Fernando Henrique Cardoso's personal trajectory is unquestionably intertwined with the main intellectual and political debates in Brazil (and Latin America) in the second half of the twentieth century. Cardoso began his career struggling to apply Marxist ideas to political realities, and he continues to acknowledge the Marxist element that persists in his thinking. Nevertheless, since his election to Brazil's presidency in 1994, he has been a vigorous advocate of free markets and privatization. Ted Goertzel traces Cardoso's life and intellectual development, describing his childhood in a supportive political family, his university days and years in exile, his involvement in democratic politics in Brazil, and finally his remarkable record as president.