Undermining the republican-liberal system from within. Portuguese political parties in the European and Iberian context (1919-1926)

Abstract

In this article we analyze the evolution of the Portuguese political parties after World War I, inserting them in the European and Iberian context. The Portuguese political parties were modernized in this period, but did not become mass parties. In the main cities they served as parties of cadres and in the rural areas as parties of notables. During the final stage of the First Republic (1919-1926), no consistent steps were taken to democratize the political system and the parties failed to agree in defending the liberal-republican system. Portugal remained tied to the liberal and oligarchic tradition of the nineteenth century, though in a republican version and with a multiparty system of dominant party with an increasing lack of legitimacy.