1988 · Constitutions

Constitution of Brazil

Brazil

A long constitution adopted after the end of military rule, with a wide list of rights, a federal structure and a Supreme Federal Court.

Why it matters

It is a leading example of a constitution that sets goals as well as limits, and it is among the most detailed constitutions in the world.

Built on

1976

Constitution of Portugal

Portugal

borrowed its extensive social rights

1978

Spanish Constitution

Spain

drew on its model of a state governed by rights

Went on to shape

No later text on this timeline is recorded as built on it.

Countries in the Legal Families Atlas

Brazil

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TheLawToKnow Tools’s timeline lists links of influence only where the borrowing is widely documented. Historians sometimes disagree about how much one text shaped another. It is an educational overview, not legal advice.