Abstract
With the fall of the oldest dictatorship in Western Europe, Portugal is now endowed with a liberal-democratic system very similar to that of its neighbours. This evolution towards democracy is best represented by the emergence of competitive parties. In fact, political parties played a major role in the democratization process following the military coup d’état of 25 April 1974. Despite this involvement, during the first year of the ‘Carnation Revolution’, it was widely assumed that democratic parties would be relegated to playing a supporting role in a system where the military would exercise the essential elements of power. Clearly, these assumptions underestimated the ability of political parties to impose a civil form of government on a deeply divided military which was also influenced by the parties.
The English translation is by Matthew Mendelsohn.
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© 1990 Diane Ethier
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MacLeod, A. (1990). The Parties and the Consolidation of Democracy in Portugal: The Emergence of a Dominant Two-Party System. In: Ethier, D. (eds) Democratic Transition and Consolidation in Southern Europe, Latin America and Southeast Asia. Macmillan International Political Economy Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-11412-2_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-11412-2_8
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
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