Recensão de David Castaño. “‘A Practical Test in the Détente’: International Support for the Socialist Party in the Portuguese Revolution (1974-1975).” Cold War History 15:1 (Winter 2015): 1-26.

Abstract

After the celebrations of the fortieth anniversary of the coup of 25 April 1974 that dismissed the authoritarian regime of the Estado Novo and ended the colonial wars, which took place in 2014, Portugal celebrates this year the fortieth anniversary of the first democratic elections after the dictatorship. The elections of 25 April 1975 for the Constituent Assembly marked a turning point in the process of transition to democracy in Portugal. These elections were won by the Portuguese Socialist Party (PS) (38%), followed by the Popular Democratic Party (Partido Popular Democrático, PPD), with 26% of the votes, and, importantly, showed that the Communists were far from being the major political force in Portugal (they obtained only 12% of the vote), at a time when it seemed that they had absolute control of the political process. These results gave the non-Communist parties, and particularly the PS, a new drive in order to claim the re-structuring of the provisional Government according to the electoral results. The 25 April 1975 election provided the pro-democratic forces, in Portugal and in Western Europe, with an unquestionable argument: the vast majority of the Portuguese people were on their side. In fact, the results proved that the West Europeans were right in their support to the socialists, and that a Communist take over in Portugal would not have the acceptance of the population.