9. Portugal (1906-present)

 

Crisis Phase (May 19, 1906-August 24, 1911): King Carlos I appointed Joao Franco as prime minister with dictatorial powers on May 19, 1906. Prime Minister Franco dissolved the parliament (Cortes), and abolished political freedoms in January 1907. Opposition political parties condemned the government of Prime Minister Franco on September 8, 1907. The government suppressed an attempted rebellion on January 28, 1908. King Carlos I and Crown Prince Luis Filipe were assassinated in Lisbon on February 1, 1908, and King Carlos I’s son, Prince Manuel, ascended to the throne on February 2, 1908. Prime Minister Franco resigned in February 1908, and Admiral Ferreira do Amaral formed a government as prime minister. Prime Minister Ferreira do Amaral resigned in November 1908, and Campos Henriques formed a government as prime minister. Parliamentary elections were held on August 28, 1910. Miguel Bombarda, a leader of the Portuguese Republican Party (Partido Republicano Portugues – PRP), was assassinated on October 3, 1910. King Manuel II was overthrown during a military rebellion in Lisbon on October 4-5, 1910, resulting in the deaths of 43 civilians and 22 government soldiers. The Portuguese Republic was proclaimed on October 5, 1910, and Theophilo Braga was appointed as provisional president. Brazil provided diplomatic assistance (diplomatic recognition) to the republican government on October 22, 1910. The government decreed the separation of church and state on April 20, 1911. Elections for the Constituent Assembly were held on May 28, 1911. A new constitution went into effect on August 20, 1911, and Manoel de Arriaga was elected president by the Constituent Assembly on August 24, 1911. The US provided diplomatic assistance (diplomatic recognition) to the republican government on August 3, 1911. Britain, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Austria-Hungary provided diplomatic assistance (diplomatic recognition) to the republican government on August 11, 1911. Some 100 individuals were killed during the crisis.

Post-Crisis Phase (August 25, 1911-May 13, 1915): France provided diplomatic assistance (diplomatic recognition) to the republican government on August 25, 1911. Joao Pinheiro Chagas formed a government as prime minister on September 3, 1911. Prime Minister Chagas resigned on November 7, 1911. Prime Minister Augusto de Vasconcelos resigned on July 4, 1912, and Duarte Leite formed a coalition government as prime minister on July 16, 1912. Prime Minister Leite resigned on January 8, 1913, and Afonso Costa of the PRP formed a government as prime minister on January 9, 1913. Prime Minister Costa resigned on January 24, 1914, and Bernardino Machado formed a government as prime minister. Prime Minister Machado resigned, and Vitor Hugo de Azevedo Coutinho formed a government as prime minister on December 12, 1914. Prime Minister Azevedo Coutinho resigned on January 25, 1915, and General Joaquim Pimenta de Castro tool control of the government on January 26, 1915.

Crisis Phase (May 14, 1915-August 5, 1919): General Pimenta de Castro was overthrown during a military rebellion on May 14-18, 1915, and Joao Pinheiro Chagas formed a government as prime minister on May 17, 1915. Some 300 individuals were killed during the rebellion. President Arriaga resigned on May 25, 1915, and Theophilo Braga assumed the presidency on May 26, 1915. Parliamentary elections were held on June 13, 1915, and the PRP won 106 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. Bernardino Machado was elected president on October 5, 1915, and Afonso Costa of the PRP formed a government on November 29, 1915. The government seized 36 German ships in Portuguese ports on February 24, 1916, and Germany declared war against Portugal on March 9, 1916. Government troops suppressed riots in Lisbon on May 12-22, 1917, resulting in the deaths of some 200 individuals. President Machado and Prime Minister Costa were overthrown during a military rebellion led by Major Sidonio Pais on December 5-8, 1917. Some 350 individuals were killed during the rebellion. The Revolutionary Junta (Junta Revolutionaria – JR) headed by Sidonio Pais took control of the government and established the New Republic on December 10, 1917. Parliamentary elections were held in April 1918, and the Republican National Party (Partido Nacional Republicano – PNR) won 108 out of 155 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. The Monarchists won 37 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. Sidonio Pais was elected president without opposition, and he was inaugurated as president on May 9, 1918. Government troops suppressed a military rebellion in Lisbon and Oporto on October 13-14, 1918. Government police killed seven political prisoners in Lisbon on October 16, 1918. President Pais survived an attempted assassination in Lisbon on December 5, 1918, but he was assassinated in Lisbon on December 14, 1918. Admiral Joao do Canto e Castro was elected president by the Congress, and Joao Tamagnini Barbosa formed a government as prime minister. Government troops suppressed a royalist rebellion in Lisbon and Oporto between January 19 and February 13, 1919. Some 150 individuals were killed during the rebellion. Prime Minister Tamagnini Barbosa resigned on January 27, 1919, and Jose Relvas formed a coalition government as prime minister on January 28, 1919. Parliamentary elections were held in June 1919, and the PRP won 122 out of 234 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. Antonio Jose de Almeida was elected president by the Congress on August 5, 1919. Some 1,500 individuals were killed during the crisis.

