Lisbon, April 19, 2026 (Lusa) - British historian Tom Gallagher says Portugal in the 20th century represented an example of Western civilisation tensions, contradicting some historians' views on recent history.
"I think Portugal has been interesting because it struggled to have a stable political system over time," in a "West always destroyed by wars that destroyed progress" and where "no long-term agreement on values and basic elements of freedom of speech ever existed," he told Lusa at the launch of his new book, "Portugal and the West: From British Ultimatum to Utopian Revolt".
"In Portugal, during the 20th century, these tensions were evident" and the country "is a very useful reflection of Western civilisation tensions."
The historian says the "chronic state of underdevelopment," where the "monarchy was no longer a unifying element," caused the monarchy's fall rather than the 1890 British Ultimatum (a 19th-century diplomatic demand over African territories between Portugal and the UK).
"I chose the ultimatum [to start Portugal's recent history] because it reveals the country's fragility and dependence on the world's great powers, in this case, England," he said.
Regarding the end of the 25 April (the 1974 Carnation Revolution ending the 20th-century dictatorship), Tom Gallagher says Portugal “was never an important stage of the Cold War” between the US and the Soviet Union.
He said Angola’s transformation into a communist country, or at least leaving the Western orbit, was inevitable, noting that the post-revolutionary period on the mainland saw more internal conflict than external interference.
The historian says Moscow "never seriously invested in Portugal during the post-25 April period and, if a civil war followed 25 November (a 1975 failed radical left-wing coup), the US would not have militarily opposed a communist regime in the south."
Gallagher said Jimmy Carter won the US elections shortly after and "the US administration's policy changed a lot, opting for non-intervention" in third countries.
During World War II, Portugal also sat at the centre of world tensions between the US and England. Winston Churchill defended the country's neutrality to prevent Francisco Franco (Spain's dictator) from aligning with Adolf Hitler.
He said the US "treated Portugal as a client state and an unimportant country that should obey Western civilisation" throughout the conflict.
The two countries’ leaders "did not get along. [Franklin D.] Roosevelt was anti-imperialist and wanted Europeans out of the colonies, while Salazar (Portugal's 20th-century dictator) was primarily a nationalist" who wanted to maintain "Portugal's imperial status."
He says Portugal's resistance to the conflict led Salazar to refuse regime change to keep the colonial empire.
"The dictatorship should continue, whatever the cost," because Salazar "did not trust the Americans, who wanted to impose their way of life on the world," Gallagher said.
D. Quixote Publisher launched the 467-page book, which highlights the main moments of Portugal's recent history. The author bases his summary of each period on compared documentation.
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