Portugal in the 1980s: Dilemmas of Democratic Consolidation

This authoritative study provides the most comprehensive analysis available of the current political, economic, and social situation in Portugal. In his introduction, Maxwell reviews the revolutionary changes of the past ten years. Several authors address the international issues, examining the nature and possible future direction of Portugal’s foreign relations in general and her involvements with Spain, Africa, and Western Europe in particular. The potential benefits and disadvantages of Portugal’s entry into the European Community are discussed, and the political and economic implications of Portugal’s emergence as an important European power are considered. The difficult process of developing democratic institutions in a country beset by resistant social, political, and economic problems is analyzed from various perspectives. The constraints on Portugal’s economy are carefully assessed. A chapter on social crisis and the state investigates the complex structure of state/society relationships and how they are affected by political polarization, severe socioeconomic inequalities, and high levels of poverty and illiteracy. Former Prime Minister Francisco Pinto Balsemao offers an inside look at the functioning of the political system and weighs prospects for the success and long term survival of democratic government in Portugal.