The co-op bookstore for avid readers
Book Cover for: Salazar: The Dictator Who Refused to Die, Tom Gallagher

Salazar: The Dictator Who Refused to Die

Tom Gallagher

Critic Reviews

Good

Based on 3 reviews on

BookMarks logo
Fifty years after his death, Portugal's Salazar remains a controversial and enigmatic figure, whose conservative and authoritarian legacy still divides opinion. Some see him as a reactionary and oppressive figure who kept Portugal backward, while others praise his honesty, patriotism and dedication to duty. Contemporary radicals are wary of his unabashed elitism and skepticism about social progress, but many conservatives give credit to his persistent warnings about the threats to Western civilization from runaway materialism and endless experimentation.
For a dictator, Salazar's end was anti-climactic--a domestic accident. But during his nearly four decades in power, he survived less through reliance on force and more through guile and charm. This probing biography charts the highs and lows of Salazar's rule, from rescuing Portugal's finances and keeping his strategically-placed nation out of World War II to maintaining a police state while resisting the winds of change in Africa. It explores Salazar's long-running suspicion of and conflict with the United States, and how he kept Hitler and Mussolini at arm's length while persuading his fellow dictator Franco not to enter the war on their side.
Iberia expert Tom Gallagher brings to life a complex leader who deserves to be far better known.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Hurst & Co.
  • Publish Date: Sep 1st, 2020
  • Pages: 360
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 8.60in - 5.30in - 1.40in - 1.50lb
  • EAN: 9781787383883
  • Categories: PoliticalWorld - EuropeanPolitical Ideologies - Fascism & Totalitarianism

More books to explore

Book Cover for: Post-Communist Mafia State: The Case of Hungary, Bálint Magyar
Book Cover for: The Lions' Den: Zionism and the Left from Hannah Arendt to Noam Chomsky, Susie Linfield
Book Cover for: Hitler's First Hundred Days: When Germans Embraced the Third Reich, Peter Fritzsche
Book Cover for: Germany: A Nation in Its Time: Before, During, and After Nationalism, 1500-2000, Helmut Walser Smith
Book Cover for: The Age of the Strongman: How the Cult of the Leader Threatens Democracy Around the World, Gideon Rachman
Book Cover for: Beyond the Wall: A History of East Germany, Katja Hoyer
Book Cover for: How Democracy Ends, David Runciman
Book Cover for: Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism, Anne Applebaum
Book Cover for: Justice by Means of Democracy, Danielle Allen
Book Cover for: Can Democracy Work?: A Short History of a Radical Idea, from Ancient Athens to Our World, James Miller
Book Cover for: Democracy May Not Exist, But We'll Miss It When It's Gone, Astra Taylor
Book Cover for: The Picnic: A Dream of Freedom and the Collapse of the Iron Curtain, Matthew Longo
Book Cover for: Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment, Francis Fukuyama
Book Cover for: The Nationalist Revival: Trade, Immigration, and the Revolt Against Globalization, John B. Judis
Book Cover for: Against the World: Anti-Globalism and Mass Politics Between the World Wars, Tara Zahra

About the Author

Tom Gallagher is Emeritus Professor of Politics at the University of Bradford. He has published one novel, Flight of Evil, and fifteen single-authored books on democracy and authoritarianism in post-1870 Europe, ranging from Britain and Iberia to the Balkans. He is currently researching the role of universities in British politics.

More books by Tom Gallagher

Book Cover for: Modern Romania: The End of Communism, the Failure of Democratic Reform, and the Theft of a Nation, Tom Gallagher
Book Cover for: Outcast Europe: The Balkans, 1789-1989: From the Ottomans to Milosevic, Tom Gallagher
Book Cover for: Romania and the European Union: How the Weak Vanquished the Strong, Tom Gallagher
Book Cover for: Sub: My Years Underground in America's Schools, Tom Gallagher
Book Cover for: Europe's Leadership Famine: Portraits of defiance and decay 1950-2022, Tom Gallagher
Book Cover for: Tara's Halls: Memories of Ireland: A Life Once Lived, and Hard, Tom Gallagher
Book Cover for: IIFYM Snacks: IIFYM Snacks And Macro-Friendly Munchies (If It Fits Your Macros), Tom Gallagher
Book Cover for: The Primary Route, Tom Gallagher
Book Cover for: The Balkans After the Cold War: From Tyranny to Tragedy, Tom Gallagher
Book Cover for: The Balkans in the New Millennium: In the Shadow of War and Peace, Tom Gallagher
Book Cover for: Europe's Path to Crisis: Disintegration Via Monetary Union, Tom Gallagher
Book Cover for: Diary of a Gay Warlock's novice, Tom Gallagher
Book Cover for: Illusion of Freedom: Scotland Under Nationalism, Tom Gallagher

Critics’ reviews

Praise for this book

"The humane and open-minded story of a man whose legacy has been erased but who could well be regarded as the most consequential minor statesman of the 20th century."--Wall Street Journal

"A vivid, balanced and enormously enjoyable biography of Antonio Salazar, head of Europe's longest-lived right-authoritarian regime. The best introduction to Portuguese affairs in the middle decades of the twentieth century."-- Stanley Payne, Emeritus Professor of History, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and author of A History of Spain and Portugal"A long-overdue outsider's approach to the controversial Salazar and his regime. Building on a wide array of sources and interpretations, this insightful portrait of Salazar's political persona offers a remarkable analysis of his foreign policy and geopolitical views. A great read!" -- LÃ-via Franco, Professor of Political Studies, Catholic University of Portugal, and Associate Researcher, European Council on Foreign Relations"An insightful account of one of Europe's lesser-known but truly intriguing twentieth-century statesmen. Gallagher's comprehensive biography helps explain how, over four decades, Salazar kept an iron grip on an unruly country, and outfoxed bigger international powers arrayed against him."-- Barry Hatton, author of Queen of the Sea: A History of Lisbon and The Portuguese: A Modern History"Salazar remains a mystery, even to the Portuguese, but this book goes a long way towards deciphering him. Beautifully written and meticulously researched, this is both a biography and an intellectual portrait. Salazar was a normal man, but a very unusual dictator, whose thought and action continue to pose a challenge to democratic politics in Europe and elsewhere. A much-needed and long-awaited book." -- Bruno Maçães, former Europe Minister of Portugal and author of The Dawn of Eurasia"Tom Gallagher's immensely detailed portrait of a fascinating man is itself fascinating. The author is a distant presence, coolly objective and disinclined to judge his huge cast of politicians, soldiers, diplomats and bishops. He allows readers space to come to their own conclusions."-- The Telegraph
"Sketches a clear-eyed account of liberalism's alternatives." -- The American Conservative