Authoritarian thought in the Portuguese Estado Novo: some interpretations

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the origins of the Portuguese authoritarian thought previous to the Estado Novo ascension and its contribution to this regime institutional order. We haveas hypothesis that the Portugal authoritarian formative sources are: conservative Catholicism, the militar y positivist thought and a sort of nationalist radicalism strongly influenced by fascists movements. The article deals also with the tensions among the authoritarians groups concerning the relationship between tradition and modernity in the period 1930-1940.