Carlos Lamarca (Portuguese pronunciation: [kalws lmak, kalws lamak]; October 23, 1937 September 17, 1971) was a Brazilian Army Captain who deserted to become a member of the armed resistance to the Brazilian dictatorship. He was a part of the Popular Revolutionary Vanguard (Vanguarda Popular Revolucionria - VPR) and became, along with Carlos Marighella, one of the leaders of the armed struggle against the military dictatorship. Such groups were armed chiefly for self-protection from the Right-wing dictatorship that unleashed state terrorism against any who opposed their regime, including students, the clergy, and the children of those who called for democracy. The kidnappings by a few armed groups were conducted to free comrades suffering extremely brutal torture in Brazil's prisons.



The Brazilian Army (Portuguese: Exército Brasileiro) is the land arm of the Brazilian Armed Forces. The Brazilian Army has fought in several international conflicts, mostly in South America during the 19th century. In the 20th century, it fought on the Allied side in World War I and World War II. Aligned with the Western Bloc, during the time of military dictatorship in Brazil from 1964 to 1985, it also had active participation in the Cold War, in Latin America and Southern Portuguese Africa, as well as taking part in UN peacekeeping missions worldwide since the late 1950s.Domestically, besides having faced several rebellions throughout these two centuries, with support of local political and economic elites, it also ended the monarchy and imposed on the rest of society its political views and economic development projects during the periods that it ruled the country: 1889–94, 1930–50 (First Vargas period and Dutra years), and 1964–85.