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| 1961–64 |
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| A period of increasing labor militancy (urban and rural) ensued in the face of declining economy and widespread inflation. Strikes increased, and over 2,000 peasant leagues were organized among the smallholders and the landless of the northeast. | 1 |
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| 1963, Jan. 1 |
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| Goulart won a plebiscite that returned full powers to the executive. His victory sparked cuts in U.S. aid and capital flight among Brazilian elites. Annual inflation soon reached 100 percent. | 2 |
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| 1964, Feb.–March |
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| Pres. Goulart ordered distribution of federal lands to peasants, doubled the minimum wage, and expropriated land adjacent to federal highways. His actions aroused conservative opposition. | 3 |
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| March 31–April 2 |
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| Military leaders and several state governments revolted against Goulart. He fled to Uruguay. Repression followed. | 4 |
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| April 11 |
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| Congress elected army chief of staff Gen. Humberto Castelo Branco (1900–67) as president, to serve for the remainder of Goulart's term. The new military dictatorship reversed the Goulart reforms, freezing wages, banning strikes, and facilitating foreign takeovers of the economy. | 5 |
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