The Municipality of Funchal in the Military Dictatorship and Estado Novo (1926-1974)

Abstract

The present study is based on the action of the various administrative commissions of the Municipality of Funchal during the Military Dictatorship and the Estado Novo, between the military coup of May 28th, 1926, and the revolution of April 25th, 1974.
During the first period, the Funchal City Council lived in an unstable situation, at an economic and political level, still remnants of republican politics, in which factions constantly clashed, causing serious damage to the autarchy. The controversies maintained during the terms of the last two presidents of the administrative commissions, Gastão de Deus Figueira and Luís da Rocha Machado, hampered the development of the city.
Fernão de Ornelas, who replaced the latter, transformed an almost rural village, with medieval characteristics, into a modern city. Even with the setbacks of the time, in a period of great economic recession (consequences of the Wall Street Crash, in 1929, and consequent bank failures), of serious political disturbances (Spanish Civil War and World War II), he managed to build a new city, without distorting the old one, giving shape to the old aspirations of the people of Funchal, in a work that still lingers in the city’s imaginary and which deserves to be highlighted as an indelible mark of its action.
His successors, Óscar Gonçalves, who solved the problem of electricity supply to the city, proceeding to the municipalization of this service, João Valente, António Sardinha, responsible for the balance of the City Council finances, and Fernando Couto, to whom belongs the credit for completing the 1st Master Plan for the city of Funchal, followed the ideas of Fernão de Ornelas Gonçalves. António de Agrela Loja was president of the City Council for a very short time, due to the military coup of April 25th, 1974.

Keywords

Military Dictorship; Estado Novo; Administrative Commission; Funchal City Council.