The military dictatorship prevailing in Brazil between 1964 and 1985 also exploited the myth of 'racial democracy' as part of an external image of peace and harmony. Government propaganda emphasized the peaceful character of a united and homogeneous society, and to talk or write against it could, once again, be considered subversive. The population census did not collect data on colour or race until 1980 (Piza and Rosemberg, op. cit., p. 126). Nevertheless, growing resistance to the authoritarian regime, together with other circumstances, such as Afro-Brazilians' increased access to higher education and employment and to news of racial struggles in other countries, contributed to the development of groups dedicated to fighting racial discrimination. The issue, at this point, was to convince Brazilians that yes, there was indeed racism in Brazilian society.