📰 Source: upgoat.net | Upgoat
✍️ Original author: Joe_McCarthy
⬆️ score: -1
v/OccidentalEnclave · by u/Joe_McCarthy
📝 Original content:
AI Overview
The phrase “the dictator who refused to die” refers to the title of a definitive biography of António de Oliveira Salazar by historian Tom Gallagher. It also alludes to the bizarre final years of Salazar’s life, during which he remained “in power” in his own mind despite being physically and politically incapacitated.
The Man and the Regime
Salazar was an academic and economist who served as the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1932 to 1968. He established the Estado Novo (“New State”), a corporatist, authoritarian regime that became one of the longest-lived right-wing dictatorships in modern Europe. Unlike his contemporaries Hitler and Mussolini, Salazar lived a simple, austere life, avoiding cults of personality and military uniforms.
The “Refusal to Die”
The “refusal to die” describes a unique historical situation following a domestic accident in 1968:
The Accident: In August 1968, Salazar suffered a brain hemorrhage after a deck chair collapsed under him.
The Replacement: Believing he would not recover, the President of Portugal appointed Marcello Caetano to replace him.
The Delusion: Salazar survived the surgery but was never told he had been replaced. For the final two years of his life, his ministers and staff maintained a elaborate charade—bringing him fake state papers to sign and holding mock cabinet meetings—so he would continue to believe he was still ruling Portugal.
Death: He eventually died in July 1970, still convinced he was in control of the nation.
Key Legacy and Controversies
Neutrality: He successfully navigated Portugal through World War II as a neutral party, making Lisbon a sanctuary for refugees.
Colonialism: He stubbornly refused to decolonize, leading to long, draining wars in African territories like Angola and Mozambique.
The Carnation Revolution: His regime finally collapsed four years after his death during the 1974 Carnation Revolution, which transitioned Portugal to a democracy.
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