Abstract

RUIVO, Francisco Bairrão. Between the revolution and the “normalisation”: Salazar’s head. Cadernos do Arquivo Municipal [online]. 2024, vol.ser2, n.21, e202401.  Epub Feb 29, 2024. ISSN 2183-3176.  https://doi.org/10.48751/cam-2024-21332.

Based on the actions regarding Salazar’s statue in Santa Comba Dão in 1975 and 1978, we aim to reflect on how the democratic “normalisation” imposed a narrative based on the reconciliation and pacification of society, the devaluation of the Revolution and the idea that it was the 25th of November, instead of the Revolution, that ensured the pacification and democratisation of the country.

The way of evoking the past and its public uses, was fundamental in the political struggle at the turn of the 1970s into the 1980s - a time of greater tension and confrontation than it is usually perceived and pivotal regarding political violence - notably in 1978, a decisive year in the process of settling accounts with the past. Representations of that past, especially of the revolution, were essential in legitimising the post-November 25th status quo, which had not completely closed the debate on the model of society.

Keywords : Memory; Revolution; Democratic Normalisation; Statuary; Violence.

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