Launch of the e-book United by the Ocean — The First Pension Plans of Brazil and Portugal
Explores the pioneering pension plans of Brazil (1835) and Portugal (1840), revealing their shared origins and lasting impact on social security history.
United by the Ocean: The First Pension Plans of Brazil and Portugal
The e-book United by the Ocean: The First Pension Plans of Brazil and Portugal is the result of an international partnership between the Memory Center of MAG Seguros, in Brazil, and the Montepio Museum, in Portugal. The work presents the two oldest pension plans of the Portuguese-speaking world: the Brazilian plan of 1835, created by Aureliano de Sousa e Oliveira Coutinho and instituted by imperial decree, and the Portuguese by-laws of 1840, conceived by Francisco Manuel Álvares Botelho and approved by Queen D. Maria II.
The Brazilian plan was intended exclusively for civil and military public servants and introduced innovations such as a five percent contribution on earnings, pensions for widows, orphans, ascendants, and even unmarried sisters, as well as a surprising benefit: assistance in the event of the provider's imprisonment. Such is the historical relevance of this document that, in 2017, UNESCO declared it a Memory of the World heritage. The Portuguese by-laws, although primarily aimed at public employees, innovated by allowing admission to private citizens over eighteen years of age. The Portuguese model was born with a complete structure, including an entry fee, monthly contributions, a pension proportional to the contribution period, and even pawn loan operations.
The comparative analysis conducted in the e-book reveals that, even separated by the Atlantic Ocean and by distinct political contexts, Brazil and Portugal shared a common ideal of social protection, intergenerational solidarity, and associativism. In both countries, it was up to the voluntary union of citizens to fill the gap left by the State and to lay the foundations of future social security systems.
The English version of the e-book will be launched on June 9, in celebration of International Archives Day, and will be part of the International Archives Week program. The date reinforces the role of documentary memory as an instrument of union between nations and institutions. By bringing together the collections of MAG Seguros and the Montepio Museum, the publication reaffirms the commitment of memory institutions to building bridges between past and present, between Brazil and Portugal, between people and their histories.
MAG Seguros, Montepio Museu, Previdência & Plano de Pensão
