Analysis of Politics in Portugal - Essay Example

Politics in Portugal Introduction Portugal officially known as Portuguese Republic is situated in the South West Europe. Portugal is surrounded by Atlantic Ocean on the west and south and the country Spain is situated on the east and north of Portugal. The capital of Portugal is Lisbon and the largest city is also Lisbon. “Following its heyday as a world power during the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence in 1822 of Brazil as a colony. A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six decades, repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms. The following year, Portugal granted independence to all of its African colonies. Portugal is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC (now the EU) in 1986” (CIA – World Fact Book) During the past 3 000 years, Portugal has witnessed a constant ebb and flow of civilisations. Phoenician, Greek, Celt, Carthaginian, Roman and Arabic cultures have all left their imprint.(Europa) This paper details the politically relevant history, economy, culture and political situations of Portugal. History: Julius Caesar and Augustus conquered the province of Lusitania which was occupied by the early tribal people of Portugal. The territory adopted Roman ways of living and the language of Portuguese took its root from Latin. The invasion by Romans happened in the period of 1000 B.C. In the early 8th century Moors conquered the Iberian Peninsula in which the early territory of Portugal was situated from Visigoths – the Germanic invaders. Muslim culture had its own impact and resulted in a large minority getting converted into Muslims. (Encyclopedia) Portuguese nation was created by the re-conquest of the territory by the Christians. The Moors were driven out of the territory by the King of Asturias during the 8th century. Alfonso VI of Castile is a key person in the Portuguese history and with the aid of France he won the war against the Moors to retain control over the Portuguese land. The dynasty descended with Henry of Burgundy and his son Alfonso Henriques who styled himself Alfonso I, King of Portugal. The country was recognized by Spain in the year 1143 and by Pope in the year 1179. The rule of Alfonso extended for a longer duration from 1128 – 1185 and is considered as an important factor in the Portugal’s history. (Encyclopedia) A great task of recapturing other regions of Portugal from Moors was placed on the successors of Alfonso. The country of Portugal witnessed continuous strife ridden days because of the conflicts between other claimants of Portugal, between the King and the nobles and between the Crown and the Church over issues relating to land and power. Sancho I (1185 – 1211), Alfonso II (1211 – 1223) and Alfonso III (1223 – 1248) were the successive rulers of Portugal and Alfonso III consolidated the country of Portugal. Diniz (1279 – 1325), Alfonso IV and Peter I (1357 – 1367) followed Alfonso III in ruling Portugal. Ferdinand I took power in 1367 and ruled till 1383 and during his reign he indulged in Castilian wars which lasted long. (Encyclopedia) Nun Alvares Pereira helped Portuguese to win the Castilians in the Aljubarrota war of 1385 and made John I as the King. John founded the Aviz dynasty and the period of his ruling from 1385 to 1433 marked the glorious period in the history of Portugal. During this period Portugal started to expand its territory by creating colonies and undertaking maritime expeditions. The period also saw the extension of wars against the Moors extending to Africa. (Encyclopedia) During the period of John II (1481 – 1495) the important event of the rounding of Cape of Good Hope by Bartholomew Diaz happened. When Manuel I (1495 – 1521) ruled Vasco Da Gama sailed to India, Brazil was claimed and Alfonso de Albuquerque captured Goa, Melaka and Hormoz. Thus the Portuguese empire expanded across the world. Mass conversion of Jewish community to Christianity was ordered by Manuel I. The reign of Manuel I and that of John III during 1521 – 1557, were the peak of Portuguese expansion in other geographical locations. The country faced a decline in the period between 1557 and 1580. The country came into the captivity of Spain in the year 1580 which lasted till 1640. The war undertaken by Spain against English and Dutch eroded the wealth of Portugal as well. The Dutch also attacked the overseas Portuguese colonies to gain access to the sources of trade. Though Portugal was successful in retrieving Brazil it had to lose most of its Asian Territories and this eliminated the chances of Portugal to become a great power again. (Encyclopedia) In the year 1640 Portugal became free from the clutches of Spain. Peter II who ruled the country during 1667 – 1706 revived the ties with England which paved the way for increased trade and commerce. During the rule of Joseph (1750 – 1777) Marques design Pombal was the design facto ruler of the country and he tried to bring as many reforms as possible to revitalize the country. Gold reserves from Brazil also helped recreating the financial stability. But the country suffered a severe economic setback after the earth quake of 1755 and the resources of Brazil also depleted. This gave the major responsibility of rebuilding the nation to Pombal. (Encyclopedia) Several of the reforms made by Pombal were canceled in the subsequent reign of Maria I and her husband Peter III. During the regency of Maria’s son John IV (1816 – 1826) because of its alliance with England the country faced the invasion of French through Napoleon. This made the royal family fled to Brazil and the country was rent by the peninsular war. In 1811 Portugal was freed from French occupation but John IV returned to the country only in 1820 and accepted a liberal Constitution in 1822. Brazil declared its independence during the same period and Pedro the elder son of John IV became the monarch of Brazil. Pedro claimed the throne of Portugal also after the death of John IV. Pedro abdicated the kingdom in favor of his daughter Maria II (1826 – 1853) During the regency of Maria II Portugal witnessed the