The MUNAF, the PCP and the problem of the revolutionary strategy of the Opposition, 1942-1947

Abstract

The Second World War originated the conditions favourable to the unity of the Opposition to Salazar in Portugal and those for an active resistance in some extent. The same conditions that made possible the implantation of the Communist Party as an important force and the intensification of strikes and popular protest also created a climate suitable for the unity in action against the regime among a lot of opposition sectors, previously scattered. This text studies that moment of the Opposition to the New State in Portugal, in 1942-1947, specially focusing the problem of the opposition strategy circunscribed by two poles: that of the putschist strategy - supported by those considering the Armed Forces as the decisive element to cause a rupture in the regime and that of
the popular insurrection, theorized by the PCP, grounded in the development of the economic and social claims through the fighting masses. Between these two poles there are the positions of ambiguity and compromise, also emphasized. Within a panorama of general lack of studies on such an important subject this article, even if it is limited by the few sources available, offers a first glimpse of the polemic on the Opposition in Portugal during the war. The author clearly describes the main positions in presence and traces the development of the discussions on such an issue.