Artur da Costa e Silva

Artur da Costa e Silva (Portuguese: [aʁˈtuʁ dɐ ˈkɔstɐ i ˈsiwvɐ]; 3 October 1899 – 17 December 1969) was a Brazilian Army Marshal and the second president of the Brazilian military government that came to power after the 1964 coup d'état. He reached the rank of Marshal of the Brazilian Army, and held the post of Minister of War in the military government of president Castelo Branco.

His administration, following the enactment of Institutional Act 5 (AI-5), marked the beginning of the harshest and most brutal phase of the military dictatorship, which was continued by General Emílio Garrastazu Médici, his successor. AI-5 granted him the power to shut down the National Congress, remove politicians from office, and institutionalize repression in response to the growing opposition to the regime. This repression was carried out through both legal and illegal means, including the torture of civilians.

Costa e Silva's government was also characterized by a 15.72% growth in GDP (an average of 7.86%) and a 10.68% increase in per capita income (an average of 5.34%), thanks to the Government Economic Action Program (PAEG). Costa e Silva took office with inflation at 25.01% and left it at 19.31%, during a period known as the Brazilian economic miracle, which lasted from 1968 to 1973.