"O FASCISMO É COISA DO PASSADO" | A HISTÓRIA DO INTEGRALISMO NO BRASIL | ERA UMA VEZ NO BRASIL 2

Politize!

2 Jun 202219:57

Summary

TLDRThe script explores the history of Brazilian fascism, tracing its roots to the Integralism movement founded by Plínio Salgado in 1932, influenced by Italian Fascism. It discusses the movement's growth, suppression under Vargas' Estado Novo, and resurgence in modern Brazilian politics, highlighting its enduring impact on the country's political landscape.

Takeaways

🔥 On December 24, 2019, the headquarters of the production company Porta dos Fundos was attacked with Molotov cocktails, with three hooded men claiming responsibility in a video posted on social media.
🌟 The attackers claimed to be part of the 'Revolutionary Direct Action', targeting what they saw as blasphemous, bourgeois, and unpatriotic behavior, specifically a satirical Christmas special portraying Jesus as homosexual.
📚 One of the attackers was later arrested in Russia and extradited to Brazil, where he was tried for terrorism. Books by Plínio Salgado and Olavo de Carvalho were found in his possession, revealing his affiliation with the neo-fascist Brazilian Integralist Front.
🌐 The script traces the origins of Brazilian fascism back to the Integralism movement, officially founded in 1932 with the creation of the Brazilian Integralist Action (AIB), which has influenced various governments and sectors of society over nearly a century.
🤔 The founder of AIB, Plínio Salgado, was inspired by Italian Fascism, meeting with Mussolini in 1930 and later incorporating fascist principles into his political movement in Brazil.
🏛 The Integralist movement in Brazil was characterized by its authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and a hierarchical social order, advocating for a society organized by a totalitarian single-party state.
🏢 The AIB had a significant presence in Brazilian politics, electing mayors, state deputies, and city councilors, and even fielding a presidential candidate in 1938, until it was suppressed by Getúlio Vargas' Estado Novo regime.
💔 The script highlights the Integralist movement's complex stance on race, promoting a pro-miscegenation narrative while simultaneously supporting whitening and European dominance, and its strategic inclusion of black militants and women in the movement.
📉 Despite its initial success, the Brazilian Integralist movement declined in popularity, with Plínio Salgado's later political ventures failing to achieve significant electoral support.
🔄 The legacy of Integralism has persisted in various forms in Brazilian politics, with elements of its ideology resurfacing in modern political movements and figures, including Jair Bolsonaro's presidency.

Q & A

What event occurred at the headquarters of Porta dos Fundos on December 24, 2019?
-The headquarters of Porta dos Fundos was targeted in an attack using Molotov cocktails on December 24, 2019.
What was the motive behind the attack on Porta dos Fundos, according to the attackers?
-The attackers claimed the motive was the satirical Christmas special released by Porta dos Fundos, which portrayed Jesus as homosexual, and they sought to address what they perceived as a blasphemous, bourgeois, and unpatriotic attitude.
Which group claimed responsibility for the attack on Porta dos Fundos?
-Three masked men wearing green shirts claimed responsibility for the attack in a video posted on social media, stating they were part of the 'Ação Direta Revolucionária' (Revolutionary Direct Action).
What was the connection between the arrested man and the Integralist movement in Brazil?
-The arrested man was a member of the Frente Integralista Brasileira, a neofascist political movement, and was found with books by Plínio Salgado and Olavo de Carvalho, indicating a connection to the Integralist movement.
What is the history of the Integralist movement in Brazil?
-The Integralist movement in Brazil, officially created in 1932 with the foundation of the Ação Integralista Brasileira, has its roots in the Fascism that emerged in Italy after World War I and has influenced various governments and sectors of Brazilian society for almost a century.
What were the main characteristics of the Fascist movement that influenced the Integralist movement in Brazil?
-The Fascist movement characterized by authoritarianism as opposed to democracy and ultranationalism in opposition to liberalism, advocating for a society organized by a totalitarian single-party state.
What was the significance of the 'sigma' emblem in the Integralist movement?
-The 'sigma' was the emblem of the Integralist movement, used as a symbol similar to the fasces used by Mussolini, and was displayed on various items associated with the movement.
How did the Integralist movement adapt its ideology to Brazilian society?
-The Integralist movement adapted its ideology by incorporating Brazilian particularities, such as promoting a racial democracy and miscegenation, rather than advocating for a pure race as in Europe, and by creating its own rituals and symbols.
What was the political impact of the Integralist movement in Brazil during its early years?
-In its early years, the Integralist movement had a significant political impact, electing 20 mayors, 4 state deputies, and approximately 500 councilors, and obtaining around 250,000 votes nationwide, representing more than 10% of the national electorate.
How did Getúlio Vargas' rise to power affect the Integralist movement?
-Getúlio Vargas' rise to power and the establishment of the Estado Novo (New State) dictatorship led to the extinction of all political parties, including the Integralist movement's AIB, and the imprisonment of many of its members, effectively neutralizing the movement.
What is the relationship between the modern-day Bolsonarismo and the historical Integralist movement?
-While Bolsonarismo shares some characteristics with the Integralist movement, such as a strong presence of religious and conservative discourse, it also has distinct features, including a neoliberal approach that differs from the anti-liberal stance of Fascism. It is not a direct continuation but rather an evolution of right-wing ideologies.

