The Coup of 1964 , also known as the Civil-Military Coup of 1964 , was carried out by the Armed Forces of Brazil against the then president João Goulart. This coup had the support of a portion of the country's civilian cadres and was articulated between March 31, when the military rebellion began, and April 9, when Institutional Act nº 1 (AI-1) was published.
Summary
The Military Coup conducted between March 31 and April 2, 1964 was a conspiracy carried out by the military against the government of João Goulart. The conspiracy against this president happened due to the dissatisfaction of the elites with the projects carried out in this government, especially the Basic Reforms. In addition, it had American participation, as the United States understood that João Goulart's policy did not meet American interests. Therefore, they financed institutions and campaigns of conservative politicians in order to undermine Jango's government.
With the deposition of João Goulart carried out by the parliamentary coup, the Military Coup of 1964 became official. The military then presented the Institutional Act nº 1 to the nation, which created legal mechanisms to justify the seizure of power. Shortly thereafter, through indirect election, Marshal Humberto Castello Branco was elected president.
What was the Military Coup?
The Military Coup was a conspiracy carried out by the Brazilian military and by conservative groups of the country's economic elite against President João Goulart, who took office in 1961, when Jânio Quadros resigned from the presidency.
With the mobilization of troops, the military took control of strategic locations in the country and, supported by parliamentarians, unconstitutionally overthrew the president of Brazil. Shortly thereafter, a president was chosen by indirect election. The 1964 coup started the Military Dictatorship, which lasted until 1985.
Why did the military seize power in 1964?
In this part, we will understand the entire historical process that led the military to organize a coup against Brazilian democracy and to remove President João Goulart. We will thus understand the tensions that existed in Brazilian society and politics and the clashes of interests that existed between the government and the country's economic elite, allied to the military.
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Background:João Goulart's government
The 1964 coup was a direct result of the political crisis that hit Brazil from 1961 onwards, mainly during João Goulart's government. However, it is important to point out that there was already a coup hovering in Brazil's political cadres, as demonstrated during the Getúlio Vargas administrations and in a period prior to the JK administration.
The political crisis in João Goulart's government began shortly before his inauguration. The gaucho politician had to face strong opposition to his nomination as president, which took place after the resignation of Jânio Quadros. Thus, a political crisis arose that started the legality campaign, leaving the country under the threat of civil war.
The solution found was to allow João Goulart to take office under a parliamentary regime, which limited the president's political powers. This period lasted from September 1961 to January 1963 and was replaced by presidentialism, a system chosen by the population in a plebiscite.
The government of João Goulart was characterized by a strong ideological radicalization of the country that culminated in a coup plot organized by conservative groups, giving rise to the Military Regime.
When Jango took over, his two big challenges were to control inflation and pay off the foreign debt. The government of João Goulart became known for organizing a project of structural reforms called Reformas de Base . This plan aimed to organize reforms in several aspects, including crucial areas such as agrarian, educational, banking, urban, etc. Among the reformist agendas defended in the Basic Reforms, the project that generated the most debates was agrarian reform.
From March to August 1963, the agrarian reform project was extensively debated among parliamentarians. The wear and tear generated by this debate caused the government to lose its support base among PSD parliamentarians, who passed to the opposition. The obstacle occurred because the parliamentarians who defended the interests of large landowners did not reach an understanding with the government in relation to the way in which the compensation for the expropriated lots would happen.
Another issue that had repercussions on the Brazilian political scene was the Profit Remittance Law, which had passed in 1962 and was expected to be signed by the president. This law determined that foreign companies could not send more than 10% of the profit obtained abroad. This project deeply displeased the US government.
See also :First phase and second phase of João Goulart's government
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American interference in Brazilian politics
The role of the United States in the 1964 coup is another extremely important point. The great American interest was to destabilize the government of João Goulart – seen as extremely leftist.
The United States' involvement in Brazilian politics took place through clandestine financing of groups that worked to destabilize the Jango government. In addition, the Americans also financed electoral campaigns by conservative politicians, with the aim of blocking Jango's projects.