Post-Crisis Phase (August 6, 1919-May 20, 1921): Colonel Antonio Maria Baptista formed a government as prime minister on March 8, 1920, but he died on June 6, 1920. Portugal joined the League of Nations (LON) on April 8, 1920. Colonel Liberato Damiao Ribeiro Pinto formed a government as prime minister on November 30, 1920. Prime Minister Ribeiro Pinto resigned on March 2, 1921, and Bernardino Machado formed a coalition government as prime minister on March 3, 1921.

Crisis Phase (May 21, 1921-December 16, 1925): Prime Minister Machado was overthrown during a military rebellion in Lisbon on May 21, 1921. Tome de Barros Queiros formed a government as prime minister on May 22, 1921. President Almeida dissolved Congress on June 1, 1921. Parliamentary elections were held in June 1921, and the Liberal Party (LP) won 48 percent of the vote. Antonio Granjo of the LP formed a government on August 30, 1921. Prime Minister Granjo and five other individuals were killed during a military rebellion led by Manuel Maria Coelho on October 19, 1921. President Almeida appointed Manuel Maria Coelho as prime minister on October 20, 1921, and appointed Carlos Maria Pinto as prime minister on November 4, 1921. Parliamentary elections were held in January 1922, and the PRP won 111 out of 226 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. Antonio Maria da Silva of the PRP formed a government as prime minister on February 5, 1922. Manuel Teixeira Gomes was elected president by the Congress on August 6, 1923. Prime Minister Silva resigned on November 15, 1923. The government suppressed a military rebellion on December 10, 1923. Prime Minister Ginestral Machado resigned on December 15, 1923, and Alvaro de Castro formed a government as prime minister on December 18, 1923. The government suppressed several communist rebellions between August 11 and September 13, 1924. Major Vitorino Guimarais of the PRP formed a government as prime minister in February 1925. Government troops suppressed a military rebellion on March 5, 1925. Government troops suppressed a military rebellion led by Comandante Filomeno da Camara, General Sinel de Cordes, and Lt. Colonel Raul Esteves in Lisbon on April 18-19, 1925. Prime Minister Guimarais resigned on June 30, 1925, and Antonio Maria da Silva of the PRP formed a government as prime minister on July 1, 1925. Government troops suppressed a military rebellion led by Captain Jose Mendes Cabecadas near Lisbon on July 19, 1925. Pirme Minister Silva resigned on August 1, 1925. Parliamentary elections were held in November 1925, and the PRP won 80 out of 156 seats in the Chamber of Deputies. President Teixeira Gomes resigned on December 10, 1925, and Bernardino Machado was elected president by the Congress on December 16, 1925. Some 1,000 individuals were killed during the crisis.

Post-Crisis Phase (December 17, 1925-May 27, 1926): Prime Minister Domingos Pereira resigned on December 16, 1925, and Antonio Maria da Silva of the PRP formed a government as prime minister on December 17, 1925.

Crisis Phase (May 28, 1926-April 11, 1933): Prime Minister Silva was overthrown in a military rebellion led by General Gomes da Costa on May 28-30, 1926. President Machado resigned on May 30, 1926, and General Costa took control of the government on June 1, 1926. General Antonio Oscar de Fragoso Carmona seized control of the government on July 9, 1926. The government suppressed rebellions in Oporto and Lisbon led by General Sousa Dias on February 2-13, 1927, resulting in the deaths of some 120 individuals. General Carmona was elected president without opposition in a plebiscite on March 25, 1928, and President Carmona appointed Antonio de Oliveira Salazar as finance minister on April 27, 1928. General Domingos de Oliveira formed a government as prime minister on January 21, 1930. Antonio de Oliveira Salazar established the National Union (Uniao Nacional -UN) on July 30, 1930. Government troops suppressed an attempted rebellion in Lisbon on August 26, 1931. Prime Minister Oliveira resigned on July 4, 1932, and Antonio de Oliveira Salazar formed a government as prime minister on July 5, 1932. The government adopted a new constitution on February 22, 1933, and the constitution was approved in a plebiscite on March 19, 1933. The constitution went into effect on April 11, 1933. Some 500 individuals were killed during the crisis.