Outlines

00:00

🔥 Attack on Porta dos Fundos and the Rise of Brazilian Fascism

On the early morning of December 24, 2019, the headquarters of the production company for the Porta dos Fundos channel was attacked with Molotov cocktails. Hours later, three masked men in green shirts claimed responsibility in a video posted on social media. They cited the 'Revolutionary Direct Action' in response to the 'blasphemous, bourgeois, and unpatriotic' attitude, referring to a satirical Christmas special portraying Jesus as homosexual. The following September, one of these men was arrested in Russia and later tried in Brazil for terrorism. Among the items seized from his home were books by Plínio Salgado and Olavo de Carvalho, indicating his membership in the Brazilian Integralist Front, a neo-fascist political movement. This was not an isolated incident, as fascist actions have occurred repeatedly in Brazil's recent history, originating from the Integralism movement, officially founded in 1932 with the creation of the Brazilian Integralist Action. The movement's ideas have spanned nearly a century, influencing various governments and sectors of society, and continue to impact Brazilian politics today. This is the story of how Brazil produced the largest fascist movement outside of Europe, led by an extreme-right leader with an authoritarian, religious, and anti-communist discourse, forming one of the country's most prominent political movements.

05:02

🎖️ The Brazilian Integralist Movement: Symbols, Rituals, and Influence

The Brazilian Integralist movement adopted distinct symbols and rituals, such as the green shirts and the sigma emblem, in contrast to Mussolini's black shirts and lictor's fasces. The Integralists used the indigenous greeting 'Anauê' and displayed photos of founder Plínio Salgado along with clocks bearing the phrase 'Our hour will come'. They established 'integralist schools' to shape the minds and hearts of children and young people, and developed their own baptism, marriage, and funeral rituals. The sigma symbol was imprinted on various items, and the movement even created its own consumer goods like cigarettes and matches. The ultranationalism of the Integralists led them to reject even the figure of Santa Claus, replacing him with 'Grandpa Indian', a nature-friendly old man who distributed gifts to Brazilian children. Authors Leandro Pereira Gonçalves and Odilon Caldeira Neto argue that these rituals and symbols created a 'mystical cycle of repetition', establishing a sense of unity. The Integralism was more than a political ideology; it was the life of its members, with families connected through shared practices and methods. The movement started as an intellectual movement of artistic and academic elites fighting against the mediocrity of the establishment, with notable members like historian Gustavo Barroso and jurist Miguel Reale. The Brazilian Fascism advocated for an authoritarian, anti-liberal, and anti-communist stance based on a radical and conservative Christian nationalism, leading to the slogan 'God, Homeland, and Family'. The movement targeted capitalism, communism, and Jews, but reformulated racist ideology in Brazil to promote a 'Brazilian race', hiding behind a pro-miscegenation discourse a defense of whitening and European tradition.

10:04

🏛️ The Rise and Fall of Plínio Salgado and the Integralist Movement

As the 1938 presidential elections approached, Plínio Salgado, a pre-candidate, emerged as a major contender. The Integralist movement seemed poised to win the presidency until Getúlio Vargas, then president, staged a coup on November 10, 1937, establishing the Estado Novo dictatorship. Democratic institutions were closed, the Constitution was suspended, and the 1938 elections never took place. Initially, the Integralists had some participation in the new dictatorship, with figures like Captain Olímpio Mourão Filho, who created the 'Plano Cohen' used as a pretext for Vargas's coup, being an Integralist. However, by December 1937, all political parties, including the AIB, were extinguished. Integralist headquarters were closed, meetings were banned, and many party members were imprisoned. Vargas's plan was to neutralize his second enemy completely. Despite this, the movement continued underground, and on May 11, 1938, they organized an attempted coup, known as the 'Intentona Integralista', which failed but caused enough confusion. Many involved were summarily executed, about 1,500 Integralists were imprisoned, and Plínio Salgado went into exile in Portugal. After the end of Vargas's dictatorship, Salgado returned to Brazil to found the Popular Representation Party (PRP), a more moderate form of fascism. The movement's social reach had diminished, and when Salgado ran for president in 1955, he only received 8% of the votes. The Brazilian fascism had electorally failed, at least until then. During the 1964 dictatorship, Salgado's ideas gained more space in the military government, with him as a federal deputy authoring a bill establishing prior censorship to prevent eroticism and pornography, associated with 'international communism'. Despite some inspiration from Integralist ideas in certain projects of the dictatorship, the movement saw less space in national politics year after year. When Salgado died in 1975, it seemed that Integralism died with him, but the story did not end there.

