54
THE JUNTA DE COLONIZAÇÃO INTERNA AND THE SHAPING OF THE
ESTADO NOVO’S PEASANTRY:
Newness and s agna ion o he u al socie y
Ri a Almeida de Ca alho
Ins i u e o Social Science o he Uni e si y o Lisbon, Po ugal
Abs ac
Conside a ions on he Po uguese a chi ec u e du ing he New S a e a e usually se apa
cul u al, socie al and economic de elopmen s. App ecia ing, in pa icula , he
modi ica ions o he cons uc i e echniques, Po uguese a chi ec u al his o ians place he
Es ado No o a chi ec u e wi hin he ‘Mode n Mo emen ’ o Mode nism. Howe e ,
Mode nism, a beyond a me e aes he ic phenomenon, has been concep ualise - ei he by
philosophe s, sociologis s, an h opologis s o his o ians – as a adical esponse o he
ab up economic and socie al challenges b ough by he mode ni y, such as he wo king
class p ole a isa ion, laicisa ion o he socie y, anspo e olu ion, and so o h. Ha ing
said ha , his pape aims o sc u inise he socie al model ep oduced by he Jun a de
Colonização In e na, one o he Es ado No o ins i u ions in cha ge o s udying and shaping
he Po uguese u al landscape he e o e ma e ialising he egime’s poli ical iews. The
aim is o discuss i s mode nis cha ac e . Is i he case ha he Es ado No o ins i u ion
has e e aimed he c ea ion o a new way o li ing plainly adjus ed o mode ni y o did i
ep oduced he conse a i e, adi ionalis and ca holic alues, wi h all i s he igid
s a i ica ion hey ad oca e? To enligh en his ques ion, ske ches, in e nal epo s and
o he documen s o he Jun a de Colonização In e na will be explo ed h ough he lens o
he allegedly dialogue be ween adi ion and mode ni y ha o he s iden i ied in ela ion o
a chi ec u e and u ban planning discou ses o he Es ado No o egime hus con ibu ing
o he deba e on he egime’s na u e.
!
Keywo ds: Salaza ism, Fascism Mode nism.
1 – The ideology con eyed by he Po uguese Inne Colonisa ion plans
In his pape I am speci ically in e es ed in explo ing he ways Po uguese inne
colonisa ion somehow mi o s he New S a e’s ideology. The New S a e [Es ado
No o] was he dic a o ship which uled he coun y since 1933 un il 1974 and
Inne Colonisa ion was implemen ed by he Boa d o Inne Colonisa ion [Jun a de
Colonização In e na, JCI], an o ganism c ea ed in 1937.
Conside a ions on Po uguese a chi ec u e du ing he New S a e usually se apa
cul u al, socie al and economic de elopmen s. Bu a building has o be s udied
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mo e b oadly han h ough i s planning and ini ial design. Such sc u iny mus
encompass ma e ial legacies, policies, and social p ac ices. All hese hings
conside ed, and a sense o i s meaning, including i s ideological exp ession can be
success ully ca ied on.
Wi h his complexi y in mind, I will analyse he heme o he Po uguese inne
colonisa ion.
2 – The New S a e socie al model
Some discou ses o Salaza on he socie y ha he New S a e in end o c ea e a e
sel -explana o y. Acco ding o he chie o go e nmen , small independen houses
would p omp silence, anquilli y and lo e, he sense o owne ship, he e o e he
sense o amily would be enhanced (Salaza , 2003 [1938]. Salaza conside ed
mise y as “a sec ecy o p og ess, o ci iliza ion”. Acco ding o him, i was no in
he ag a ian en i onmen , “whe e li e [was] simple and wi hou ambi ion, ha
mise y becomes dis essing, d ama ic”. I was a agedy ha a he de eloped in
he ci ies, in he g ea capi als, “all he mo e insensi i e and ha she , he mo e
ci ilized”, he claimed (Salaza , 2003 [1938]). Fo him i was “mechaniza ion, he
au oma ism o p og ess” ha u ned men in o machines, “isola es him b u ally by
eplacing his ges u es and a ec i e impulses wi h complica ed and cold cogs”
(Salaza , 2003 [1938]).
His aim was no o u n Po ugal in a ich coun y. He said once ha he did no
wish o eed “ he poo wi h illusions”, bu a he o p ese e “ he simplici y o li e,
he pu i y o cus oms, he swee ness o eelings, he balance o social ela ions,
his amilial a mosphe e, modes bu he noble o Po uguese li e.” Acco ding o
Salaza , hese achie emen s would awake he Po uguese adi ions and enable
he coun y social peace (Salaza ,1945).
