Transnational Fascism: Portugal and the Brazilian Integralism of Plínio Salgado

ABSTRACT The Brazilian Integralist Action (AIB), the most successful fascist movement in Latin America, was created on 7 October 1932. Under the leadership of Plínio Salgado, its purpose was to create an original doctrine. Fascist politics were not restricted to Europe – it crossed borders and directly influenced Latin American politics. In view of this, this research adopts the principle that fascism is a transnational and transatlantic phenomenon. Latin American fascism was wide-reaching and strongly affected by Iberian countries. Amidst this context, the present analysis investigates the Brazilian fascist movement, integralism, an organization that has been culturally influenced by the Brazilian intellectual circularity, especially regarding its appropriation of Portuguese elements. The AIB gained unprecedented visibility in Brazil and was a major social institution in the 1930s but came to an end in 1937. This did not end Brazilian fascism – its activities continued under leader Plínio Salgado, who lived in exile in Portugal, when he reorganized his thoughts, actions, and political strategies. Integralism gained a new definition after World War II: António de Oliveira Salazar became the face of the corporatist politics of the movement and remained in this role until the end of integralism, marked by the death of Plínio Salgado in 1975.