Portugal before and after democracy: New forms of dualism – and success

Abstract

A great deal of excellent scholarship on Portugal has emphasized dualities in the country’s development. This article extends that perspective, arguing that after the 1974 revolutionary transition to democracy the nature of those dualities changed. In general terms, Portugal’s earlier tendency to be a laggard even within southern Europe was greatly reduced, and on some points identified in this article the country has significantly outperformed other south European countries. However, those points coexist with many phenomena lacking that distinction. Major challenges and deficits continue to exist. Examples of areas of Portuguese success are provided along with an explanation for this new type of dualism.