Emilio Garrastazu Medici

Médici became president after Costa e Silva's incapacitation, leading the most repressive phase of the military dictatorship. His government combined brutal suppression of dissent with high economic growth, known as the 'Brazilian Miracle'.

Médici's government initiated PIN, a program to develop the Amazon region through road construction (Trans-Amazonian Highway), colonization, and resource extraction. The plan aimed to integrate the Amazon into the national economy but caused environmental damage and indigenous displacement.

Under Médici, Brazil's GDP grew at an average of 11% per year, driven by state-led infrastructure projects, foreign investment, and consumer credit expansion. The growth widened income inequality and was financed by foreign debt.

Médici's regime expanded the use of torture, forced disappearances, and censorship against leftist guerrillas and opposition figures. The repression was most intense in the Araguaia guerrilla campaign and urban counterinsurgency operations.

Médici's government heavily exploited Brazil's third World Cup victory for nationalist propaganda. The triumph was used to boost the regime's popularity and project an image of national unity and progress.