Ler História 63 / December 2012
Dossier: The portuguese transition to democracy: new historiographical contributions
Ana Mónica Fonseca e David Castaño
Presentation
David Castaño
Mário Soares and success of the democratic transition
Maria Inácia Rezola
A left alternative project: Melo Antunes, the military and the transition to democracy in Portugal
Raquel Varela
The Portuguese Communist Party and the Portuguese military left. Contributions to the study of the political-military crisis in the Carnation Revolution
Riccardo Marchi
The radical right in the portuguese democratic transition (1974-1976)
Ana Mónica Fonseca
The support of the german social-democracy to the portuguese democratization (1974-1975)
Tiago Moreira de Sá
The United States and the portuguese democratic transition
Thiago Carvalho
Descolonization and transition. The relations between Portugal and Brazil (1974-1976)
Dossier: Interdisciplinarity in action. Research experiences in rural contexts
Ana Cabana Iglesia
A nuisance guy for a difficult time. Peasant attitudes and Francoism
João Baía
"Bairro da Relvinha": memories of the resistance
Dulce Freire
Different glasses: the picture's role in rural contexts
Reviews
Abstracts
Ler História 63 / December 2012
David Castaño
Portugal experienced a complex process of changes, when on April 25th, 1974, overthrew the authoritarian regime that had been in place since 1933. The establishment of a western democratic regime in Portugal was one option among the many possibilities that were on the table back then. From the conflicts between different political and military forces, several protagonists emerged. In this article we intended to follow this process by investigating the course of action of one of these protagonists, the head of the then newly founded Socialist Party, thus verifying how far his actions contributed and influenced the course of the country in 1975/1976.
Keywords: Transition; Democracy; Socialist Party; Mário Soares.
Maria Inácia Rezola
One of the central thrust of the Portuguese Revolution (1974-1975) is the definition of a new political model. The need to ensure that the process would lead to the instauration of a democratic regime, took the Captains to develop a political programme. Nevertheless, its shortcomings quickly become evident as the political struggle deepens. In this process, which is not always easy to explain, Ernesto Melo Antunes emerges as a key figure, as the bearer of a leftist project of a «democratic path to socialism».
Keywords: Democratic transition; Revolution; Armed Forces; Ernesto Melo Antunes.
Raquel Varela
During the Carnation Revolution Portugal lived a political and military crisis whose epicenter was the extension of dual powers within barracks, after the Armed Forces Movement faced a crisis due to the radicalization of the social and political situation (breach of the 6th Provisional Government). We focus on analyzing the relationship between the military, the State, the Government and the social movements between the end of August 1975 and November 25, 1975, when a new military coup initiates the stabilization of a democratic-representative regime in Portugal. We'll analyze how this duality of powers develops and how it will be seen by the 6th Provisional Government on the one hand, and the Communist Party on the other.
Keywords: Portuguese Communist Party; Carnation Revolution; Military; Democracy.
Riccardo Marchi
In the early years of Portuguese transition, many right-wing players aimed at influencing the new course of national politics, either by entering the system through institutionalized parties or harassing it through subversive action. The successive setbacks propelled these players to a growing radicalization and illegal action. The article reconstructs the political geography of these forces that were stationed or positioned on the far right of the political spectrum and analyzes its objectives, strategies and successes, from April 25, 1974, through gonçalvismo and ending with the normalization post-November 25, 1975.
Keywords: Portuguese Transition; Extreme right; Anti-communism; Terrorism.
Ana Mónica Fonseca
Since the late 1960s that the German social-democracy, not only the Social Democratic Party (SPD), but also the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES), sought to develop a policy towards the democratization of Portugal. We can say that this strategy was developed in two parallel levels. On the one hand, maintaining good diplomatic relations with the Portuguese regime; on the other hand, especially after finding that Marcelismo would not lead to political liberalization, through the support – political, material and moral – to the socialist opposition to the Estado Novo . The revolution of 25 April 1974 accelerated this German policy of supporting democratization Portuguese, benefiting from the existing contacts.
Keywords: Democratization; German Social Democracy; Socialist Party; Mário Soares.
Tiago Moreira de Sá
The April 25 1974 military coup that ended nearly 50 years of dictatorship, inaugurated a regime transition in Portugal which was won by the forces that supported a pró-western representative democracy regime type. This article analyzes U.S. policy in the Portuguese events between 1974 and 1976, aiming to identify the mechanisms of influence favored by the Americans and their importance in the final result.
Keywords: Portugal; United States; Democratization; Détente.
Thiago Carvalho
This paper analysis the luso-brazilian relationship during the transition to democracy in Portugal from three simultaneous events: the Portuguese revolutionary process, the political liberalization and the about-face in Brazilian foreign policy, and the decolonization in luspohone Africa. This article focuses on the period from April 1974 to December 1976, considering that each processes outlined above have influenced the international insertion and the economic development of Portugal and Brazil as well their bilateral relationship.
Keywords: Luso-Brazilian relations; Transition to Democracy; Revolution; Decolonization.