As highlights, we can mention the Institute of Research and Social Studies (Ipes) and the Brazilian Institute of Democratic Action (Ibad), both funded by the CIA (American Intelligence). In the 1962 elections, for example, candidacies of more than 800 politicians received funding from Ibad. It is important to note that this type of action was prohibited by Brazilian law.
In relation to Ipes, it was a front institution that publicly produced studies on Brazilian society in the form of short videos and books. Secretly, Ipes was the biggest coup nucleus at the time and had the involvement of multinational businessmen, members of the military leadership and journalists who acted to overthrow the Jango government.
Finally, there was also the direct involvement of the US army in the 1964 coup. The US government had been negotiating with the coupist nucleus, headed by Humberto Castello Branco, for a long time. These negotiations led to Operation Brother Sam, in which an American troop would be responsible for invading the country if the coup failed.
The 1964 coup
The political situation in the country worsened as the Jango government lost political support and the two poles of our politics became more radical. Among the events that demonstrated the weakening of the government, the sergeants' rebellion in September 1963 and the defeat of the government's proposal to impose a state of siege in the country in October 1963 stand out.
The weakening of Jango's support base led him to reinforce his commitment to reformism and the left. At the Central do Brasil rally, on March 13, 1964, Jango spoke in favor of Grassroots Reforms and made a commitment to carry them out at all costs. This position was seen as the government's definitive shift to the left.
The conservative response came immediately through the Family March with God for Freedom, that took place in São Paulo and mobilized thousands of people. The coup itself started on March 31, 1964 with a rebellion led by Olímpio Mourão Filho, who was leading the 4th Military Region in Juiz de Fora.
Olímpio Mourão's troops marched towards Rio de Janeiro with the aim of overthrowing the government. The Olímpio rebellion was not part of the preparations organized by Humberto Castello Branco and Ipes – both were caught off guard. In any case, those days of the coup were also marked by Jango's inertia.
Events of the following days led the President of the Senate to convene an extraordinary meeting on April 2, 1964. At that meeting, Auro de Moura declared a vacancy for the country's presidency, a fact that politically consolidated the coup in the country. In addition to Auro de Moura, the Military Coup had the support of names such as Carlos Lacerda, Magalhães Pinto, Ademar de Barros, etc.
Ranieri Mazzilli provisionally assumed the presidency. Meanwhile, the Military Junta that was formed began to organize the bases for the beginning of the dictatorship in the country. On April 9, 1964, Institutional Act nº 1 was issued. Two days later, Humberto Castello Branco was indirectly elected president of the country.
AI-1 stated the following about those who had carried out the coup and seized power in the country:
The victorious revolution is invested in the exercise of Constituent Power. This is manifested by popular election or revolution. This is the most expressive and most radical form of Constituent Power. Thus, the victorious revolution, as a Constituent Power, legitimizes itself. It overthrows the previous government and has the ability to constitute the new government 1 .
This was the beginning of the Military Dictatorship, which lasted for 21 years, ending only in 1985.
Military coups in Brazil and America
The second half of the 20th century was marked by the outbreak of countless dictatorships on the American continent. The existence of a military and authoritarian government was not, therefore, exclusive to Brazil. Several countries had, at different times, military dictatorships initiated with coups. In Brazil and Bolivia, the coups took place in 1964; in Argentina, there were coups in 1966 and 1976; in Uruguay, in 1973; in Chile, the coup was given in 1973; in Peru, in 1968; and in Guatemala and in Paraguay, in 1954.
Also see: Learn more about the history of elections in Brazil
Aftermath of the 1964 Military Coup
The 1964 coup resulted in the installation of a dictatorship that lasted 21 years in our country. During this period, the Military Dictatorship was marked as a repressive regime that persecuted citizens who were against the government. In addition, it imposed censorship on the country's cultural and intellectual production. The Dictatorship was also marked as an extremely corrupt period, since there was no freedom to investigate the government's actions. Social inequality has skyrocketed and economic indices – such as the external debt – have worsened significantly.
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1 Institutional Act nº1. To access, click here.
*Image credits:FGV/CPDOC