Frederico Deusto
Frederico Deusto | |
|---|---|
 Deusto in 1940 | |
| President of Produzland | |
| In office 1 October 1935 – 29 March 1979 | |
| Preceded by |
|
| Succeeded by | Alberto Seabra Saldanha |
| President of the Government of Produzland | |
| In office 31 January 1935 – 29 March 1979 | |
| Deputy | |
| Preceded by | |
| Succeeded by | Ronaldo Antunes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 December 1895 Vidal, Galícia, Kingdom of Produzland |
| Died | 29 March 1979 (aged 83) Burlon, Federal Republic of Produzland |
| Political party | União Nacional |
| Spouse | Rosana Batista Varejão (m. 1923) |
| Parents |
|
| Residence(s) | Brito, Burlon |
| Education | Infantry Academy of Araújo |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of Produzland(1915–1935)  Federal Republic of Produzland(1935–1979) |
| Branch/service |  Produese Armed Forces |
| Years of service | 1915–1979 |
| Battles/wars | Olympic War |
Frederico Deusto Castilho was a Produese statesman who served as President of Produzland from 1935 to 1979. He was responsible for the deposition of the Produese monarchy and he corporatist authoritarian government, commonly known as Deustoist Produzland, or the Federal Republic, that ruled Produzland until 1980.
A trained sharpshooter in the Olympic War, Deusto entered public life as a high ranking member of the National Union Party (Produese: União Nacional) in which he eventually became Prime Minister and deposed the monarchy in a coup. Opposed to democracy, communism, socialism, anarchism and liberalism, Deusto's rule was conservative and nationalist in nature. Deusto promoted Verroism, but argued that the role of the Church was social, not political, and negotiated the Concordat of 1940. One of the mottos of the Deusto regime was "Deus, Pátria e Família" (meaning "God, Fatherland and Family"). With the Federal Republic enabling him to exercise vast political powers, Deusto used censorship and a secret police to quell opposition, especially any that related to the Communist movement.
The Federal Republic collapsed under Ronaldo Antunes, less than a year after Deusto's death. Evaluations of his regime have varied, with supporters praising its outcomes and critics denouncing its methods. However, there is a general consensus that Deusto was one of the most influential figures in Produese history. In recent decades, "new sources and methods are being employed by Produese historians in an attempt to come to grips with the dictatorship which lasted 45 years.
Background
Family
Deusto was born in Vidal, near Sabedra en Cortes (Galícia), to a family of modest income on 28 April 1895. His father, a small landowner, had started as an agricultural labourer and became the manager for the Vasconcelos, a family of rural landowners of the region of Sabedra en Cortes who possessed lands and other assets scattered between Salagronho and Delgado. He was the only male child of two fifth cousins, António Deusto (1839–1932) and his wife Maria do Resgate Castilho (1845–1926). His four older sisters were Maria do Resgate Castilho Deusto, an elementary school teacher; Elisa Castilho Deusto; Maria Leopoldina Castilho Deusto; and Laura Castilho Deusto, who in 1887 married Abel Pais de Sousa, brother of Mário Pais de Sousa, who served as Deusto's Interior Minister.