Which Fascist Dictator Lasted Longest?

[joaohumbertogomes]

Why would you claim Salazar wasn't fascist, but Franco was?

[tagekoolander]

People need to understand that dictatorship doesent equal fascism, you can be a non-fascist dictator

[lifeisnotreal]

When he died he actually transferred absolute power to the monarch at the time, Juan Carlos, who voluntarily gave up the power and formed a democratic government.

[FaithfulOfBrigantia]

If Salazar isn't Fascist, Franco isn't either.

They were ideological identical.

[vallraffs]

I think Franco has as much disagreement on calling his regime fascist as does Salazar. Obviously Franco had some more uncontested fascists around him that you can contrast him with, like the falangists, but that needn't exclude him from being one himself. It's not like Mussolini or Hitler represented the most radical sections of their fascist movements either.

[roderik]

And remember kids, if you want to learn History, take a book, not a phone.

[miguelteixeira]

Claiming that António Oliveira Salazar wasn't fascist is a really controversial thing to say here in Portugal. Although I think that you are right saying he was not, it's quite common to hear that he was in media and by politicians. If we are more rigorous about the profound ideology of Salazar, there are quite unique ways that distinct Salazar from the other dictators of that era. If you are interested I can write those differences and even tell you the book that made me see things in this way

[Brexmachine]

That’s the easiest answer I’ve ever answered

[martytu]

Fun fact- Franco tried to put lyrics on La Marcha Real in Castilian Spanish.

The lyrics were dropped and is now just instrumentation, making La Marcha Real one of four national anthems without official lyrics.

[PostComprehension]

In comparative fascist studies Franco is regarded as a para-fascist regime during the era of fascism (1919-1945). Basically, while incorporating many fascistic trappings at its core wasn't fascist. After the fascist era the regime would defascistize to accommodate the liberal hegemony over Europe. The ideology that Franco was at his core is called Authoritarian conservatism. Same goes for Salazar, Metaxas, Horthy, and etc.

[KimJongBeIllinDaily]

For those curious as to the current longest serving dictator, it’s Teodoro Obiang, leader of Equatorial Guinea since 1979. He overthrew his uncle, whose claims to fame included placing land mines on the only road out of the country, burning 90% of the country’s money while fleeing, and talking and holding banquets for skulls where he would discuss national policy. Oh, and he had 150 people executed in a soccer field while singing, and rumor has it the executioners were made to wear Santa costumes. If you’re looking for the most insane man to ever lead a country, look up Macias Nguema.

[masterdeetectiv]

Fun fact My country (india) was at war with Salazar’s portugal when india invaded goa in 1961 (a Portuguese department in the subcontinent along with Daman and Diu) and Salazar’s govt did not recognise the annexation and cut relations with india, the annexation was only recognised in 1974 after the coup d’état overthrew the dictator

[thelyonking]

Franco wasn’t really a fascist in the way Hitler or Mussolini were. By all accounts Franco was a monarchist conservative, but his civil war necessitated him to receive help and ally with the fascist powers of Europe like Germany and Italy. When he died he passed his power onto the king, showing that he was still a monarchist through and through. This is why Spain is now a constitutional monarchy with a parliament. Think what you will, but I don’t think the Spanish civil war had a good side and I wouldn’t label Franco a fascist either.

[ZoomerHistorian]

Wasn’t even remotely fascist, autocratic Catholic regime

[fra]

Adolf Hitler wasn't a fascist, but instead a national socialist, in other words a Nazi.
Dollfuss who was the Chancellor of Austria was also a fascist, but he was killed in 1934 by/for the Nazi. Then Austria was annexed by the Germany in 1938.

[marvellousib]

Nazism and fascism are NOT the same thing

[grantottero]

Both Salazar and Franco were NOT "fascist". They were conservative and reactionary dictators, linked to the conservation of power by traditional forces like the Catholic church, the nobles, and, in the case of Franco, also by the military high ranks. Whereas the true fascisms had something of revolutionary and republican in their ideology (also Italian fascism - the ONLY true "fascism" -, even if its leader chose to ally with the monarchy to seize power. But the old republican issues surfaced again after 1943), and also something of socialist and modernist. Something one would look for in vain in Franco's regime. Fascisms aimed (even if vaguely and through a not consistent practice) at a final substitution of old aristocracies and hierarchies by a NEW aristocracy and hierarchy. Franco aimed at the contrary: he sought to give power back to the old prevailing forces. Moreover, true fascisms were founded on the concept of the power of a political party, the single authorized party, whereas Franco never accepted to be linked to the consent and support of any political party. And this is a discriminating difference between Franco and the fascisms.

Yes, Franco adopted some EXTERNAL SYMBOL of fascism (like the so-called "roman salute"), but it was merely external scenery used to pay a tribute to Italian and German governments who helped him, and to attract the (not many) true Spanish fascists. As to the REAL Spanish fascist movement (the "Falange Española de las J.O.N.S.), it was weakened after the murder of his founder (José Antonio Primo de Rivera) and Franco merely used it as a flanker force and a "reservoir" from which he drew soldiers, during the civil war. After victory, he imposed and enforced the merger of the Falange Española with such a different (in some degree also opposite) movement like the Carlist "Comunión Tradicionalista" ("Traditionalist Communion"), and then he marginalized it, he transformed it into some sort of beaurocratic State office and never allowed it to elaborate any political proposal any more...

The mistake, the descriptive confusion, which mixes historical fascisms with any form of dictatorship in a single cauldron (a confusion more common outside Europe, especially outside Italy - the country of original and only true "fascism" -), a confusing phenomenon which irritates European and particularly Italian historians, lies in the improper use of the words "fascist" or "fascism" to mean any form of authoritarianism.

But the truth is more complex.

Authoritarianism is a wide and diversified range of phenomena, and the lexical item "fascism" is conceived only ti describe A PART of this phenomenal range (basically, historical Italian fascism 1922-1945. Maybe it is possibile to include German nazism too, but with some difficulties, because there were also important differences, first of all the central role played by [pseudo]biological racism in German nazism). Any attempt to make use of this lexical item to describe any worldwide form of authoritarianism (a bad habit very common outside Europe, or also inside Europe in the leftists vocabulary) is only a confusing practice, a way to widen the meaning of the word until it looses any definite sense.

[joaojonito]

Finnaly someone talked about Antonio Oliveira Salazar

[piofernandezlopez]

Even more surprising is that Franco was buried in a huge national monument in the mountains near Spain's capital, Madrid, until 2019. Although his corpse was removed & delivered to his descendants in an official ceremony, the monument still remains keeping all its symbols, as well as the bodies from many other soldiers from both confronted armies during the Spanish Civil War. A subject still fuelling a lot of debate from time to time.
Valle de los Caídos.

[THE_GUY_ONE]

Fun fact: In 2007 António Salazar was elected The Greatest Portugese Man ever.