Portugal and the West: From British Ultimatum to Utopian Revolt, 1890-1975: Social Volatility, National Assertion, and Nervous Collapse

This book examines Portugal’s complex role during a transformative period in Western history, from 1890 to 1975, when ideological conflicts and geopolitical realignments reshaped the global order. Tracing Portugal’s trajectory from aperipheral nation to a briefly autonomous actor, it reveals how the country, under António de Oliveira Salazar’s conservative leadership, asserted its sovereignty and Euro-African identity amid the competing ambitions of major powers.Through painstaking analysis, the study explores Portugal’s strategic maneuvers, including its emergence as a NATO founding member in 1949, and its resistance to the post-national trends that redefined the West in the 1960s. It also examines the consequences of the 1974 coup, which ended the authoritarian regime and triggered a chaotic withdrawal from Africa, diminishing Portugal’s international influence.Portugal was the first European country that the United States sought to dominate once it acquired great power status. The book reveals how, under a cool-handed autocrat, Dr Salazar, presidents like FD Roosevelt and Kennedy were repulsed on several occasions.The 350-page work shows how Portugal handled anti-imperialist and often deeply naive America with more skill than successive British Prime Ministers did.Portugal’s bid to remain a Euro-African power was eventually foiled as post-national trends redefined the West. But a patriotic spirit, shared by many of ordinary citizens imbued with much common sense, foiled a Marxist takeover in 1975. That spirit remains easy to detect down to this day.Grounded in historical and geopolitical scholarship, Portugal and the West offers a nuanced perspective on a small nation’s navigation of a fractious global landscape. It sheds light on the interplay of national interest, ideologicalcurrents, and transnational forces, making it essential reading for historians, political scientists, and those interested in the dynamics of Portugal and The West in the 20th-century."The most readable and best-informed study available of Portugal's place in the world during the twentieth century, particularly helpful in weaving together the country's domestic and international history." — Professor Stanley Payne, University of Wisconsin, author of numerous books on the modern history of Spain, Portugal, and 20th century Europe. Read more