15:05

🌐 The Resurgence of Integralism and the Bolsonaro Era

The AIB was truly recreated in 1987 with 50 Integralists, including Anésio Lara, brother of Senator Eduardo Suplicy. Lara became known for his neo-Nazi speech and Holocaust denial. In the following years, the AIB approached the so-called 'ABC Skinheads', Brazilian skinheads. Later, a new organization, the Brazilian Integralist Front, emerged, larger and better organized. Between the 1990s and 2000s, during a certain institutional void of the movement, many neo-Integralists joined the Prona party of Enéas Carneiro. The defense of order, hierarchy, and authority were banners that brought these groups closer. Radical religious conservatism led the heirs of Plínio Salgado towards parties like the PTB of Roberto Jefferson and the PRTB, party of Levy Fidelix, and former party of Vice President Hamilton Mourão. In 2018, the Integralist slogan would be printed on the campaign material of the party. Across Brazil, small neo-Integralist groups formed through the internet and in decentralized headquarters. President Jair Bolsonaro emerged in a political environment very close to that cultivated by parties like PRTB, PTB, and Prona. His speeches were, from the beginning, full of religious, ultraconservative, and authoritarian elements. His campaign slogan in 2018 seemed a reworking of the Integralist slogan. However, it is possible to say that Bolsonaro is a neo-Integralist or that Bolsonarism is a new form of fascism in Brazil? The current president shares characteristics of far-right movements, as well as characteristics of Integralism. However, I also think that today's Bolsonarism has gone beyond the figure of Jair Bolsonaro. It will bear the name of Jair Bolsonaro, but I think it has already managed to go much further than that. Yes, they will share these characteristics with this discourse with a very strong presence of God, this anti-communist discourse, this very strong conservatism, but we cannot think that it is exactly the same thing. It is important to think of these far-right movements not as a continuity. We need to understand that they will change according to the historical period, according to the geographical context, there will be these modifications, but we cannot say that Bolsonarism is the same thing as the Brazilian Integralist Action, the Integralists. Moreover, Bolsonarism today will have a neoliberal character and practices, very clearly, differently from Fascism which will have an anti-liberal discourse. It is clear that Bolsonarism is not by itself a movement so uniform as to be understood as a simple neo-Integralist manifestation. Fascism has at its center the reactionary and revolutionary ideal, while in Bolsonarism this last aspect does not seem to exist. Bolsonaro may even defend a project rhetorically associated with God, Homeland, and Family, but does not seem to want to build a new type of state and society as Plínio Salgado and the Integralists wanted.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Integralismo

Integralismo refers to a political movement in Brazil that was heavily influenced by European fascism. It was officially founded in 1932 with the creation of the Ação Integralista Brasileira (Brazilian Integralist Action). The movement emphasized authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and a radical, conservative Christian vision. In the video, Integralismo is highlighted as the largest fascist movement outside of Europe and is deeply connected to the themes of nationalism and authoritarianism in Brazilian history.

💡Ação Integralista Brasileira

Ação Integralista Brasileira (Brazilian Integralist Action) is the formal name of the Integralismo movement. It was inspired by Italian Fascism and aimed to establish a totalitarian state with a single-party system. The movement was characterized by its black shirts, similar to the Fascist Italian blackshirts, and its use of the sigma as a symbol. The script mentions the AIB as a well-structured movement with a significant impact on Brazilian politics.

💡Fascismo

Fascismo (Fascism) is a political ideology that rose in Italy after World War I, characterized by authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and a centralized, single-party state. The video script discusses the rise of Fascism in Italy and its influence on the Integralismo movement in Brazil. The Fascist ideology is portrayed as a key driver behind the authoritarian and nationalistic tendencies of the Integralismo.

💡Plínio Salgado

Plínio Salgado is the founder of the Ação Integralista Brasileira and a central figure in the Integralismo movement. He was inspired by Benito Mussolini and brought the principles of Italian Fascism to Brazil. Salgado's ideas and actions are integral to understanding the rise and impact of the Integralismo movement, as mentioned in the script.

