Populism in the “mild-mannered” country – a history of Portuguese twentieth-century populist moments (1917-1976)

Abstract

This paper analyses Portuguese twentieth-century populist moments from a historical perspective. At the start of the current “populist wave”, pundits and academics justified the lack of support for populism in Portugal by falling back on the conservative metaphor of the “mild-mannered country” – claiming that the Portuguese were not prone to political radicalism. An examination of the country’s contemporary history reveals a different picture. Following case studies that encompass the Portuguese First Republic, the Estado Novo dictatorship, and the Carnation Revolution, we seek to demonstrate that populism in Portugal has been a force to be reckoned with.