Salazar’s Dictatorship in Comparative Historical Perspective: From the Fascist Era to…

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This course provides a critical approach to the principal themes in the history of the Salazar dictatorship (Estado Novo) from a comparative perspective. It covers the entire span of the regime and incorporates its main dimensions – nationalism, colonialism, repressive apparatus, Church/State relations, system of political organisation. Particular emphasis is placed on the wider international context, highlighting the importance of transnational connections and comparative approaches in the process of historical understanding. To what extent did the regime provide a unique response to the interwar crisis of liberalism? How did Salazarism influence the rise of authoritarian regimes in Europe and South America? Was Salazarism different from Fascism? How useful is the concept of normalization in defining the experience of everyday life under the regime? Providing answers to these questions will require drawing from the variegated inputs of political, social and cultural history.