How to Rule a Small Town in Early Twentieth Century Portugal

Abstract

Introduction At the turn of the nineteenth/twentieth century, the municipality of Setubal, located around forty kilometres south of Lisbon, was experiencing one of the highest demographic growth rates in Portugal. 1 Between 1890 and 1911, the number of inhabitants in its main urban nucleus the town of Setlibal grew from 17,581 to 30,346, representing an increase of 700/0. No other area in the country, not even Lisbon or Oporto, the cities with the highest numerical increase, had such a rate of population growth. This development was linked to the rapid integration of the fishing activity with the factories that were beginning to set up in the region. This was due to the fact that Setlibal possessed the most important fishing port in the country, which acted as a basis for a flourishing fish canning industry. This type of economic activity showed a remarkable capacity for attracting migrant workers especially from the South of Portugal. For this reason, at the beginning of the twentieth century, about 220/0 of Setubal's population was originally from outside the municipality.2 In 1900, the same municipality stood out even more from all others in the kingdom when it started to be governed by Mariano de Carvalho, a well-known national figure, albeit with a declining political career. At the time, local power was