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3 – Wha placed inne colonisa ion in o he poli ical agenda?
Those s a emen s do no mean he poli ical eli es and echnicians in ol ed in he
Jun a de Colonização In e na we e ying o sol e p oblems esul ing om
Po uguese indus ialisa ion – which was a he incipien a he ime –, bu a he
o es ablish a s a egy o p e en i s u u e ising and, abo e all, o hampe he
u al exodus ha was g owing due o he lack o wo k in u al a eas. This would
demand gua an eeing he minimal condi ions o he a me s o keep li ing in he
coun yside. Only in ha sense he imp o emen o li ing condi ions was among
he s a e’s objec i es. To a ac indus ial p ole a ia o u al a eas was ne e an
objec i e.
4 – The Po uguese “new a me ”
Salaza ism conside ed amily as he cen e o all social o ganisa ion, he p ima y
gua an ee o social o de . The e o e, he ways i concei ed he p og am o inne
colonisa ion should shed ligh on he concep o amily as he egime imagined i .
No all a me s we e conside ed ap o ge he ag icul u al uni s ha would be
dis ibu ed by he Boa d. Acco ding o 1938 law, hose who dese e o ecei e
ag a ian uni s o m he s a e would ha e o ma ch he he ollowing equi emen s:
o be Po uguese, less han 45 yea s and a non-alcoholic, o be obus , heal hy
and se ious. The se le should also be p epa ed o be a ha d wo ke and could
nei he a owdy pe son no communis . He mus be also de o ed o he New S a e
cons i u ion and in eg a ed in he egime’s social o de . P e ious i e yea s
p ac ice in ag icul u e was equi ed unless he a me possessed a ce i ica e om
an ag icul u e school. In 1948, new law lowe ed he app op ia e age o 30 yea s
old and addi ional equi emen s we e added. The se le should be male, head o
he amily and someone wi h gua an ees in e ms o mo al p obi y. P e e en ially,
he good se le should also be someone wi h a leas udimen a y no ions o he
Ca holic Chu ch Social Doc ine.1
1 I Cu so de Moni o es de Mecanização Ag ícola, Rela ó io, 1963-1964. Lisbon: Jun a de Colonização In e na,
1964.
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5 – New houses o he new se le s
How we e he ideal house o he se le and his - idealised - amily? In e ms o
building policy, he ques ion is i he u al houses o hos he se le s in he new
colonies we e somehow p oposing a mode n way o li ing, some hing mo e
adequa e o he socie al p og ess o he humani y, and hus sui able capable o
boos ing a new kind o Po uguese man, a mode n u al man.
In ideological e ms, he egime saw he house wi hin a plo as a cen al aspec in
p ocess o cemen ing amilia ela ionships and he e o e, he house would wo k
as an ins umen o keep man a om poli ics and i s pe nicious ac ions and
conspi acies. This idea is illus a ed by a s a emen o an ag onomis wo king o
he Minis y o Ag icul u e a he ime. Má io Bo elho de Macedo published a guide
explaining how u al houses should be. In his publica ion he would s a e:
“I he house plays such a signi ican ole in he li e o any man, in he case o he
peasan , his in luence is e en mo e p onounced, because he does no ha e he
co ee shop, he club o he cinema o spa e his ee ime. A e inishing his wo k,
he only has he house, his home is he only hing le o a ac him” (Macedo,
1942).
Bu was he house so a ac i e as i was mean o be?
In he 1930s, ano he ag onomis José Pe ei a Caldas ha , unlike he o me ,
wo ked o he a e a a elling wo ked om JCI mission o s udy inne
colonisa ion in Eu ope epo ed ha , he houses p omo ed by Suisse inne
colonisa ion p og amme we e buil wi h he ce ain commodi ies: ho wa e ,
elec ici y, and ba h oom. Howe e , a ely we e hese asse s men ioned in he
plans o JCI and e en mo e a e we e i s e ec i e design and cons uc ion in he
se le s’ houses.
I is ue ha JCI hough ha u al housing should ha e, a leas , a ki chen –
unc ioning also as a dining and a li ing- oom –, a oom o he pa en s, one o
he boys, ano he o he daugh e s, and a oile (Macedo, 1942). Bu hese we e
almos he single ad ancemen s one can ind.
