Costa e Silva vs Werner von Fritsch

Costa e Silva succeeded Castelo Branco as president, representing the hardline faction of the military. His presidency intensified repression and expanded the authoritarian state, moving away from the more moderate policies of his predecessor.

Costa e Silva decreed AI-5, the most repressive act of the military regime. It suspended Congress, abolished habeas corpus for political crimes, and gave the president dictatorial powers. AI-5 ushered in the most violent period of the dictatorship.

Under Costa e Silva's government, police killed student Edson Lu

Costa e Silva suffered a severe stroke in August 1969, leaving him incapacitated. A military junta took power and eventually replaced him with Em

Fritsch was appointed Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres (Commander-in-Chief of the German Army). He oversaw the army's expansion and rearmament in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. He was a traditionalist who sought to maintain the army's independence from the Nazi Party.

Fritsch was falsely accused of homosexuality by the Gestapo and SS in a campaign to remove conservative generals. He was forced to resign as Army Commander-in-Chief. A court of honor later cleared him, but his career was ruined. The affair allowed Hitler to take direct control of the armed forces.

Fritsch, serving as a colonel of artillery in the invasion of Poland, was killed by a Polish bullet during the siege of Warsaw. He was the first German general to die in World War II. His death was officially reported as a hero's death, but some accounts suggest he may have sought death.