The agrarian corporatism at ground level: the Casas do Povo in the daily life of the portuguese Estado Novo (1933-1974)

Abstract

This article aims at deepening our knowledge about the corporatist structure implemented by the Estado Novo (1933-1974) in the Portuguese countryside. The research focuses on a local corporatist body, the “Casas do Povo”, used by Salazar’s dictatorship as its main tool for organizing the rural population, namely the agricultural labourers, of which there was a huge number in the Southern
half of the country. This research, on the basis of the documentation produced by official monitoring institutions of the corporatist structure, is a contribution to the understanding of the “day by day” of the Casas do Povo; their setting-up process, the actual extent of their achievements, the social profile of their members and leaders, the relationship with other institutions of the Regime at the local level or their central role in the conflicts between local elites with conflicting interests. It is an innovative contribution, following new paths almost uncharted by the available bibliography on the subject.