National Spirits
With Trial of Allegiance enabled, Brazil starts with five spirits that paint the picture of a weak government sitting on top of an undiversified economy, plus the Monroe Doctrine — the 
US guarantee of independence, which lapses if your politics stop aligning with Washington's.
State of Emergency
-5% stability, +0.05 daily communism support — declared after the 1935 Intentona Comunista and never lifted.
Weak Government
-20% political power gain, -15% stability, -40% daily command power, +0.02 daily support for non-aligned.
Undiversified Economy
-20% production efficiency cap, -20% efficiency growth, -20% factory output — the reliance on coffee exports catching up.
Separatist Sentiments
-10% stability, -10% war support — regional resentment against the central government.
Legacy of the Naval Arms Race
-15% dockyard output, -40% dockyard construction speed, plus cost caps on carriers, cruisers, and heavy ships — the informal arrangement with Argentina and Chile not to arm their fleets.
The Focus Tree Branches
Brazil's tree is organized into 4 main branches, with several sub-branches opening up depending on which government you pick:
Tribunal de Segurança Nacional — the historical branch: keeps Vargas in charge and sets up the Estado Novo, suspending democracy to rebuild industry and the economy.
End the State of Emergency — lifts that spirit and opens the door to the democratic or monarchist path.
Second Intentona Comunista — overthrows the government in a civil war and lets you choose who leads afterward: Prestes (aligned with 
the USSR), Lampião (the Cangaço bandit leader), or the Council of the Aliança Nacional Libertadora.
Aftermath of the Coffee Crisis — the industrial branch: dealing with the Cangaço, removing neglected-state modifiers, and the option to move the capital from Rio de Janeiro to Brasília.
There's also a shared non-aligned branch — Secure Our Borders — that opens two mutually exclusive foreign-policy sub-branches depending on your government:
Good Neighbor Policy — cooperation with the United States and the rest of the Western Hemisphere; only available under democracy or non-aligned.
Domination of the Americas — industrial and military support from 
Germany and 
Italy to conquer the continent; only available under fascism or non-aligned.
Democracy, Monarchy, Fascism, or Communism: Pick Your Brazil
Once you complete End the State of Emergency, the tree really forks:
- Democratic path (Repeal the National Security Laws) — centralize or federalize the country, compromise or collaborate with the military, allow volunteers to foreign wars, and invite Military Industrial Organizations from other democracies.
- Monarchist path (
Romanticize Imperial History) — install either Pedro de Alcântara (Petrópolis line) or Pedro Henrique (Vassouras line), of the House of Orléans-Braganza, as king. From there you can reunite the crown with 
Portugal and proclaim the Empire of Brazil (or of Brazil and Portugal). Fun detail: if Pedro de Alcântara dies after January 1940, Pedro Gastão succeeds him — bringing claims to the French throne from the Orléans line, complete with his own war goal against 
France.
Meanwhile, Tribunal de Segurança Nacional keeps Vargas and the Estado Novo, with the option to swing further fascist via 
Estado Moderno — which puts the Integralists in power, either with Vargas still in charge or by ousting him in favor of Plínio Salgado.
And if you'd rather have the revolution, Second Intentona Comunista opens its own expansion sub-branch: join the Comintern or build your own Latin American Socialist Cooperative, spread communism through the rest of South America, and, at the extreme, core the entire continent to form the Union of Latin American Socialist Republics.
Uniting (or Conquering) South America
The shared Secure Our Borders branch is where Brazil decides what to do with its industrially weaker neighbors. Under democracy or non-aligned, Good Neighbor Policy cooperates with the United States and offers other South American nations the option to merge with Brazil to form the United States of South America. Under fascism or non-aligned, Domination of the Americas bets on outright conquest, backed by German and Italian industrial and military support.
Common Mistakes
- Playing without Trial of Allegiance expecting the tree described here — without the DLC, Brazil has none of this content.
- Committing to an ideological path without knowing where it leads — the monarchist route, the communist one, and Estado Moderno branch off very differently from each other; it's worth looking at the whole tree before pulling the first focus you see.
- Neglecting your own industry relying on population and civilian factories — with only 3 starting military factories, any neighbor that prepares first can get ahead of you easily.
- Forgetting Aftermath of the Coffee Crisis — this branch removes neglected-state penalties that drag the economy down from day one.
Brazil's Achievements
Six achievements, with a good sense of humor and a few serious historical nods mixed in:
Snakes on a plane
As Brazil, capture Rome with paratroopers.
And the snake smoked
As Brazil, in the Allies, capitulate Germany while controlling Berlin.
Bad Ending - The whole world is now Brazil
Control every state in the world.
The Merry Band
As communist Brazil ruled by Lampião, occupy Nottingham.
I'm Home!
As Brazil, occupy every core of Portugal.
Cisplatine War 2, Electric Boogaloo
As either Brazil or Argentina, be in a faction with Uruguay while at war with Brazil/Argentina.