The redemocratization of Brazil ( pt, abertura política, lit=political opening) was the 1974–1988 period of liberalization under the country's
military regime, ending with the decline of the regime, the signing of
the country's new constitution, and the
transition to democracy.
Then-president
Ernesto Geisel began the process of liberalization (nicknamed pt, distensão) in 1974, by allowing for the
Brazilian Democratic Movement opposition party's participation in congressional elections. He worked to address human rights violations and began to undo the military dictatorship's founding legislation, the
Institutional Acts
The Institutional Acts were the founding legislation of the Brazilian military dictatorship
The military dictatorship in Brazil ( pt, ditadura militar) was established on 1 April 1964, after a coup d'état by the Brazilian Armed Forces, wit ...
, in 1978. General
João Figueiredo, elected the next year, continued the transition to democracy, freeing the last political prisoners in 1980, instituting direct elections in 1982. The 1985 election of a ruling opposition party marked the military dictatorship's end. The process of liberalization ultimately was successful, culminating with the promulgation of the
1988 Brazilian Constitution
The Constitution of the Federative Republic of Brazil ( pt, Constituição da República Federativa do Brasil) is the supreme law of Brazil. It is the foundation and source of the legal authority underlying the existence of Brazil and the feder ...
.
The democratization's
historiography shows disagreement as to whether the opening was spurred more by divisions among the country's elite or by pressure from civil society, including church grassroots, new unionism, and opposition voters.
See also
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History of Brazil since 1985
References
Bibliography
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Further reading
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{{Military dictatorship in Brazil
Political history of Brazil
Military dictatorship in Brazil
1970s in Brazil
1980s in Brazil
Democratization