„Kisses for Mr. Salazar” – a profile of the Portuguese dictator António Oliveira Salazar in the children’s and teenagers’ letters addressed to him (1929–1968). Review of archival materials

Abstract

The aim of the article is to show how the creator of Estado Novo was perceived by the youngest generation throughout almost 40 years. It is also an indirect attempt to appraise the moods of young Portuguese people and children of foreigners who had been living then in Portugal, to outline their attitude to the regime, to show the background of the reality which had been described in their letters. The analysis of over 240 letters and postcards, written in the period of 1929–1968 and addressed to the creator of Portuguese dictatorship, collected in the Institute of the National Archives (The National Archive of Torre do Tombo) was the origin of writing the text.