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TheDitadura Nacional(Portuguese pronunciation:[ditɐˈðuɾɐnɐsiuˈnal],National Dictatorship) was the name given to the regime that governedPortugalfrom 1926, after the re-election of GeneralÓscar Carmonato the post of President, until 1933. The preceding period of military dictatorship that started after the28 May 1926 coup d'étatis known asDitadura Militar(Military Dictatorship). After adopting a new constitution in 1933, the regime changed its name toEstado Novo(New State). TheDitadura Nacional,together with theEstado Novo,forms the historical period of the Portuguese Second Republic (1926–1974).
Portuguese Republic República Portuguesa(Portuguese) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1926–1933 | |||||||||
| Anthem:A Portuguesa(Portuguese) The Portuguese | |||||||||
 ThePortuguese Empireduring the 20th century | |||||||||
| Capital | Lisbon | ||||||||
| Common languages | Portuguese | ||||||||
| Demonym(s) | Portuguese | ||||||||
| Government | Unitary parliamentary republicunder amilitary dictatorship | ||||||||
| President | |||||||||
• 1926 (May–June) | José Mendes Cabeçadas | ||||||||
• 1926 (June–July) | Manuel Gomes da Costa | ||||||||
• 1926–1933 | Óscar Carmona | ||||||||
| Prime Minister | |||||||||
• 1926 (May–June) | José Mendes Cabeçadas | ||||||||
• 1926 (June–July) | Manuel Gomes da Costa | ||||||||
• 1926–1928 | Óscar Carmona | ||||||||
• 1928–1929 | José Vicente de Freitas | ||||||||
• 1929–1930 | Artur Ivens Ferraz | ||||||||
• 1930–1932 | Domingos Oliveira | ||||||||
• 1932–1933 | António de Oliveira Salazar | ||||||||
| Historical era | Interwar period | ||||||||
| 29 May 1926 | |||||||||
| 19 March 1933 | |||||||||
| Currency | Escudo | ||||||||
| ISO 3166 code | PT | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Ditadura Militar, 1926–1928
editThe military easily seized power in a 28 May coup. Soon afterward, the new regime dissolved parliament, banned all political parties and instituted censorship. This process was plagued by instability as hardline military officers purged liberals[clarification needed]and democrats[clarification needed]from the institutions of the Republic. During this time no one clear leader emerged, as the dictatorship was led by a coalition of lower-rank military officers, some of whom wereIntegralists.[1]
After the republican Prime Minister and President resigned on 30 May, naval officerJosé Mendes Cabeçadas Júniorassumed both posts, but after conflicts with other coup leaders, he was forced to resign on 17 June. He was replaced by GeneralGomes da Costa,the leader of the 28 May coup, who became Prime Minister as well as President. Gomes da Costa was not devoted to the establishment of a permanent military dictatorship, and as a result he was forced out on 9 July in a coup led by the unshakably authoritarian GeneralAntónio Óscar de Fragoso Carmonawho assumed both of the highest offices of the state and seized dictatorial powers. Carmona continued as Prime Minister until 18 April 1928 but retained the post of President of the Republic until his death on 18 April 1951.
In 1927 there were several failed coup attempts from both left- and right-wing movements. On 12 August 1927 junior officers forced their way into a cabinet meeting and started shooting. The Carmona government regained control of the government and imposed stronger military discipline. However, the attackers were not severely punished and were sent to posts inPortuguese Angola.[1]
Ditadura Nacional, 1928–1933
editIn February 1928, theCommission for the Propaganda of the Dictatorship(Portuguese:Comissão de Propaganda da Ditadura) was created. The Police of Information of Porto and Lisbon were merged on 17 March. Carmona organized a Presidential election on 25 March 1928, in which he was the only candidate. He was duly "elected" for a five-year term as president. On 18 April he appointedJosé Vicente de Freitasas the newPrime Minister.Antonio de Oliveira Salazarwas appointed Minister of Finance for the second time on 26 April. The new government came to an agreement with the Catholic Church, known as theAcordo Missionário(Missionary Agreement), giving the church special status in Portugal's colonies. The government also closed the main offices of thePortuguese Communist Party,which was reorganised the following year underBento Gonçalves,with the creation of a net of clandestine cells to avoid the wave of detentions, reflecting the party's new illegal status. Later that year there was another failed Republican revolutionary attempt against the government.
