Artur da Costa e Silva

Artur da Costa e Silva
Governo do Brasil · Public domain · source
Name	Artur da Costa e Silva
Birth date	3 October 1899
Birth place	Taquari, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Death date	17 December 1969
Death place	Rio de Janeiro, Guanabara, Brazil
Rank	Marshal of the Army
Office	President of Brazil
Term start	15 March 1967
Term end	31 August 1969
Predecessor	Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco
Successor	Emílio Garrastazu Médici (acting)

Artur da Costa e Silva was a Brazilian Army marshal and the second president of the Brazilian military regime, serving from 1967 to 1969. A career officer from Rio Grande do Sul with ties to institutions such as the Brazilian Army and the Superior War School, he presided over a period marked by the issuance of Institutional Act Number Five, intensified repression of leftist movements like the Partido Comunista Brasileiro and the National Liberation Action (ALN), and closer alignment with right-wing regimes during the Cold War. His presidency coincided with interactions involving actors such as United States Department of State, Central Intelligence Agency, and regional governments including Argentina and Uruguay.

Early life and military career

Born in Taquari, Rio Grande do Sul, he entered the Brazilian Military School and later graduated from the Military Academy of Agulhas Negras. Early postings connected him to commanders from Getúlio Vargas’s era and to contemporaries who would shape mid-20th-century Brazilian politics, such as Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco and Juscelino Kubitschek officers. He attended the Superior War School, participated in staff positions related to the Ministry of War, and rose through ranks interacting with institutions like the Brazilian Expeditionary Force veterans and regional military commands in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. His career overlapped with figures and events including Vargas Era, Estado Novo, and officers connected to the National Guard and Brazilian Air Force reforms.

Rise to power and presidency

As a senior officer linked to the Brazilian Army high command, he was seen as a conservative alternative after the 1964 movement that deposed João Goulart. Backed by military leaders such as Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco and political actors in UDN circles, he was chosen through mechanisms involving the Institutional Acts and endorsement by the Congress under military influence. His inauguration involved representatives from diplomatic missions including the United States Embassy in Brazil and regional delegations from Chile, Paraguay, and Bolivia. During the transition his administration engaged with technocrats from institutions like the Central Bank of Brazil, ministers with ties to the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), and advisers influenced by policy currents in United States think tanks and the Inter-American Development Bank.

Institutional Act Number Five and repressive policies

In December 1968 his government issued Institutional Act Number Five (AI-5), which dramatically increased executive powers and curtailed rights as practiced under previous constitutional norms. AI-5 permitted practices used against opponents including suspension of habeas corpus in political cases, censorship enforced by the Department of Press and Propaganda mechanisms, and purges involving police units such as the Polícia Militar and federal agencies like the DOPS. Repressive measures targeted organizations including the Partido Comunista Brasileiro, the Partido dos Trabalhadores precursors, and guerrilla groups such as the National Liberation Action (ALN), Vanguard of National Liberation (VAR-Palmares), and other clandestine cells inspired by events like the Cuban Revolution and May 1968. International human rights bodies, journalists from outlets such as O Estado de S. Paulo and Folha de S.Paulo, and cultural figures associated with the Tropicália movement confronted censorship and exile, linking his presidency to broader debates in forums like the Organization of American States.

Domestic policies and economic measures

Domestically his administration implemented policies coordinated with the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank of Brazil, and development agencies including the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES). Economic strategies drew on models advocated by economists present in institutions like the Getúlio Vargas Foundation and the Institute of Research and Economic Social (IPEA), emphasizing modernization of infrastructure projects in partnership with states such as Goiás and Amazonas. Measures affected sectors involving multinational corporations based in United States and West Germany, and projects like highways and dams mirrored initiatives from the Plano de Metas era while responding to global currents in OECD countries. Labor relations involved unions such as the CNT and interactions with elites in São Paulo industry and agricultural interests like the Confederação Nacional da Agricultura.

Foreign policy and international relations

His foreign policy aligned Brazil more closely with anti-communist partners during the Cold War, engaging diplomatically with the United States Department of State, military establishments in Chile under later administrations, and security cooperation with neighbors including Argentina and Paraguay. Brazil’s posture toward regional issues touched on fora like the Organization of American States and economic ties through the Latin American Free Trade Association (LAFTA). Relations with Soviet Union and Cuba were strained amid hemispheric tensions; interactions with European states such as Portugal and West Germany continued in trade and military procurement. Diplomatic incidents and negotiations involved embassies from countries including France, United Kingdom, and Mexico.

Health, resignation, and succession

In August 1969 he suffered a debilitating health crisis linked to vascular disease and stroke-related complications leading to incapacitation; the situation involved medical teams and hospitals in Rio de Janeiro. Unable to resume duties, the transfer of power followed procedures shaped by military institutions and legal instruments like the Institutional Acts, resulting in provisional arrangements that elevated figures such as Emílio Garrastazu Médici and military junta members from the Brazilian Army and Ministry of War. His death later that year closed a chapter marked by authoritarian measures debated in later discussions within the Congress, human rights organizations including Amnesty International, and historical analysis by scholars at the University of São Paulo and Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

Category:Presidents of Brazil Category:People from Rio Grande do Sul