Artur da Costa e Silva was the second president of Brazil during the Military Dictatorship, he ruled the country from 1967 to 1969 and was removed from the presidency due to health problems. During his government, a developmental economic policy was applied, and the repression of the dictatorship on society was extended.
Costa e Silva Government
Artur da Costa e Silva's inauguration as president of Brazil actually took place in March 1967, after the indirect election of which Costa e Silva was the only candidate. Costa e Silva's rise to power took place amid internal disputes between the military.
In this arm wrestling, the group of castelistas (military intellectuals and close to the USA) lost the dispute for power to the group that defended the hardening of the regime at all costs (known as the line -hard). Despite internal disagreements within the military, there was agreement that Brazil's power should remain in the hands of officers.
During the transition process in which Costa e Silva was appointed as Castello Branco's successor, the speech given by Costa e Silva affirmed the need to restore democracy in Brazil, which is why the marshal was seen by many groups in society as a hope for liberalization/democratization of the regime.
However, contrary to the speech given, the government of Costa e Silva consolidated the transition to the period of greater repression of the dictatorship. The repressive mechanisms were expanded, and movements, such as the student and the workers, were harshly persecuted and demobilized. This hardening process was implemented with the decree of Institutional Act nº 5 in 1968.
Economic policy
The economic policy practiced during the Costa e Silva government broke, to a certain extent, with that which had been practiced by the Castello Branco government. Austerity was replaced by a developmental project aligned with other ideological interests. Costa e Silva's developmental policy was aimed at stabilizing industrial growth in the long term, as well as planning to stimulate consumption and public investment.
This economic policy gave rise to what became known as the “miracle economic ”, which took place in the period from 1968 to 1973. The “economic miracle” was characterized by a period of rapid economic growth and economic growth. The average growth of the economy during this period was 11%.
During the years of Costa e Silva's government, the results were soon noticed, and, in 1968, the Brazilian GDP grew 11.2%, while, in 1969, the growth had been 10% 1 . Despite the expressive development of the economy, the economic miracle was also marked by the growth of social inequality and the soaring Brazilian foreign debt.
Growth of opposition and hardening of the regime
The manifestations of opposition to the military regime grew during the years of the Costa e Silva government. This confrontation of different layers of society against the dictatorship made the military take the path of hardening and increasing repression. This materialized a process that had been in progress since 1964. To read about the process of hardening of the regime, access this link, which deals with the years of the government of Humberto Castello Branco.
In the policy field , one of the most considerable demonstrations of opposition to the regime took place with the breakup of those who had defended the 1964 coup and, consequently, the dictatorship. A prominent name in this sense was that of Carlos Lacerda , great Brazilian conservative and ardent supporter of the coup.
Carlos Lacerda broke with the dictatorship following the suspension of the 1965 presidential election and the forfeiture of his political rights in 1966. With that, he created the Frente Broad , an opposition group that defended the continuity of the country's economic development and the return of democracy to Brazil. The Frente Ampla also had the support of JK and João Goulart, but the government prohibited its activities in 1968.
Login also :First phase of João Goulart government and second phase of João Goulart government
The student movement it was the one with the greatest repercussion during the years of the Costa e Silva government and, consequently, was the one that suffered the most from repression. The protests organized by students against Costa e Silva began in January 1968 and gained strength from March, when student Edson Luís de Lima Souto was killed by police during a protest in Rio de Janeiro.
The death of Edson Luís generated a great commotion and mobilized students throughout the first semester of 1968, causing dozens of demonstrations to take place. The most expressive manifestation took place in June, when the Passeata dos Cem Mil, which had the participation of intellectuals and artists of expression from the national scene.
The government's response was relentless persecution of student movements. In July, street demonstrations were banned, and soon universities were raided by government police forces. The repression of student movements made many students join the armed struggle as a form of resistance.
There was also persecution against the labor movement. Strikes that took place in Minas Gerais and São Paulo were repressed, and several protesters were arrested. Government repression put the labor movement dormant for almost a decade, gaining new strength in the late 1970s.
Institutional Act nº 5
Faced with this scenario of opposition from social movements and political circles, the military's option was to institutionalize repression. For this, Institutional Act No. 5 was created in a decree of December 13, 1968. The trigger for the AI-5 to be enacted was the parliamentarians' refusal to punish Deputy Márcio Moreira Alves.
This deputy said, in a parliamentary session in September 1968, that the Army was a “valhacouto of torturers”. The military demanded a lawsuit against Márcio Moreira Alves. As the parliamentarians refused to prosecute him, the military government reacted. This reaction was a response to the military's fears about an alleged picture of political insubordination.
This reaction caused the AI-5 to be enacted, beginning the most violent period of the military dictatorship. AI-5 gave the military new rights to harass and arrest opponents, as well as to censor the media. In addition, it made torture a common practice among the military.
End of the Costa e Silva government
Artur da Costa e Silva was president of Brazil until March 1969 and was removed from office after suffering a stroke that led to his death a few months later. The presidential succession was carried out by a military junta that transferred power to Emílio Garrastazu Médici months later.
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1
FAUST, Boris. History of Brazil. São Paulo:Edusp, 2013, p. 411.
*Image credits:FGV / CPDOC