Integralism, also known as Integralist Action Brazilian (AIB), was a political movement founded in 1932 and led by Plínio Salgado who had ultraconservative ideals aligned with the far right and which operated in Brazil during the 1930s. Integralism was aligned with the context of the 1930s, when a series of extreme right-wing parties emerged in Europe and Latin America.
Origins and ideology
The party founded in 1932 had a strong hierarchical organization, with uniforms, greetings and slogans inspired by the far-right movements in Europe. The nameBrazilian Integralist Action , according to historian Roney Cytrynowicz, represents the following:
“The words that make up the party's name provide some clues. “Action” suggests mobilization, force and violence; act and not think in the name of the ideology that would save humanity and implement a strong State without civil society. “Integralist” comes from integral and refers to the idea of totality, which goes against party democracy, the system of representation, diversity and the conflicts inherent in social and political life. “Brazilian” refers to the exacerbated defense of nationalism in opposition to state, regional and internationalist parties – such as the Communist Party”. 1
Integralism denyed democracy , always defending a state with centralized power to defend national interests and protect Brazilian values, denied the multi-party model, that is, defended the existence of only one party, therefore, proposed the fight against any type of political opposition. Its motto was “God, Fatherland and Family ” and had as main leaders Plínio Salgado, Gustavo Barroso and Miguel Reale.
The anti-Semitism (prejudice against Jews) was a feature of the movement which, like other far-right movements, claimed that Jews were part of a conspiracy for global domination, based mainly on a book called The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. In addition, they fought the communism that was represented in Brazil by the Brazilian Communist Party.
Symbols and political expression
The integralists wore their own clothing with military characteristics and in olive green color, a typical greeting:“anauê ” - Tupi word, was an expression used as a way of welcoming and means “you are my relative”; and a flag with the Greek sigma symbol ∑.
The movement reached considerable expression in the context of the Vargas government, holding demonstrations that reached thousands of participants, even electing numerous councilors, mayors and state deputies with a total of 250 thousand votes in the year 1936.
The integralist movement officially ended in 1937 with the Estado Novo coup, when Getúlio Vargas banned the existence of any political party in Brazil. .
Notes:
1 CYTRYNOWICZ, Roney. The force and the motherland in action. National Library History Magazine. Rio de Janeiro, issue no. 6, p. 21-25, 2010.
by Daniel Neves
Graduate in History