João Baptista Figueiredo (1918-1999) was the last general to be president during the period of dictatorship that took place in Brazil from 1964-1985.
He ruled between March 15, 1979 and March 15, 1985 and was responsible for consolidating the political opening of the country through the Amnesty Law and direct elections for Congress and state governments.
Biography
João Baptista Figueiredo was born on January 15, 1918, in Rio de Janeiro.
The son of a military man, he attended several military institutions such as the Escola Militar de Porto Alegre and remained between 1935 and 1937 at the Escola Militar de Realengo, in Rio de Janeiro.
He was the first student in the class, and because of his good performance, he received the marlin, delivered by Getúlio Vargas, as a tribute.
In the Army, he was a cavalry instructor, attended the EsAO (Escola de Aperfeiçoamento de Oficiais), was an instructor at the precursor of Aman (Military Academy of Agulhas Negras), served in the Command and General Staff of the Army and also attended the ESG (Escola Superior of War).
João Batista Figueiredo's diplomatic activities contributed to his coming to power. The first missions took place between 1955 and 1958, when he was part of the Brazilian military mission for the training of the Paraguayan Army.
Three years later, he served in the National Security Council and in command of the General Staff of the Army, between 1961 and 1964. Likewise, he was one of the members of the General Secretariat of the National Security Council of the Government of Jânio Quadros (1917-1992). ).
In the public sphere, he supported the military movement that led to the overthrow of President João Goulart and that started the dictatorship, which would only end in 1985.
The first government position held during the dictatorial period was the command of the SNI (National Information Service) between 1964 and 1966.
The following year, he commanded the São Paulo Public Force and, between 1967 and 1969, the 1st Guards Cavalry Regiment, the Dragons of Independence. João Batista Figueiredo became Chief of Staff in 1969.
In the following years, he was head of the military cabinet of President Emílio Garrastazu Médici (1905-1985) and was sworn in as chief minister of the SNI under Ernesto Geisel (1907-1996). In 1977, Figueiredo ascended to the rank of general.
Two years later, through an indirect election that guaranteed him 355 votes, he became president of Brazil. In order to show that the military government was coming to an end, Figueiredo enacted several laws that favored the return of civilians to power.
He married Dulce Figueiredo in 1942 and they had two children. After leaving the presidency, he abandoned politics and passed away on December 24, 1999.
Government
Figueiredo's government was characterized by the process of slow and gradual opening up of politics. This meant that the entire course was controlled by the military.
Policy
Political openness was among the main commitments assumed by João Baptista Figueiredo. During his administration, he enacted the Amnesty Law, passed in August 1979, in which the politically persecuted could return to their jobs and exiles could return to the country.
The democratization process also passed through the guarantee of party plurality. Until then, Brazil lived in bipartisanship and there were only two parties:the Arena (National Renewal Alliance) and the MDB (Brazilian Democratic Movement).
With the political opening, several parties emerged such as:
- PDS (Social Democratic Party), where former Arena members gathered;
- PMDB (Party of the Brazilian Democratic Movement), made up of those who formed the MDB and led by deputy Ulysses Guimarães;
- PP (Popular Party), founded by deputy Tancredo Neves;
- PTB (Brazilian Labor Party), founded by Getúlio Vargas;
- PDT (Democratic Labor Party) oriented to the left and led by Leonel Brizola
- PT (Partido dos Trabalhadores), founded by former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
During the administration of João Baptista Figueiredo, the project was approved that guaranteed direct voting for governors and mayors, deputies and senators, but not for the president.
Attacks
President João Baptista Figueiredo had to deal with a troubled moment, as the political opening was not well received by radical right-wing groups.
Stalls where left-wing newspapers were sold were bombed. Letter bombs were sent in August 1980 to the Rio de Janeiro City Council and to the headquarters of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB). The episode killed one person and left another maimed.
The following year, two soldiers took a bomb to blow up Riocentro, where an event was being held to commemorate Labor Day. However, one of the bombs exploded in the parking lot, killing one of the soldiers and seriously injuring the other.
Economy
In addition to the eminent issues related to domestic politics, João Figueiredo had to manage the economic crisis of the exhausted model adopted by the military governments. The oil crisis was one of the main obstacles.
In order to escape external dependence on oil, the government implemented the second phase of Proálcool. This consisted of looking for alternatives to renewable fuels. Thus, Brazil became the only country to have alcohol-powered cars.
Likewise, the construction of nuclear plants in Angra dos Reis/RJ continued. However, the works were progressively abandoned due to lack of resources.
He established the BNDES (National Bank for Economic and Social Development), as a bank that would give credits to Brazilian companies and finance public works.
In any case, it was not able to contain the rise in prices and the increase in the cost of living that harmed the poorest population. Inflation reached $61 billion in 1981 and GDP stagnated.
End of Dictatorship
With high inflation and the stoppage of productive capacity, social movements gained strength. Among the main mobilizations was the 41-day strike by metalworkers in the ABC region (metropolitan region of São Paulo made up of the municipalities of Santo André, São Bernardo and São Caetano).
The movement's leaders were arrested, including trade unionist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Also in 1981, the CUT (Central Única dos Trabalhadores) was created.
Popular participation in elections for Congress and for state governments took place in 1982 and, in 1984, the "Diretas Já" campaign took place to choose the president of the Republic.
Despite the intense campaign carried out by the Brazilian population, the amendment was not approved. That's why Tancredo Neves came to power through indirect elections in 1985.
For his part, General João Baptista Figueiredo refused to participate in the succession and did not hand over the sash to Vice President José Sarney (sworn in due to Tancredo Neves' illness).
See also:Military Dictatorship in Brazil (1964-1985)Sentences
- I prefer the smell of horses than the smell of people.
- Anyone who opposes the opening, I arrest and blow it up.
- Well, the people, the people who will be able to listen to me, will be perhaps the 70% of Brazilians who are supporting Tancredo. So I wish they were right, that Dr. Tancredo managed to make a good government for them. And let them forget me.
Read more
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- History's Greatest Dictators
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