Antonio
Salazar, the son of an estate manager, was
born in Vimieiro, Portugal, on 28th
April, 1889. He was educated in a seminary at Viseu and the University
of Coimbra. He graduated in law in 1914 and eventually became a lecturer
in economics at Coimbra.
General Antonio
Carmona led a military coup in Portugal 1926. He became prime
minister with dictatorial powers. In 1928 he was elected president
for life by plebiscite. Salazar worked as Carmona's minister of finance.
In 1932 Carmona passed his power to Salazar.
In 1933
Salazar introduced a new constitution that contained similarities
to the fascist system that existed in
Germany and Italy.
With the support
of the army and the security police Salazar held power for over 35
years. Salazar's
economic policies greatly enhanced the wealth of the ruling oligarchy.
At the same time Portugal became the poorest country in Europe.
On the outbreak of the
Spanish Civil War the Portuguese government
of Salazar
immediately supported the
Nationalists in the struggle against the Popular
Front government in Spain. Salazar
feared that if the Republicans won the war his own authoritarian government
would be under threat.
Salazar, concerned about
the effect the events in Spain would have
on his country, established a new militia that could serve as an auxiliary
police. This new police force arrested dissidents and removed politically
unreliable people from educational and governmental institutions.
Leaders of the Nationalist
Army were allowed
to negotiate with representatives from Nazi
Germany in Portugal. After the signing of the Non-Intervention
Agreement in September 1936, Salazar agreed that Germany could
disguise the aid that it was giving by sending men, planes, tanks,
and munitions via Lisbon.
Salazar's police also arrested
supporters of the Popular Front government
living in Portugal. He also sealed off the Portuguese frontier to
Republicans.
Although he came under
considerable pressure from Britain
and France,
Salazar refused to allow international observers being stationed on
the Portugal-Spain border. Officially he claimed that it would be
a violation of Portugal sovereignty while in reality he did not want
the world to know about the large amounts of military aid that was
crossing into Spain.
Portugal
remained neutral throughout the Second World War.
In December 1942, the Japanese Army occupied
the Portuguese territory of East Timor in the Pacific. Salazar refused
to declare war on Japan but in 1943 did allow
the Allies to use its territories in the Azores as military bases.
Salazar gave up power in
1968 through ill health. Antonio
Salazar died
in Lisbon on 27th July, 1970.
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