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Indeed, JCI annual epo s o e s no signi ican inno a ions o be in oduced in he
u al housing. JCI planned o a “house wi h as ew di isions as possible”2; no
a chi ec s we e in ol ed in he echnical decision-making p ocess,3 he
depa men was exclusi ely uled by ag onomis s, and only om 1948 onwa ds
hey we e included in he pe manen s a o he Boa d.
In he end, Po uguese inne colonisa ion plans didn’ e en include piped wa e a
leas un il 1945. Mo e o less he same happened wi h he elec ici y and i s
supply. E en a e wa ds only 4 ou o he 7 colonies we e buil wi h such
in as uc u e. E en wi hin hose mo e p og essi e colonies, one wonde s wha
eal impac hese in as uc u es ha e had in he p ocess o c ea ing mode n and
sui able homes o ag icul u al amilies… Heal h ca e assis ance and ee educa ion
also seem no o ha e been a g ea success.
No doub ha ag icul u al plo s we e hough o be managed in a mo e
p o essionalised and p og essis way bu s ill…The gene al idea one ge s is ha
he Boa d was no e y success ul in he implemen a ion o i s policies.
Indeed, o he 1533 ag icul u al uni s planned in he ea ly days o JCI, each one
including land, housing and ag icul u e in as uc u es, only 471 (31%) we e buil ,
and se e al o hem we e ne e occupied. This in a coun y ha had wo and a
hal million households in 1960. The numbe s o households seem qui e i ele an
and e en mo e so i one hinks o he ex ensi e wo ks o he I alian o he Spanish
inne colonisa ion.
6 – Re olu ion o e olu ion
Re u ning o my main ques ion, was JCI pu ing in o p ac ice a e olu iona y social
p ojec , some hing ha would be in line wi h a social and cul u al o m o
mode nism in e ms o p oposing an al e na i e o he socie y and he cul u e
inhe i ed om he icious mode ni y?
2 “Repo [o he Co po a is Chambe ]”, p. 111.
3 See he Dec e o-Lei n. 27.207, No embe , 1936.

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The Po uguese oo s o an idea o inne colonisa ion da e back o he end o he
19 h Cen u y and some e o s we e in ac ca ied ou du ing he 1s Republic o
launch his kind o ini ia i e.4 Fo ins ance, he Colony Milag es (1925) was a
c ea ion o he Fi s Po uguese Republic (1910-1926), he demo-libe al egime
ha p eceded Salaza ’s Es ado No o (1932-1974) e en i he e is no doub ha
i was he Es ado No o ha designed a mo e consis en policy o inne coloniza ion
wi h he c ea ion o an o ganism ully dedica ed o he s udy and implemen a ion
o he colonies plans, design plans, and de elopmen managemen . Bu he
ques ion is: in wha way did i impac peasan y li es?
7 – The ansi o y na u e o he Jun a de Colonização In e na
A his ime o my esea ch, I a gue ha he inne colonisa ion was ne e a p io i y
o he dic a o ial egime. Fi s ly, because hese se ices would always ha e
ansi ional na u e. In 1938, some o he egime’s hie a chs would claim:
“The ecogni ion o he acan lands is done. Some will be wooded, o he s will
se e as peoples’ common land and o he s can and should be a ailed o
colonisa ion. How many housands o hec a es? No as many as i seems, i one
wan s o make a las ing con ibu ion. I will no sol e he p oblem ha has been
b ough by he inc ease o he popula ion. Howe e , [...] we ha e o ake
ad an age o wha emains and guide he popula ion low o he colonies wi h
mo e in ense impe us, de eloping he se le s’ gene al condi ions o li e. And why
a Boa d? They las as long as hey he e is an ad an age in main aining hem.”5
Ano he quo a ion aken om a dec ee-law o 1962 goes along in he same line:
"The in en o y o he common land o he Con inen , which he Jun a de
Colonização In e na ca ied ou , e ealed how much he illusion was ha he e
was s ill in Po ugal app eciable a eas suscep ible o ag icul u al exploi a ion. The
4 Dec ees n. 4.812, de 1918, e nº 7.127, de 1920.
5 “Repo [o he Co po a is Chambe ] on wo in e nal colonisa ion p ojec s”, Diá ios da Assembleia Nacional
(Minu es o he Na ional Assembly), n. 192, 29 Oc obe 1938.
