After the carnation revolution when the people where fed up with the colonial wars portugal went through the “PREC” (Processo Revolucionário Em Curso) which was a short era of societal reform that included nationalization of companies, the collectivization of farmland and the general growing of popularity of various worker-movements/ parties like the PCP (MLs) the PCTP (Maoists) and others like the UDP and some trots but nobody really gave a shit about them. It was a period of unlimited potential for a revolution and yet it failed to establish socialism in the country. From what i can tell, the main problems were disorganization within the parties themselves (especially the PCP which was the largest communist party and could’ve done much better than this) and the restraint to overthrow the state by violence. The PCP, one of, if not the, leading leftist party of this period refused to establish dominance by violent means…they know that the only way to establish a socialist government is with a revolution yet they seemed so paralysed during this time. On the 25 November of 1975, communits and socialists unsatisfied with the more “soccdem” way Portugal would take, decided to start a coup but failed as armed “moderates” stopped the attempt before it having any effect. Since then Portugal is just another european “soccdem (nuts)” country with a Neo-liberal government. The PCP still has seat in the portuguese parlament but is loosing relevance more and more while the “CHEGA” (a quasi fascist party with anti-immigration plans and tax cuts for rich and whatnot) party is gaining more popularity. Portugal could’ve become “europe’s cuba” as Otelo Saraiva, a portuguese revolutionary put it. But at the end, fell victim to your average reddit-style “enlightened centrist” who wants a welfare system while conserving the neo-liberal mechanis.
Everything was going well until the US put the CIA to work. They organized a front against the communists. Mário Soares, who was the face of this movement, was very popular. He was the leader of the Socialist party, a fake leftist party that claimed to want Socialist reforms, but with moderation. There were still sectors of the military which were fascist. The Communist party had several buildings bombed during the counter movement. During this time, a massive anti-communist propaganda campaign was launched against the Party, even accusing the leader of “eating children for breakfast”.
The communists simply didn’t have the numbers, military equipment or training to fight a civil war. And quite frankly by then, they had already lost a good amount of popular support. So this Social Democratic system was what we got as a result of the balance of powers. The workers right have been eroded over time and Portugal is just a STEM factory for the Nordic countries.
Let’s get one thing clear because I see this confusion appearing over and over again. The PCTP was not communist, nor Maoist, not even leftist. It was just a fake communist party created to bash the real communists. That’s all they’ve ever done. The UDP were just a bunch of ultras that never accomplished anything, but they still exist for some reason.
Portugal was so close. So close. But if I remember correctly, after the revolution NATO actually started to panic that one of their founding members would become socialist so they set off a bunch of intimidation techniques (sending warships to Portugal’s shores, flying planes over the country, etc.) to force the people of Portugal to submit. I think the CIA got involved as well.
Considering how brutal the Salazar regime was, the people weren’t as literate as they should’ve been, nor did they have the military might, and that helped with NATO establishing a government that would suit them well.
@NothingButBits@lemmygrad.ml illustrates the CIA involvement very well. The socialist government was only socialist in name. I believe said government is the current one in Portugal right now.
The Carnation Revolution is a constant reminder of what could’ve been and it breaks my heart.
It really is sad. Socialism winning over Portugal could’ve changed the course of the cold war with it being the first west-european nation to turn socialist…that would’ve been a major victory for the international socialist cause
It would have never been allowed by the US and the west.
https://www.workers.org/marcy/cd/samport/port/port02.htm
An interesting read and also gives a little more context. There was literally an US aircraft carrier at the gates of Lisbon, in case the country had the intention to become a communist one.
The guns and armor of the American aircraft carrier Saratoga stood out menacingly within sight of Commerce Square, opposite where most of the workers had assembled. This had to arouse the greatest indignation, not only from the demonstrators but from all Portuguese workers, especially when one remembers that the CP itself has stood out so long and undeviatingly against NATO. Yet one must wonder-how could the Armed Forces Movement agree to the participation of Portuguese naval units in an exercise which involved simulated bombings of central Portugal? And how can the Provisional government at this very late date still be a member of NATO, especially when the Pentagon has contemptuously barred the Portuguese armed forces from any so-called secret NATO material?
i forgot to mention that the US and the USSR were closely following the Events, to the point that the US even had plans to invade Portugal in case of a socialist government emerging. The CIA also funded “leftist” terrorists who would plant bombs and kill civilians to discredit the communist movement which greatly impacted the movements image and public support, these CIA funded terrorists (the Forcas Populares 25 de Abril) were the reason why the communist Party had to step back from the public for a great time.
What is the cause of the decline of the PCP?
To my understanding, it had a stronghold in the south of the country where the CDU (their electoral alliance with a green party - the name is hilarious if you live in Germany. The name of the Conservative party, yet with hammer and sickle next to it) regularly got very good results… but nowadays that seems to be fading away, without much of a rise for the Left Bloc (the other supposedly -?- Socialist Party)
to my understanding, the people who lived/ grew up during the PREC period supporting the communists are simply becoming old while the more out-of-touch people after it who were already raised in the aftermath, believe that the old communists are just senile and feel nostalgic or whatever.
Ah, the classic. God I hate the youth. (
posting)im not hating the youth, im a “youngster” myself y’know. Its just a fact that generations who didnt experience fascism and the transition to democracy are not as willing to bite in alternative systems like socialism now that their country has transitioned to a “real democracy”…and ofcourse anti-communist propaganda is everywhere
I know, I’m in my mid 20s myself. I’m just being bitter that people my age are huge libs.
