Ernesto Geisel

Ernesto Geisel was a Brazilian Army officer and politician, who was President of Brazil from 1974 to 1979, during the Brazilian military regime. He was born in Bento Gonçalves, Rio Grande do Sul province, in a German Brazilian family. He graduated in military engineering from the Military School of Realengo and became a general. He participated in the 1930 Revolution, the 1932 Constitutionalist Revolution, the 1935 Communist Uprising, and the 1964 coup d'état. He served as the chief of the Military Cabinet under Castelo Branco and the president of Petrobras under Médici. He was chosen as the successor of Médici by the military high command in 1973. He took office in 1974 and initiated a gradual process of political liberalization, known as distensão. He faced opposition from both the hard-liners and the moderates within the military, as well as the civil society and the opposition parties. He lifted the state of siege, restored habeas corpus, allowed the return of exiled politicians, and legalized new political parties. He also faced the economic crisis caused by the oil shocks, the increase of the foreign debt, and the inflation. He implemented the II National Development Plan, which aimed at promoting industrialization, infrastructure, and energy. He also pursued a more independent foreign policy, establishing diplomatic relations with China and Angola, and criticizing the human rights violations in Chile and Uruguay. He left office in 1979 and was succeeded by João Figueiredo, whom he had appointed. He died of heart failure in Rio de Janeiro in 1996. He was married to Lucy Markus and had two children. He wrote several books on law, politics, and social justice. He is considered one of the most important and controversial presidents in Brazilian history.