Ernesto Geisel (3 August, 1908 - 12 September, 1996) was a Brazilian military general and politician.
Son of lutheran german emigrants, Geisel entered in the army young, being the first of his class when he graduated in the Militar College of Porto Alegre. Geisel witnessed and participated the main facts of the Brazilian history in the 20th century like: the revolution of 1930, the Getúlio Vargas dictatorship and the 1964 military coup d'etát that overthrowned the leftist President João Goulart. In this militar intervention, Geisel was an important figure and he becomes chief of Military Staff of President Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco.
Also in 1964 he becomes General-of-division and in 1966 General-of-Army. In 1969 he was choosed president of Petrobras, the state owned oil company of Brazil.
Presidency
In 1973 Geisel was appointed by President Emílio Garrastazú Médici and other military leaders to be the candidate of the National Renewal Alliance Party (ARENA) for the presidency. At that time, the president of Brazil was choosed by the militars and then approved by the Congress, to give some impression of free elections. Geisel was elected by a vast majority and took oath on March 15, 1974 for a five-year mandate.
From 1968 to 1973, the brazilian economy grew at a rate of more than 10% per year, the fastest in the world. But due the oil shock crisis in 1974, the development was reduced to 5-6% per year and the necessity of importation of oil the foreing debt began to rise.
In the beginning of the 70s, the radical leftists are tortured, or even being murdered and the press is censored. By 1974 signals of guerrlila activities are silenced.
The official opposition against the government, gains much votes in the legislatives elections of 1974. Geisel starts a slow process of democratization, called distensão. The main tool of the militaries of censorship, the Institutional Act 5, which Geisel used a lot, is banned in the end of 1978. During his tenure, Brazil imports tecnology from Germany to install nuclear power plants.
In 1978 Geisel appoints General João Baptista de Oliveira Figueiredo as his sucessor. He leaves the office on March 15, 1979.
See also: List of Presidents of Brazil, History of Brazil (1964-present)
