the overall failure of such reforms; the increased opposition faced by the castelo branco administration, even among sectors that had previously supported it; its closeness with the u.s. government; and its perceived leniency in combatting "subversive" leftists: all this led to the ascension, after castelo branco's death, of a different set of rulers, one that would alter brazil's political and economic path and its relations with the u.s.