Author:

Carlos Henrique dos Santos Ruiz

Abstract:

The transition period of the Brazilian Military Dictatorship, known as the Political Opening, was not a monolithic process, as it was influenced by disputes and conflicts within society and the ruling bloc. In fact, the Military maintained control throughout the entire process, securing a significant portion of its interests. However, the outcome did not unfold as planned: the initial project of détente, based on reforms to the existing institutional framework, gradually shifted toward a process of re-democratization, ultimately leading to the end of the regime. As a result, segments of the military became dissatisfied with the direction the process was taking. For these groups, preserving the values and ideals of the 1964 Civil-Military Coup was essential. One such faction, linked to the hardline sectors of the Military right, organized itself
around the newspaper Letras em Marcha and, through its pages, exerted pressure in defense of and in support of the preservation of the regime’s political model. This thesis advances the hypothesis that the periodical, upon recognizing the potential collapse of the institutional
framework established by the coup, mobilized—through the apparatuses of hegemony—political actions aimed both at exerting pressure and influence and at launching its own candidates in electoral contests, with the objective of legitimizing and sustaining the Military
Dictatorship. Ultimately, however, the newspaper was unsuccessful. Thus, this study analyzes issues of Letras em Marcha published between 1977 and 1985, focusing on articles that addressed or were related to the process of the Political Opening. It examines how the newspaper’s political action in defense of the regime’s institutional framework was carried out. In this context, it is possible to observe the growing radicalization of the group’s discourse, marked by intensified anti-communism, increased attacks against political opponents, a defense of both the memory of the coup and economic growth, and, notably, the recurrent use of the concept of democracy in the justification of the Dictatorship. These elements indicate that Letras em Marcha and its collaborators understood the military regime—with its authoritarian institutions and indirect elections—as a form of democracy, or rather, a democracy of their own kind.