He knew everything about France, but nothing about Portugal; he understood what was happening in distant Moscow, but not in his native Lisbon. He didn't realize that he was no longer running his own country - he had been removed almost two years ago, but he never realized it. António Salazar ruled a huge colonial empire for more than 40 years, but fell victim to his own favorite brainchild - censorship. Italian journalist Marco Ferrari understands the history of Europe's longest dictatorship - from its origins in the 1930s, through the times of Hitler, Franco and Mussolini, to decline in the 1970s, the era of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. He talks about the controversial figure of António Salazar, a former seminarian and provincial teacher, who managed to keep Portugal away from the world war, but at the same time created a sophisticated repressive machine and tried to save the empire from collapse with blood. He was silent, secret, invisible, he was like God and stood only one step lower than the supreme heavenly ruler. He couldn't show himself. He had no age, no body, no feelings. He did not speak directly, but spoke like an oracle, in allegory and symbols, and what he said had to be interpreted and translated into the language of mere mortals. Like God, he assigned his destiny to everyone: the rich had to remain rich, the poor had to put up with their lot, the oppositionists had to be repressed. Italian journalist Marco Ferrari understands the history of Europe's longest dictatorship - from its origins in the 1930s to the Hitler, Franco and Mussolini, and before its decline in the 1970s, the era of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. It talks about the controversial figure of António Salazar, a former seminarian and provincial teacher, who managed to keep Portugal out of the world war, but at the same time created a sophisticated repressive machine and tried to save the empire from collapse with blood. Since then, Salazar received two or three people every day visitors, usually at the end of the day. These were ministers, governors, friends, confidants, heads of PIDE and corporations. All these people were subject to the order of the new Chairman of the Council of Ministers: to pretend that Salazar is still in charge of Portugal and the colonies. For whom For the widest audience - both for history buffs, and for those interested in the mechanisms of power, and for those who are curious about how people are born and how Dictatorships and dictators are dying. In Ward 68 of the Red Cross Hospital, the agony of a dictatorship that had lasted since the beginning of the 20th century was ending.