Miguelsit wars and several other coups and dictatorship. But still there were developments in the form of creation of Civil Codes and penal laws and other regulations governing trade and commerce. The reforms continued through Peter V (1853 – 1861) and Louis (1861 – 1889) (Encyclopedia) Portugal had a stronghold in the African countries of Angola and Mozambique due to their explorations to African countries. Charles (1889 – 1908) established a dictatorship in the year 1906 to end the inefficiencies of the parliamentary regime of the late 19th century under the control of Joao Franco; but both Charles and Franco were assassinated and Manuel II came to power. He was also abdicated by a republican revolution in the year 1910. (Encyclopedia) The Portugal republic was established in the year 1910 with Teofilo Braga taking over as the President. However this change in the system of ruling did not end the economic miseries of the country. The economic conditions further worsened with the country taking the sides of Allies in the World War I. In the year 1926 through a military coup General Carmona became President and Antonio design Oliveira Salazar took charge as the finance minister. Salazar became the Premier in the year 1932 and was greatly responsible for corporative constitution of 1933 that made the history of the longest reign of dictatorship in the Western Europe. (Encyclopedia) Political Events: For a period extending to almost half of the 20th century the country was under the dictatorship. Antonio design Oliveira Salazar was the person who was controlling the affairs of the country for decades followed by his successor Marcello Caetano. The adamant behaviour of the dictator not to leave the grip on the colonies had led to a number of wars in Africa which deteriorated the resources of the country and was responsible mainly for the economic backwardness of the country. However the country was relieved of this undesirable political situation in the year 1974 with a coup organized by the leftists in the armed forces of the country. By the year 1975 all the colonies of Portugal in Africa became independent with East Timor and Macao as the last ones to become so. The year 1975 witnessed nationalization of banking, transportation, heavy industries and the media. But still the country continued to suffer from social, economic and political upheavals for the decades followed. The European Economic Community (EEC) admitted Portugal as a member in the year 1996 and Mario Soares was made the first civilian president of the country in the 60 years period. Portugal had general elections in the year 1995 and a socialist government took advantage of the better economic conditions prevalent during 1997. In the year 1999 Portugal became a founding member of the European Economic and Monetary Union. (EMU) The central-right Social Democratic party defeated the Socialist party in the year 2002 and Jose Manuel Durao Barroso of the Socialist Democratic Party became the Prime Minister. Portugal faced a huge natural calamity in the form of a heat wave that ravaged the forests of Portugal killing thousands of people. Borroso resigned as the Prime Minister of Portugal became the President of the European Union in 2004 and had to resign his position of the Prime Minister. Pedro Santana Lopes succeeded as Prime Minister. In the 2005 elections the Socialist Party again won and Jose Socrates was made the Prime Minister. (Encyclopedia) Government: “After a period of instability and communist agitation, Portugal ratified a new Constitution in 1976.” (US Department of State) There were various amendments to the Constitution in the years 1982, 1989, 1992 and 1997. The President is the Chief of the State and is elected by the citizens for a term of five years. The president appoints the Premier and the Premier is supported by a majority of the Assembly. The Premier functions as the Head of the Government and is also heading the cabinet. “In addition, a council of state acts as a consultative body to the president and consists of representatives from the political parties, a military defense board, and a constitutional tribunal.” (Encyclopedia) The legislative body of the government with 230 members is elected under a system of proportional representation for a four year term. Economic Overview: The economic situation in Portugal has deteriorated over the period resulting in the lowest nominal per-capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of all the members of the EU nations in the year 2003. With the status as a member of the EU the country received monetary assistance to improve its infrastructural facilities and enhance its economic growth. In the year 2001 the budget deficit of Portugal reached a level of 4.3 percent of GDP which was lower than the ceiling fixed by the EU for its member nations. After a reprimand by the EU the country over this issue, the government introduced austerity measures to monitor the budget deficit and improve the economic growth. The ceiling on the budget imposed by EU on the member Nations act as a serious impediment for the economic development of Portugal. The developed countries prefer to make foreign direct investments in Central Europe and Asian countries than Portugal. This is one of the main reasons for the economic backwardness of the country. In addition the unemployment levels are extremely high and there is very little job creation due to tight budgetary provisions of Portugal. The economy of Portugal had basically turned into a service based economy in the past two decades. As reform measures for improving the economy there had been a privatization move of many state controlled firms in different sectors of the economy. (Fact Sheet) Unlike other Western European countries, Portugal does not use much of mechanization in the agricultural production. However agricultural production only constitutes 10 percent of the gross national product of Portugal. The main agricultural produce includes wheat, corn, potatoes, tomatoes grapes and sugar. Food processing, textile, chemical and paper manufacturing are some of the light industries