💡Benito Mussolini

Benito Mussolini was the leader of the National Fascist Party in Italy and the founder of Italian Fascism. He established a dictatorship in Italy from 1925 to 1943. The script discusses Mussolini's influence on Plínio Salgado and the Integralismo movement, highlighting how the Brazilian movement was modeled after Italian Fascism.

💡Estado Novo

Estado Novo (New State) refers to the authoritarian regime established in Brazil by President Getúlio Vargas in 1937. The script mentions the Estado Novo in the context of its impact on the Integralismo movement, particularly how it suppressed political parties, including the AIB, and led to the imprisonment of many Integralistas.

💡Ultranacionalismo

Ultranacionalismo (Ultranationalism) is a form of nationalism characterized by a strong sense of national pride and superiority. In the video, ultranationalism is a key component of the Integralismo movement, driving its rejection of liberal democracy and its promotion of a centralized, authoritarian state.

💡Deus, Pátria, Família

Deus, Pátria, Família (God, Homeland, Family) is the motto of the Integralismo movement, reflecting its conservative, nationalist, and religious values. The script highlights this motto as a central tenet of the movement, emphasizing its commitment to traditional values and national unity.

💡Neointegralismo

Neointegralismo refers to the resurgence or modern reinterpretation of the Integralismo movement in contemporary Brazil. The script discusses how neointegralist ideas have influenced modern Brazilian politics, particularly through politicians and parties that share similar values and rhetoric, such as those of Jair Bolsonaro.

💡Bolsonarismo

Bolsonarismo is the political ideology associated with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, characterized by conservative, nationalist, and authoritarian tendencies. The script explores the similarities and differences between Bolsonarismo and the Integralismo movement, suggesting that while they share some characteristics, Bolsonarismo has its own distinct features and has evolved beyond the original Integralismo.

💡Frente Integralista Brasileira

Frente Integralista Brasileira (Brazilian Integralist Front) is a more recent organization that has emerged as a neointegralist group in Brazil. The script mentions this group as part of the ongoing legacy of the Integralismo movement, indicating its continued influence in Brazilian politics.

Highlights

On the early morning of December 24, 2019, the headquarters of the Porta dos Fundos production company was targeted by a Molotov cocktail attack.

Three masked men in green shirts claimed responsibility for the crime in a video posted on social media, citing the satirical Christmas special portraying Jesus as homosexual.

One of the men was later arrested in Russia by Interpol agents and tried in Brazil for terrorism, with books by Plínio Salgado and Olavo de Carvalho found at his residence.

The individual was a member of the Brazilian Integralist Front, a neo-fascist political movement.

The Integralist movement, officially founded in 1932, has influenced various governments and sectors of Brazilian society, continuing to impact Brazilian politics today.

Plínio Salgado, founder of the Brazilian Integralist Action, is known for creating the largest fascist movement in the Americas.

Italian Fascism, emerging after World War I, was a response to societal crises and a demand for a new political and economic system, leading to the rise of Mussolini.

Plínio Salgado met Mussolini in 1930, and upon returning to Brazil, he formulated the integralist thought that would serve as the basis for the Integralist Alliance.

Integralists developed their own rituals, symbols, and consumer goods, aiming to establish a sense of unity and totality among their members.

The Integralist movement began as an intellectual movement, opposing the mediocrity of the establishment and advocating for a radical nationalist and conservative vision.

Integralism's main enemies were liberal capitalism, communism, and the Jewish people, with a unique Brazilian twist on racial theory.

Women and black militants were included in the movement, reflecting a strategic electoral approach, though they were still limited in roles and excluded.

By 1936, the Integralist movement had grown exponentially, electing numerous mayors, state deputies, and city councilors, and garnering significant national votes.

Plínio Salgado was a prominent candidate in the 1938 presidential elections until Getúlio Vargas established the Estado Novo, suspending democratic institutions.

The Integralist movement continued in illegality, attempting a coup in 1938, which failed and led to the imprisonment and execution of many integralists.

After the end of Vargas's dictatorship, Salgado returned to Brazil and founded the Party of Popular Representation, a more moderate form of fascism.

Despite electoral failures, the Integralist movement did not completely disappear from national politics, re-emerging in the 1980s.

Neo-integralist groups formed in the 1990s and 2000s, with some politicians echoing Salgado's ideas, though not necessarily as a direct continuation.

Jair Bolsonaro's rise in politics occurred in an environment influenced by parties like the PRTB and PTB, with his discourses being religious, ultraconservative, and authoritarian.

While sharing characteristics with far-right movements and integralism, Bolsonaro's Bolsonarismo is not a simple neo-integralist movement, incorporating neoliberal practices.