When did the Federative Republic of Brazil exist?

The Federative Republic of Brazil existed 1964–1985. On this map it is drawn 1967–1986.

How large was the Federative Republic of Brazil?

At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Federative Republic of Brazil covered about 8.7 million km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.

South America · The modern republics

Federative Republic of Brazil

1964–1985

The Brazilian military dictatorship began with the coup of 31 March–1 April 1964, which deposed the left-leaning president João Goulart amid Cold War fears of communism (with tacit U.S. support). The armed forces governed for 21 years through a succession of general-presidents, ruling by "Institutional Acts" that suspended constitutional guarantees — most notoriously AI-5 (December 1968), which ushered in the harshest phase of repression, censorship, and torture of dissidents.

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Existed: 1964–1985
Shown on the map: 1967–1986
Peak area: 8.7M km²
Region: South America

Overview

History

The regime's presidents were Marshal Humberto Castelo Branco (1964–1967), Artur da Costa e Silva (1967–1969), Emílio Garrastazu Médici (1969–1974, the peak of both repression and the "Economic Miracle"), Ernesto Geisel (1974–1979), and João Figueiredo (1979–1985), who oversaw the gradual liberalization (abertura). The regime combined authoritarian repression with rapid, debt-fueled economic growth and large infrastructure projects (the Trans-Amazonian Highway, Itaipu Dam), though inequality widened and, by the late 1970s, the "miracle" gave way to inflation and debt crisis.

Decline and legacy

Growing opposition — from the Church, unions (led by the young Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva), and the mass "Diretas Já" ("Direct Elections Now") movement of 1984 — pressured the regime toward transition. In 1985 an electoral college chose the civilian Tancredo Neves, ending military rule, though Neves died before taking office and his vice president José Sarney became president, inaugurating the "New Republic."

Common questions

What was the Federative Republic of Brazil?: The Brazilian military dictatorship began with the coup of 31 March–1 April 1964, which deposed the left-leaning president João Goulart amid Cold War fears of communism (with tacit U.S. support). The armed forces governed for 21 years through a succession of general-presidents, ruling by "Institutional Acts" that suspended constitutional guarantees — most notoriously AI-5 (December 1968), which ushered in the harshest phase of repression, censorship, and torture of dissidents.
When did the Federative Republic of Brazil exist?: The Federative Republic of Brazil existed 1964–1985. On this map it is drawn 1967–1986.
How large was the Federative Republic of Brazil?: At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Federative Republic of Brazil covered about 8.7 million km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
Who ruled the Federative Republic of Brazil?: The regime's presidents were Marshal Humberto Castelo Branco (1964–1967), Artur da Costa e Silva (1967–1969), Emílio Garrastazu Médici (1969–1974, the peak of both repression and the "Economic Miracle"), Ernesto Geisel (1974–1979), and João Figueiredo (1979–1985), who oversaw the gradual liberalization (abertura).
How did the Federative Republic of Brazil end?: Growing opposition — from the Church, unions (led by the young Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva), and the mass "Diretas Já" ("Direct Elections Now") movement of 1984 — pressured the regime toward transition. In 1985 an electoral college chose the civilian Tancredo Neves, ending military rule, though Neves died before taking office and his vice president José Sarney became president, inaugurating the "New Republic."

Sources

This compendium cites its sources once for the whole document rather than per territory. It names English Wikipedia, Encyclopaedia Britannica and the World History Encyclopedia as the basis of these profiles, supplemented by academic and museum sources and, for recent events, by reputable news outlets. The article this entry is anchored on:

Wikipedia — Brazil en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil

This entry was last updated 12 September 2026.

This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made

Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.

Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).

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