The conflicts between the military officers and theNational Catholicwing represented by Salazar increased to a point where the entire Freitas government resigned on 8 July 1929, with only Salazar keeping his ministerial post in the new cabinet ofArtur Ivens Ferraz.Salazar's influence began to grow at the expense of military officers who gradually lost their political power, withRoman Catholicreligious institutesagain permitted in Portugal. On 21 January 1930, after a conflict with Salazar, Ferraz was replaced by GeneralDomingos Oliveira,who allowed Salazar to play an ever increasing role in the nation's finances and politics. TheActo Colonial(Colonial Act) was published, defining the status of Portuguese colonies (Portuguese Angola,Cabinda,Portuguese Cape Verde,Portuguese Guinea,Portuguese São Tomé and Príncipe,Portuguese Mozambique,Portuguese India,Portuguese TimorandPortuguese Macau), and the fundamental principles of the new regime were presented by Salazar on the 4th anniversary of theMay 28 Revolution.
By 1930 the military dictatorship had stabilized Portugal and the national leadership and state functionaries began to think about the future. The overarching question was "In what form was the dictatorship to continue?". The answer was provided by Salazar, who became Prime Minister on 5 July 1932 and in 1933 reorganized the regime as theEstado Novo.A newConstitutionwas approved in a referendum, defining Portugal as asingle-partycorporativerepublic andmulti-continental country(in Europe, Africa, Asia andOceania). The single party was theNational Union(União Nacional)and a new labour code, theEstatuto do Trabalho Nacional(Code of National Labour), prohibited all free trade unions. Salazar's new regime institutionalized the system of censorship, and also created apolitical police force,thePVDE(Polícia de Vigilância e de Defesa do Estado;State Defense and Vigilance Police).
Opposition
editAfter 28 May 1926, there were four coup attempts against theDitadura Nacionalby Republican forces.[2]On 3 February 1927, there was a large coup attempt that started inPorto,involving military and civil forces from theNorth,Coimbra,Évora,Algarve,and would end four days later on 7 February.[2]On that same day, a coup attempt started in Lisbon, led by Mendes dos Reis, Agatão Lança, Câmara Lente, and Filipe Mendes, with navy,GNR,and civil forces, as well as the decaying NRPCarvalho AraújoandCanhoeira Ibo.[2]The government forces in Lisbon greatly outnumbered the rebel forces, and were supported by some units that had already reached the capital after putting down the coup attempt in Porto and this second coup attempt ended at 7:30 p.m. on 9 February 1926.[2]About 90 people died, 400 people were wounded and 700 buildings were damaged.[2]Over a thousand people were exiled after these two revolts and from then on, the Republican rebels mostly organised in exile,[2]through an association known as theLiga de Paris.[2][3]
On 20 July 1928, a coup attempt was planned by theLiga de Paris,MajorSarmento Beires, and military leaders of the Portuguese mainland interior, which were supported by varioussyndicalists(namely railroad syndicalist workers).[2]But the negotiations were hard and the government's forces learned about the plot and preemptively bombedSão Jorge Castle,where the rebels were located.[2]This caused the rebel forces within Castelo de São Jorge to start the plot, hours before the provincial rebel forces arrived in Lisbon.[2]The rebel forces in Lisbon surrendered on the morning of 21 July 1928 and the forces outside the capital at 22 July the latest.[2]About 1100 military members and 200 civilians were imprisoned, many of which were later exiled.[2]
Between 4 April and 2 May 1931,there was an uprisingwhich started inMadeira,[2]and spread to theAzoresandGuinea.[3]It was badly prepared and received little support from mainland Portugal, so it failed.[3]
On 26 August 1931, the Ditadura Nacional would see its last coup attempt, this time with the support of theSpanish Republic.[2][3]It was led by Hélder Ribeiro, Utra Machado, Jaime Batista, Dias Antunes, Sarmento Beires.[2]Yet, again due to bad planning, the hostilities would begin at 26 August at 6:45 a.m., while a significant amount of rebel forces was still unprepared, - forces in the North,Tomar,Abrantes,Santarém,andCastelo Brancoare still being armed by the Spanish forces when the coup attempt begins.[2]The coup would fail before 27 August, with 40 dead and 300 wounded.[2]About 300 civilians and 100 military rebels are deported.[2]
References
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- ^abPortugal: A Twentieth-century Interpretation
- ^abcdefghijklmnopqrRosas, Fernando (2007).Lisboa revolucionária: 1908-1975.Lisboa: Tinta da China Edições.ISBN978-989-671-025-5.
- ^abcdBaiôa, Manuel (1994). "A ditadura militar na historiografia recente".Penélope: Revista de história e ciências sociais.14:201–220.