Integralism

Integralism is a label used for several political ideologies that seek to organize society around a single, cohesive vision of the common good, often anchored in religious authority. In Catholic political thought, integralism asserts that the state and civil society should be ordered in accordance with Catholic doctrine, with the church playing a central, guiding role in political life and law. It typically rejects liberal separation of church and state, pluralism of religious and political beliefs, and the primacy of individual rights as the sole basis of political legitimacy. Proponents argue that a comprehensive, integrated order provides social unity and moral stability.

Historically, Catholic integralism emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as a reaction to liberal modernity, secularism, and anticlerical movements. The term has been used to describe several European and Latin American currents that sought to fuse national life with a Catholic social order, often within constitutional monarchies or corporatist republics. In practice, movements identified as integralist tended to emphasize tradition, hierarchical authority, and a synthesis of church teaching with civil law.

Notable contemporary or historical movements include Portugal's Integralismo Lusitano in the 1910s–1920s, which advocated a Catholic, monarchist, corporatist vision of society. In Brazil, the Ação Integralista Brasileira of the 1930s combined nationalist rhetoric with corporatist and religious imagery, and was repressed by the Estado Novo regime in 1937. Similar currents appeared in other countries but did not achieve lasting political power in most cases.

Scholars debate integralism's compatibility with democracy and religious liberty, noting its tendency toward centralized authority and limitation of pluralism. Defenders sometimes portray it as a defense of moral order and social coherence against liberal individualism, while critics view it as a precursor to authoritarianism.