Post-Crisis Phase (April 12, 1933-January 17, 1934):

Crisis Phase (January 18, 1934-September 29, 1968): The government headed by Prime Minister Antonio de Oliveira Salazar suppressed an attempted communist rebellion in Marinha Grande on January 18, 1934, resulting in the arrest of some 350 individuals. Parliamentary elections were held on December 16, 1934, and the National Assembly convened in Lisbon on January 10, 1935. President Antonio de Fragoso Carmona was re-elected without opposition on February 17, 1935. The government suppressed an attempted naval rebellion on September 9, 1936. Prime Minister Salazar survived an attempted assassination on July 4, 1937. President Carmona was re-elected in 1942. Prime Minister Salazar permitted the formation of opposition political parties on October 7, 1945. Parliamentary elections were held on November 18, 1945, and the National Union (Uniao Nacional – UN) headed by Prime Minister Salazar won a majority of the seats in the parliament. Opposition political parties boycotted the parliamentary elections. The government suppressed a military rebellion on October 10, 1946. The government suppressed a rebellion in May 1947. President Carmona was re-elected without opposition on February 13, 1949. President Carmona died on April 18, 1951. General Francisco Lopes was elected president without opposition on July 22, 1951. Admiral Americo Deus Tomas of the UN was elected president with 77 percent of the vote on June 8, 1958, and he was inaugurated as president on August 9, 1958. Government troops suppressed a military rebellion led by Captain Joao Varela Gomes on January 1, 1962, resulting in the deaths of three individuals. Government troops and demonstrators clashed in Lisbon and Oporto on May 1, 1962, resulting in the deaths of three individuals. The Social-Democratic Action Movement (Accao Democrato Social – ADS) was established by Francisco da Cunha Leal and Mario de Azevedo Gomes in opposition to the government in August 1963. Parliamentary elections were held on November 7, 1965. The ADS and other opposition political parties boycotted the parliamentary elections. Prime Minister Salazar was incapacitated by a stroke on September 16, 1968, and Marcello Caetano formed a government as prime minister on September 29, 1968. Some 100 individuals were killed during the crisis.

Post-Crisis Phase (September 30, 1968-April 24, 1974): Former Prime Minister Salazar died on July 27, 1970. The UN changed its name to the National Popular Action (NPA) on February 20, 1970. Government police arrested several political opponents of the government in Lisbon and Oporto on April 18-21, 1974.

Crisis Phase (April 25, 1974-April 25, 1976): The government was overthrown by members of the Movement of the Armed Forces (MAF) on April 25, 1974, and the seven-member Junta of National Salvation (JNS) took control of the government on April 26, 1974. Some ten individuals were killed during the military coup. General Antonio de Spinola was named as provisional president by the JNS on May 15, 1974. Adelino da Palma Carlos formed a center-left coalition government as prime minister on May 16, 1974. General Spinola resigned as provisional president on September 30, 1974, and General Francisco de Costa Gomez was named as provisional president on October 1, 1974. Government police clashed with demonstrators in Setubal on March 7, 1975, resulting in the deaths of three individuals. Government troops suppressed a military rebellion led by supporters of former President Antonio de Spinola on March 11, 1975, resulting in the death of one individual. Elections for the Constituent Assembly were held on April 25, 1975, and the Portuguese Socialist Party (PSP) won 115 out of 247 seats. The Popular Democratic Party (PDP) won 80 seats in the Constituent Assembly, and the Communist Party of Portugal (CPP) won 30 seats in the Constituent Assembly. The MAF took control of the government on July 17, 1975. General Vasco Goncalves resigned as prime minister on September 6, 1975, and Vice Admiral Jose Pinheiro de Azevedo form a government as prime minister on September 19, 1975. Government troops suppressed a left-wing military rebellion near Lisbon on November 25-28, 1975, resulting in the deaths of nine individuals. A new constitution went into effect on April 25, 1976.

Post-Crisis Phase (April 26, 1976-present): Parliamentary elections were held on April 25, 1976, and the PSP won 107 out of 263 seats in the Legislative Assembly. The PDP won 73 seats in the Legislative Assembly. Four individuals were killed in election-related violence in Vila Real and Lisbon on April 13-22, 1976. General Antonio dos Santos Ramalho Eanes was elected president with 62 percent of the vote on June 27, 1976, and he was inaugurated as president on July 14, 1976. Mario Soares of the PSP formed a government as prime minister on July 23, 1976.

[Sources: Clodfelter, 1992, 587-588; Facts on File, January 1-10, 1962, May 3-9, 1962, April 27, 1974, March 15, 1975, May 3, 1975, September 13, 1975, September 27, 1975, December 6, 1975, July 3, 1976: Foreign Relations of the US (FRUS), 1908, 686-692, 1910, 825-828; Jessup, 1998, 596-599; Keesing’s Record of World Events, September 6-13, 1958, November 27-December 4, 1965, February 5-12, 1972, May 20-26, 1974, November 4-10, 1974, April 21-27, 1975, June 2-8, 1975, June 25, 1976, July 31, 1976, September 17, 1976; Langer, 1972, 698-699, 995-996, 1186-1187; Livermore, 1947, 441-464; Livermore, 1967, 306-345; Robinson, 1979, 32-82; Survey of International Affairs (SIA), 1925 (supplement), 209; Wheeler 1978.]