Author:

Eduardo Heleno de Jesus Santos

Abstract:

Although Brazil’s democratization in the 1980’s resulted in a new status quo for the Armed Forces, submitting them to civilian authority, some essential aspects of the authoritarian and anti-communist discourse that had prevailed during the military regime continued to be observed in the 1980s and 1990s. This rhetoric was marked by resentment against civilians, authoritarian proposals and anti-communism, and found its expression in a far-right military activism undertaken by retired officers in that period. Actions by these activist pressure groups were part of the civilian-military relationship dynamics. Towards its conclusion, this article presents the existing convergences between this post-democratic transition discourse and the contemporary pro-Bolsonaro phenomenon.