Portuguese Rio de la Plata = Brazilian superpower

raharris1973

Gone Fishin'
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No, but it would be a larger, stronger power. There would be a lot of natural increase from a low population base between southern Brazil and La Plata. Eventually the area would attract alot of immigration. Don't know if it makes an earlier "conquest of the desert", Araucanians and Patagonia more likely.
 
If Brazil controls the Rio de la plata, you'd see a lot more Brazilian agriculture and the Brazilian interior (which due to Brazil's beautiful coastal cliffs is pretty isolated from world trade) would have an outlet to the ocean.

I'm not sure Brazil would be as interested in Patagonia as Argentina historically was. I think Chile likely grabs a larger portion of the area or maybe Britain colonizes a swath of Patagonia. Chubut, Santa Cruz, and Tierra del Fuego are a lot further from the Brazilian center of power in Rio de Janeiro than they were from Buenos Aires.
 

Lusitania

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I would question if such a large Brazil could control all its territory or if they would be subject to independence revolts such as Cisplana.

When we compare Brazil to USA we need to consider that USA expanded gradually and did not come into existence controlling such a huge area as indicated in a Brazil plus Rio de la plata.
 
I would think the sheer size of such a country would make it very difficult to govern at first. It makes little sense why La Plata/Rio da Prata with its different economy and concerns should be united with a country centered on Rio de Janeiro. Consider the difficulty of traveling by land from Rio de Janeiro or Bahia to La Plata, and then consider the rivers of the La Plata basin allow for easy access to the entire south of this Brazil. I could see the south of Brazil (Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul, and possibly Santa Catarina and Parana, although this state would be able to easily control the interior parts of Santa Catarina and Parana) revolting for independence. If it had the good timing the OTL Farrapos War did, then a larger base for these alt-Farroupilha rebels might have them win. It would be probably be in the interests of European powers to see Brazil cut down to size so attracting a good deal of foreign support is possible too.
 
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