Brazilian Integralist Action

Quick Facts: Who was Brazilian Integralist Action?

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Brazilian Integralist Action

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Brazilian integralist political party advocating nationalism, spiritual revival, and authoritarian governance.

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Origins & Early Life

Brazilian Integralist Action (Portuguese: Ação Integralista Brasileira, AIB) was an integralist political party in Brazil. It was based upon the ideology of Brazilian Integralism as developed by its leader Plínio Salgado. Brazilian Integralism supported a revival of spirituality in Brazil in the form of Brazilian nationalism to form a shared identity between Brazilians. It denounced materialism, liberalism, and Marxism. It was violently opposed to the Communist Party of Brazil and competed with the Communists for the working class vote.

Career & Major Achievements

In its outward forms, Integralism was similar to European fascism: a green-shirted paramilitary organization with uniformed ranks, highly regimented street demonstrations, and rhetoric against Marxism and liberalism. However, it differed markedly from it in specific ideology: a prolific writer before turning political leader, Salgado interpreted human history at large as an opposition between "materialism"—understood by him as the normal operation of natural laws guided by blind necessity—and "spiritualism": the belief in God, in the immortality of the soul, and in the conditioning of individual existence to superior, eternal goals. Salgado advocated, therefore, the harnessing of individual interest to values such as pity, self-donation and concern for others. For him, human history consisted of the eternal struggle of the human spirit against the laws of nature, as expressed by the atheism of modern society in the twin forms of liberalism and socialism—capitalist competition leading eventually to the merger of private capitals in a single state-owned economy. Thus the integralists favoured nationalism as a shared spiritual identity, in the context of a heterogeneous and tolerant nation influenced by "Christian virtues"—such virtues being concretely enforced by means of an authoritarian government enforcing compulsory political activity under the guidance of an acknowledged leader.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The Integralists were something akin to the contemporary Irish Blueshirts who, like them, were revolutionary in spirit, and were an offshoot of the Fenian movement and the IRB, both of which were terrorist organisations condemned repeatedly by the Irish Roman Catholic bishops and excommunicated by Pope Pius IX on 12 October 1869 and 12 January 1870. In particular, they drew support from military officers, especially in the Brazilian Navy. Integralism being a mass movement, there were marked differences in ideology among its leaders under the influence of various international fascist and quasi-fascist contemporary movements. Gustavo Barroso, the party's chief ideologist after Salgado, was known for his militant antisemitic views, becoming notorious for being the author of the first and so far only Portuguese translation of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Barroso was also the author of various antisemitic works of his own (Judaism, Freemasonry, and Communism; Synagogues in São Paulo).

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1869: 1869 Milestone — The Integralists were something akin to the contemporary Irish Blueshirts who, like them, were revolutionary in spirit, and were an offshoot of the Fenian movement and the IRB, both of which were terrorist organisations condemned repeatedly by the Irish Roman Catholic bishops and excommunicated by Pope Pius IX on 12 October 1869 and 12 January 1870.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Brazilian Integralist Action

True or False: “The Brazilian Integralist Action was ideologically identical to European Fascism in all aspects.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While outwardly similar (e.g., green shirts), Integralism differed by emphasizing a spiritual struggle between 'materialism' and 'spiritualism,' rather than solely adhering to fascist doctrine.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Alice Hamilton — Historical peer (Born in 1869) (1869): Pioneering toxicologist and advocate for occupational health and safety.
• Alphonse de Lamartine — Historical peer (Died in 1869) (1869): French poet, author, and statesman whose career spanned revolutionary fervor and republican ideals.
• Adam Lindsay Gordon — Historical peer (Died in 1870) (1870): Pioneering British-Australian poet, horseman, and politician of the Victorian era.
• Adolf Loos — Historical peer (Born in 1870) (1870): Pioneering architect and theorist of modernism, known for his critique of ornamentation.

Frequently Asked Questions about Brazilian Integralist Action