Abstract
The present article analyses the social bases of support for the military dictatorship in Brazil (1964-1985). It started from the hypothesis that the dictatorship was possible because it found groups and individuals willing to collaborate with the established power, from 1964. The study emphasized the political participation of women organized in female associations of religious, cultural and civic character. Important performance was that of the União Cívica Feminina Paranaense in the preparation and articulation of women in favour of the intervention of the armed forces. They performed civic activities with the objective of strengthening the idea of the presence of the military as necessary for the maintenance of order and the preservation of the moral and Christian values.
Keywords:
Female associativity; Military dictatorship; Civics