PLÍNIO SALGADO, THE MESSIANIC LEADER:
ANALYSIS OF BRAZILIAN INTEGRALISM BASED ON MYTHS AND POLITICAL MYTHOLOGIES
Abstract
Brazilian Integralist Action (AIB) was an important far-right movement led by figures such as Plínio Salgado, Gustavo Barroso and Miguel Reale. Inspired by European fascism, integralism officially emerged in 1932 with Salgado's Integralist Manifesto. The movement influenced national culture and attracted followers through aesthetics and symbolism similar to fascist regimes. This work analyzes the way in which political myths, such as the messianic figure of Salgado, boosted integralism, using sources such as digital collections and studies of bibliographical works, such as Leandro Pereira Gonçalves, Odilon Caldeira Neto, Hélgio Trindade, among others. Aesthetics and anti-communism were key elements in its rise in the 1930s. Studying integralism is crucial to understanding the ideological currents of the time and their interaction with Brazilian history.