Brazil in the 60s (RPG)

In the early 1960s, Rio was still the capital (until 1960), full of post-Vargas optimism, samba, bossa nova, and urban growth. But then came the 1964 coup. The military dictatorship (1964-1985) treated favelas as a cancer to be eradicated. Mass forced removals: Morro do Pasmado, Praia do Pinto, Catacumba, Ilha das Dragas in Lagoa — predominantly Black and poor communities were demolished to "beautify" the southern zone for the wealthy. CHISAM, COHAB, BNH: the government was displacing people far away, to dilapidated housing complexes or newer, more distant favelas. Around 140,000 people were removed in the 60s and 70s. The result? Favelas still exploded, because they didn't solve the problem of jobs or decent housing. Political persecution in residents' associations (FAFEG, etc.). Torture, censorship, exiles. Meanwhile, the South Zone (Copacabana, Ipanema) became a postcard image: crowded beaches, Ipanema girls, foreign tourists, but also homeless people, floods, and the beginning of the racial/spatial segregation that persists to this day. Economy: The "Brazilian Miracle" with high growth, but inflation, foreign debt, and repression. In Rio, workers, favela residents, and the lower middle class suffered greatly. Violence already existed, but it was more "traditional"—fights, robbery—before drugs took over. The 1970s and 80s: Transition, Inflation, and the Rise of Drug Empires The dictatorship weakened. Amnesty in 1979. Slums growing vertically (Rocinha, Complexo do Alemão, Cidade de Deus). Cocaine and marijuana entered heavily via Paraguay/Colombia. Gangs organized: Comando Vermelho (CV) was born from political prisoners mixed with common criminals. In the 80s, hyperinflation devastated: prices doubling every day, wages dwindling, long lines to buy bread. Rio became a mess: overcrowded buses, a decaying Lapa district, beaches polluted with sewage. Violence is on the rise. The military police (heir to the dictatorship) were already incredibly brutal. Favelas are becoming the territory of the "king of the hill": drug traffickers control everything.