Antonio Salazar’s rise to power in Portugal was an almost inevitable consequence of the heterogeneous motives behind the May 28, 1926, military coup. In fact, there was not one but several coups, as the various factions wrestled for control of the state. This article examines the role of these factions and explores their contributions to the chronic instability that was a mark of the military dictatorship and which prevented the emergence of a cohesive coalition of pro-democratic forces within it that could make common cause with democratic opposition forces. These divisions were both exploited and encouraged by Salazar as he proceeded to construct his own mythical persona as the only person capable of restoring order and calm to a society that was tired of political and economic instability.