functioning in Portugal. There are only very few heavy industries. The mining sector includes coal of lower grade, copper pyrites, iron ore and tungsten. A majority of the requirements of Cork is met by the forests of Portugal (Encyclopedia) “The country has enjoyed considerable economic progress since it became a member of the European Community (now the European Union) in 1986. Machinery and motor vehicles, textile fibers, petroleum, and cereals are major imports, and cotton textiles and wine as well as cork, other wood products, and fruit are major exports. European Union countries are the main trading partners.” (Encyclopedia) Culture: The Portuguese culture takes its root from the ancient Latin culture. The country, since was subjected to several influences from various nationalities and cultures has remarkable architectural structures as well as other literary treasures like art, furniture and diverse cultural heritage witnessing the historic events that shaped up the country over the period of time. There are a large number of cultural landmarks in Portugal which include the ancient cathedrals and museums that talk much about the rich cultural background of Portuguese. There is a rich tradition of art, music, drama and dance in which there is a large participation by the Portuguese. The traditional folklore (Ranchos Folcloricos) has wide range of variations according to the regions in which it is being practiced. Almost every town of the country has a museum and traditional buildings. There are wide range of cultural activities in the form of traditional dances and music that are being performed in smaller towns and rural places. Festivals are being celebrated in all places irrespective of the size of the place during summer. people enjoy their beach holidays during the months of June to September every year. Football or Soccer as it is called is the major sport event of the country. Football tournaments involving major football leagues of Portugal are being watched with great interest. Though Bull fighting is a popular sport in the neighboring country of Spain it has not gained popularity in Portugal. Painting did not gain popularity in the early years of Portugal as there were restrictions on having these in churches and other public places. However after the 15th century the art of painting in Portugal saw its expansion. In fact during this period the Gothic art was replaced by an improved version instilling the Italian tint. There were royal painters for example during the reign of Alfonso V who developed the art of painting in the ancient Portugal. During the late 15ht and early 16th century the paintings of Portugal became widely known all over the world. The development of the art of painting continued through the period till the 19th and 20th centuries. In the area of food and alcoholic beverages Portuguese has a renowned place in the world. Especially the Portuguese wines are considered the best wines of the world. Beer is another drink that is largely consumed by the Portuguese. The Portuguese cuisine includes a wide variety of traditional dishes made of meat, seafood and fish. “Portuguese culture is based on a past that dates from prehistoric times into the eras of Roman and Moorish invasion. All have left their traces in a rich legacy of archaeological remains, including prehistoric cave paintings at Escoral, the Roman township of Conimbriga, the Temple of Diana in Évora and the typical Moorish architecture of such southern towns as Olhão and Tavira.” (Portugal) There had been a continuous influence of alien countries in the culture of Portugal. These include the Flemish, French and Italian. The voyagers from Portugal like Vasco Da Gama carried the oriental influences back to Portugal. The wealth of gold and jewels from Brazil had also adorned the cultural heritage of Portugal. The religion of Portugal is mostly Roman Catholic with almost 94 percent of the population currently are Roman Catholics. The Ethnic Groups include “Homogeneous Mediterranean stock on mainland, Azores, and Madeira Islands Less than 100,000 citizens of black African descent, who immigrated in 1970s to Portugal from its former colonies in Africa; small number of Gypsies; small Jewish community.” (Library of Congress) Family is considered as the foundation of the structure of social life and the family becomes the basis of stability. The individual has the first responsibility to the family even before the importance he attaches to his business. Portuguese are very conservative and believes in traditions. The Portuguese are formal in their dealings with strangers and the formality is coupled with an inherent politeness. Portuguese culture respects hierarchy and one can find the society and business highly stratified and well structured in a vertical fashion. Rank is very important in the Portuguese culture and the people in the senior ranks should get the respect due to their seniority. “In business, power and authority generally reside with one person who makes decisions with little concern about consensus building with their subordinates.” (Kwintessential) References: CIA – World Fact Book ‘Central Intelligence Agency – The World Fact Book’ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/po.html Encyclopedia ‘Portugal’ Infoplease http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0860493.html Europa ‘European Countries – Portugal’ http://europa.eu/abc/european_countries/eu_members/portugal/index_en.htm Fact Sheet ‘Portugal Fact Sheet’ http://ocw.mit.edu/NR/rdonlyres/F680C41F-2723-420B-AA3C-D4836514DA17/0/hw3_portugal.pdf Kwintessential ‘Portugal – Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette’ http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/portugal.html Library of Congress ‘Country Studies – Portugal’ http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+pt0005) Portugal http://www.portugal-live.net/UK/essential/culture.html U.S. Department of State ‘Background Note: Portugal’ Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs’ About.com http://geography.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3208.htm Read More