António Salazar
 | |
| Date of Birth | 28 April 1889 |
| Place of Birth | Vimieiro, Santa Comba Dão, Portugal |
| Age at start | 72 years old |
| Nationality |  Portuguese |
| Role | Caudillo |
| Political Party | União Nacional |
| Ideology |  Civilian Dictatorship |
António de Olivera Salazar (Born 28 April 1889- ) is one of the two Caudillos of the Iberian Union. Before the Union was formed, he served as the Prime Minister of Portugal since 1932.
In-Game Description[edit | edit source]
At the Start of the Game[edit | edit source]
It would be quite unfair to dismiss António de Olivera Salazar, the leader of Portugal since 1932, as merely an obstructive bureaucrat. Coming to power in Portugal a few years before Franco gained control of Spain, Salazar was a political power player in his own right. Only under the pressure of German troops seizing Angola and Mozambique did he decide to accept a deal with his own personal devil. When Franco approached Salazar to create a defensive-pact-turned-nation, he accepted, merging Portugal with the similarly right-wing nation of Spain. Now the Iberian Union, the two countries would work together in harmony... at least in theory.
In actuality, however, this could not be further from the truth. Salazar was not concerned with the welfare of the Union so much as the welfare of Portugal. Wielding a desire to protect his nation from anything that might harm her in the one hand, and an almost pathological obsession with vetoing proposals that would solidify the Union further in the other, Salazar quickly gained a reputation in the Council for being obstructive. His paranoia concerning "Spanish oppression of Portugal" led to many a confrontation with Franco himself, who saw him as one of many reasons why Iberia was likely to fall apart. With Franco's attempted passing of the "Law of Succession", meaning Portugal's absorption into Spain through the reinstallation of the monarchy after the deaths of the Caudillos, the divide between the two was firmly set. This was despite Salazar removing old shirt falangist elements who had attempted to stage a coup against the Union.
If the Iberian Divorce occurs[edit | edit source]
It would be quite unfair to dismiss António de Olivera Salazar, the leader of Portugal since 1932, as merely an obstructive bureaucrat. Coming to power in Portugal a few years before Franco gained control of Spain, Salazar was a political power player in his own right. Only under the pressure of German troops seizing Angola and Mozambique did he decide to accept a deal with his own personal devil. When Franco approached Salazar to create a defensive-pact-turned-nation, he accepted, merging Portugal with the similarly right-wing nation of Spain. However, the dream was not meant to be.
Attrition with his fellow Caudillo, the internal turmoils, the exhaustion and stress of age, a thousand reasons could be given to the end of the Union, yet none of them really matters in the end. Now, at his personal house, he oversees the rebuilding of a Portugal that, once again, stays on their own lonesome self against a rapidly changing world.
One he is certain he will not live to see past this decade.
If the Iberian War breaks out[edit | edit source]
It would be quite unfair to dismiss Antonio de Olivera Salazar, the leader of Portugal since 1932, as merely an obstructive bureaucrat. Coming to power in Portugal a few years before Franco gained control of Spain, Salazar was a political power player in his own right. Only under the pressure of German troops seizing Angola and Mozambique did he decide to accept a deal with his own personal devil. When Franco approached Salazar to create a defensive-pact-turned-nation, he accepted reservedly, merging Portugal with the similarly right-wing nation of Spain. Now the Iberian Union, the two countries would work together in harmony... at least in theory. In actuality, however, this could not be further from the truth. Salazar was not concerned with the welfare of the Union so much as the welfare of Portugal. Wielding a desire to protect his nation from anything that might harm her in the one hand, and an almost pathological obsession with vetoing proposals that would solidify the Union further in the other, Salazar quickly gained a reputation in the Council for being obstructive. His paranoia concerning "Spanish oppression of Portugal" led to many a confrontation with Franco himself, who saw him as one of many reasons why Iberia was likely to fall apart. With Franco's attempted passing of the "Law of Succession", meaning Portugal's absorption into Spain through the reinstallation of the monarchy after the deaths of the Caudillos, the divide between the two was firmly set. This was despite Salazar removing old shirt falangist elements who had attempted to stage a coup against the Union.
Yet it had not been Salazar's obstructionism which had led to the collapse of the Union. That blame could be entirely dropped at Franco's feet, for the Spanish dictator had failed to effectively deal with the Basque revolt. Salazar had fled Madrid for Lisbon soon after, declaring independence for the state of Portugal in an Iberia now torn apart by civil strife.