Portugal, 50 Yrs Free from Dictatorship. Why Is Far Rt Creeping Back? Anti-Democratic Forces Rise
'In Portugal, we’re celebrating 50 years of freedom. So why is the far right creeping back?' The Guardian, April 25, 2025. Ed. - Today, we remember the 1974 Carnation Revolution. But as memories of dictatorship fade, anti-democratic forces are on the rise
Fifty years ago, on 25 April 1974, a military-led movement in Portugal took down the rightwing authoritarian regime that had governed the country for 41 years. The Carnation Revolution, named after the flowers people offered soldiers on the streets, led the country to democracy and an era of immense social progress- reducing infant mortality & illiteracy rates which were comparatively very high in 1974. By 1986, Portugal had made enough strides to be able to join the European Communities, now the EU.
I was born in the early 1990s, but even in my generation 25 April is a hallowed anniversary for many. Growing up as a teenager interested in politics generated a strong emotional attachment to a national holiday centred on the celebration of political freedom. But as collective memory of the dictatorship becomes increasingly distant, the mobilising force of democracy as an ideal is also starting to fade. The revolution and our very recent history of rightwing authoritarianism have long been seen as factors that would offer Portugal immunity as far-right parties surged across Europe.
But this exceptionalism came to an end in 2019, when a new party, Chega, became the 1st radical-right platform since the revolution to enter parliament.
The party’s leader catapulted to media attention after making xenophobic statements about the Roma community, one of the most discriminated-against minorities in the country. With the party capitalising on dissatisfaction with democracy and government performance and resentment against welfare recipients, its support has grown widely: 1.3% of the vote in 2019, to 7.2% in 2022, & 18.1% in the general election in March 2024. Overcoming the social & economic backwardness left by the dictatorship and creating a stable democracy has been Portugal’s main challenge in its 1st half-century after the Carnation Revolution.
Keeping alive the memory of why the revolution was necessary may be one of the challenges of its 2nd...
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/apr/25/portugal-50-years-far-right-carnation-revolution-democracy
= new reply since forum marked as read