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educed possibili ies o colonisa ion, hen ca e ully de ined, a e now en i ely
exhaus ed."6
Fu he mo e, om 1932 o 1943, he e was an ene gic Public Wo ks minis e –
Dua e Pacheco – ha ook upon himsel he esponsibili y o conduc ing all he
meaning ul buildings and in as uc u es plans he egime had conside ed c ucial
o he coun y’s de elopmen . Why didn’ he b ing inne colonisa ion – a leas
housing and social buildings – unde his minis y esponsibili y o e en c ea e a
speci ic o ganism o deal wi h i exac ly as he had done wi hin o he con ex s om
jus ice o educa ion sphe es, om public banking o pos o ices. The inexis ence
o an Ag icul u e Minis y om 1940 onwa ds ci cums ance ha had pu JCI unde
he au ho i y o he Minis y o Economy is ano he si ua ion can ise he doub o
how signi ican he inne colonisa ion was o he egime.
8 – The dange o o e simplis ic a gumen s: ascis . non- ascis
a chi ec u e
As ega ds he ex e nal in luences ha would ha e allegedly been abso bed by
he Boa d and i s ealisa ions, i is wo h o men ion some ac s desc ibed by wo
echnicians om JCI. In 1937, he ag onomis José Luís Calhei os e Meneses
(1906-?) and José Pe ei a Caldas (1895-1958), we e sen o he In e na ional
Ins i u e o Ag icul u e – he p edecesso o FAO, he Food and Ag icul u e
O ganisa ion o he Uni ed Na ions – ha a ha ime was loca ed in Rome. This
jou ney ga e o igin o wo epo s. One on he Boni ica In eg al in I aly, ha I
could no ind so a , and a second one wi h which we ha e lea ned ha a e ha
isi ing I aly, he ini ial plan was going di ec ly o Czechoslo ak o isi a
coloniza ion expe ience ha he in e na ional ins i u ion had ecommended.
No wi hs anding, he Po uguese conside ed ha , in ace o he a ailable
in o ma ion, Czechoslo ak, a he ime uled by a pa liamen a y epublic, was no
a good example o ollow because he ag a ian e o m ca ied ou in ha coun y
was no mo e han a “coup d’e a agains la i undia” g ounded in demagogy a he
6 Dec ee-Law n. 44720, 23 No embe 1962.
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han in economic eali ies, and he e o e a om he Po uguese conce ns
(Meneses and Caldas, 1937).
Al e na i ely, he ag onomis chose o go o Swi ze land. Acco ding o he hem,
Suisse inne colonisa ion was mo e sui able o he Po uguese case. On he one
hand, i aimed he imp o emen o c ops condi ions and he e-pa celling o he
land. On he o he hand, and mo e impo an ly, i also in ended o p o ide a
solu ion o he g owing unemploymen and he p og essi e emp iness o he
coun yside due o he coun y’s indus ializa ion. And, las bu no he leas ,
Suisse was ollowing he pa h o economic au a chy. Tha is o say, Suisse inne
colonisa ion demons a ed economic bu also social conce ns and, in ha sense,
i ma ched en i ely wi h he “na ional mo emen o social p omo ion o he
Po uguese coun yside” ha was conside ed as he main aim o he wo ks o JCI
(Meneses and Caldas, 1937).
These conside a ions illus a e ha in luences om o he coun ies o he han he
ascis ones. Bu mo e esea ch and hough should be gi en o he opic, which I
in end o u he explo e in he ollowing mon hs.
Acknowledgmen s
This p ojec has ecei ed unding om he Founda ion o Science and Technology,
Po ugal (SFRH/BPD/68725/2010). The p esen a ion o his pape ecei ed unding om
he Fundação pa a a Ciência e Tecnologia in he scope o ICS-UÇ S a egic Plan
UID/SOC/50013/2013.
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Au ho iden i ica ion
Ri a Almeida de Ca alho. PhD in His o y (Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas da
Uni e sidade No a de Lisboa, 2011). Cu en ly, she is a esea ch ellow on His o y a he
Ins i u e o Social Sciences, Uni e si y o Lisbon. Wo king on he Es ado No o dic a o ship,
he esea ch in e es s include eli es and decision-making p ocess, public wo ks, he
poli ical use o a chi ec u e, na ionalism, ansna ionalism, ascism and au ho i a ian
egimes du ing he in e wa pe iod. She also ollows a pa allel ca ee in his o ical a chi es.