The coup that displaced Brazil's president amidst a backdrop of political and economic instability took place on April 1, 1964. A faction of Brazil's military unseated President João Goulart and assumed power under the Institutional Act of 9 April 1964. This act legitimized the military junta as the dominant authority in Brazil. Within days of taking control of the Brazilian government in 1964, the military regime began categorizing society in two ways: civilians and subversive enemies. Almost immediately, Operation Cleanup (Operação Limpeza) was created, and the government began kidnapping, imprisoning, and torturing thousands of suspected subversives.