Integralismo

Integralismo is a term used to describe several early 20th‑century political currents in Portuguese-speaking countries that promoted a nationalist, Catholic, and corporatist vision of politics, seeking to replace liberal democracy with an authoritarian, order‑driven state. The most prominent instances occurred in Portugal and Brazil, each developing distinct organizational forms while sharing certain core ideas such as anti-liberalism, anti-communism, and a preference for hierarchical authority and social unity.

In Portugal, Integralismo Lusitano emerged during the First Republic as a conservative, monarchist movement. Its supporters advocated a Catholic, corporatist political order that opposed liberal parliamentary politics and secular modernity. The movement sought to fuse church and state within a traditionalist national project and remained influential in conservative circles during the period, contributing to the broader milieu that culminated in the Estado Novo regime under António de Oliveira Salazar. It did not become a formal governing party, but its ideas and rhetoric helped shape right‑wing political culture in the country.

In Brazil, Ação Integralista Brasileira (AIB) was founded in 1932 by Plínio Salgado. It combined Brazilian nationalism with Catholic traditionalism and corporatist doctrine, presenting itself in public life with organized demonstrations and paramilitary-style groups wearing distinctive uniforms. The movement aimed to create a totalizing national community and opposed liberal democracy and communism, drawing comparisons to European fascist movements. In the late 1930s, the Vargas government banned the organization after a failed integralist attempt to seize power, and its leadership faced repression or exile. The Brazilian movement did not survive as a political force, though its legacy persists in studies of right‑wing extremism in Latin America.

Legacy: Integralismo remains a subject of historical analysis as an example of how Catholic social ideas and corporatist nationalism manifested in Lusophone contexts during the era.