Family and social assistance of the New State in the 30s and 40s

Abstract

Although the Salazarian ideology gave special prominence to the family and motherhood, state protection given to families and mothers was all but non-existent in the 30s and 40s. The New State considered that its role with regard to assistance should be «supplementary» and rely on the «essential» benevolence of the Portuguese. However, the Portuguese suffered from a lack of foresight and, as a result, the state created social security and the aid institutions which assisted the «good» poor from time to time.