«There are serious times!»: the establishment of the Portuguese Legion in 1936

Abstract

Portuguese historiography on the New State has, in general, explained the emergence of the Portuguese Legion solely in terms of the international state of affairs, particularly in Iberia, existing in 1936. The arrival of the Spanish Civil War is generally considered to be the factor determining the emergence of the Legion. However, little attention has been paid to events unfolding at home. The working hypothesis explored here is that the appearance of the Portuguese Legion was due, on the one hand, to a favourable foreign, European and Iberian dynamic and, on the other, to a specific internal political situation which is also essential to an understanding of the creation of the militia.