Power and Architecture in Portuguese Fascism: Political and Artistic Control and Resistance

This paper analyses the system of artistic and ideological conditioning that architects were subject to during the
Portuguese fascism, the so-called “New State”, the longest western European dictatorship of the previous century,
that lasted from 1933 to 1974, under the uninterrupted leadership of António de Oliveira Salazar until 1968. After a
concise exposition of the importance of a major public work campaign to the regime affirmation as well as the
aesthetic discourse promoted in its architecture, the standard course of a building project evaluation will be
described. Crossing varied legislation and taking into consideration the results of a thorough examination to more
than one hundred processes of architectural plans approval, the interaction of the various decision-making bodies
will illustrate the existence of an efficient apparatus which progressively depurate designs. Prevention and
repression of artistic deviation will be demonstrated. Furthermore, the development and importance of
self-censorship will be highlighted. Secondly, a characterization of the atmosphere of ideological surveillance and
dissident’s oppression will be provided. Architects’ participation in opposition’s initiatives and strategies will be
portrayed. As a conclusion, New State practice of a negotiation and inclusion (both artistic and ideological) tactic in
the architectural field will be underlined.