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Portugal, officially the Kingdom of Portugal (Portuguese: Reino de Portugal) is a country located on the Iberian peninsula, headed by King Duarte II and integralist Prime Minister José Hipólito Raposo. Portugal is bordered to the north and east by the Kingdom of Spain; and to the south and west by the Atlantic Ocean. Through its colonial possessions, it also borders Mittelafrika, South Africa and the French Republic in Africa; and the Qing Empire via the League of Eight Provinces as well as the Netherlands via the Dutch East Indies in Asia. Portugal is a nominal member of the Entente.
History[]
The troubled Republic[]
During the 19th century, Portugal was characterized by the internal struggles between republicans and supporters of a constitutional monarchy, which caused a deep rift in the country. In 1910 a coup of Portuguese republican officers against King Emanuel II abolished the rule of the Royal House of Bragança. Teófilo Fernandes Braga became the first president of the Republic; he proclaimed civil liberties and emancipated women in family law. An agricultural reform failed, however, because of the opposition of the aristocracy. The gravest inheritance of the republic was the desolate economy which was completely oriented towards trade with Great Britain.
The young Portuguese Republic had no real chance to stabilize and soon found itself sucked into the horrors of the Weltkrieg due to Portugal's close cooperation with Britain; Tensions on the Angolese-South West African border resulted in the confiscation of German ships interned in Portuguese ports, to which Germany reacted by declaring war on 9 March 1916, quickly followed by Portugal's reciprocal declaration.
Portugal's troops, ill-equipped and trained, performed poorly on most theaters; Devastating losses in Mozambique and German U-boat attacks on Portuguese islands in the Atlantic Ocean resulted in a deep humiliation of the Republic of Portugal and, combined with rampant political instability, eventually led to military officer and former ambassador to Germany Sidónio Pais performing a coup upon the government of Alfonso Costa in December 1917. He would attempt to reform the ailing republic, awarding himself greatly increased powers & superseding the Congress of the Republic. These semi-dictatorial actions would lead to him gaining the informal title “the President-King”.
República Nova[]
President Pais would quickly get to work trying to re-stabilise the republic, which he called the República Nova ("New Republic"). He reversed the institutional anti-clericalism of previous governments, in turn normalising relations with the Vatican. This would greatly increase his popularity amongst the catholic masses, though it drew ire from other traditional republicans. Capitalising on this new-found popularity, Pais moved to make the President a role elected by referendum, and at the end of April 1918 he was elected in a landslide vote. Not all was well in Portugal however, with the war effort continuing to drag on. Small victories on the Western Front during the “Great Western Offensive” would buoy public support for the meantime, staving off instability for the time being & giving Pais an opportunity to clamp down on opposition.
However the loss of Mozambique to Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck in September would prove catastrophic. Political unrest amongst the republicans would quickly follow, though Pais’ popularity would help to offset insurrectionists. In November, a junta would be formed by Álvaro de Castro, the former Governor-General of Mozambique, with to goal to oust Pais from power, though it would struggle to find popular support. Pais himself would escape an assassination attempt on December 5th, and with bolstered security made his way to Coimbra to meet with the de Castro Junta a few days later. Negotiations over the next few days would prove fruitful, and the junta would dissolve before Christmas, with some of its former political supporters now joining the National Republican Party.
1919 would prove to be a critical year for Portugal. Another insurrection, this time stemming from the Navy, would briefly take control of Lisbon in February, but was suppressed eventually. Pais would call a state of national emergency as a result, giving him the ability to oppress the growing opposition movements. In March, the German “Great Offensive” began, and following the catastrophic first few days a general retreat would be called, with Portuguese troops being evacuated from the Western Front. By this point, everyone had realised that Portugal was functionally out of the war. A short period of economic stabilization began and the people of Portugal would finally see an uptick in living standards; opposition to the Sidonists temporarily faded. However, the rise of anarcho-syndicalist groups like the UAP and the CGT would prove worrisome to the establishment, and a leftist protest turning violent in Lisbon would give Pais an excuse to maintain the state of emergency.
With the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in November, the Weltkrieg was over. Though Portugal didn't lose any territory, they’d taken hits on every front. The economy still was in shambles, and Portuguese national pride was irrevocably scarred. Fighting would continue in the colonies for a couple more months, mainly between German & Portuguese backed natives. The Portuguese army was finally able to return home, mainly on British ships, and this heavily bolstered the President’s authority.
In early 1920, Pais barely survived another attempt on his life. While he recovered, civil strife continued to build, culminating in a military crackdown on dissenters. Pais would become even more authoritarian and began to rule with an iron fist after recovering from his wounds, in a bid to stabilise the nation. Congress was outright suspended, and martial law was invoked. By April, the situation in Portugal had calmed down, and by June the martial law ended. By guiding the republic through its toughest test yet, and surviving a very public assassination attempt, Pais had now ascended to being an almost national hero, reaching the peak of his personal popularity. Calling another plebiscite on the Presidency, Pais would far outstrip his previous election and give his regime increased democratic legitimacy. The economy showed signs of improvement, and things were looking up for the Republic.
The beginning of the end[]
Instability returned in 1921 after high inflation destroyed the economy once again. With strikes and political conspiracies abound, Pais was beginning to be threatened once again, and a military mutiny would bring Pais to call another State of Emergency, not even a year after the last one ended. Military crackdowns with loyal units quickly eroded the brief popularity Sidonio enjoyed, and with the economic situation continuing to spiral opposition began to seriously radicalise. Pais would refuse to step down however, and repeatedly cited he was the only man who could save the republic.
On 18 June 1921, Sidonio Pais was shot by an anarchist several times outside the Congress, despite a heavy security presence. The President-King would be dead within minutes, and with him the Republic would begin to fall.
Pais’ assassination would provide an opening for radical groups to undermine the republic. New President João do Canto e Castro, in a bid to provide Portugal with greater stability, would restore the “old” (or pre-Sidonist) republic. He would appoint a liberal government with the charismatic Antonio Granjo as Prime Minister. The Liberal Republicans & the Democratic Party would form a coalition government after the next election in early August, which was plagued with voter fraud. António José de Almeida would become the new President. Political instability would continue however as the Democratic Party was quickly befallen by internal factionalism. In addition, a return to radical anti-clericalism, and a struggle to lessen inflation would ensure that faith in the government was gone before it started.
A Restauração[]
On 29 November, another military coup occured in Lisbon. In the so-called Noite Sangrenta ("Bloody Night"), radical soldiers would succeed in assassinating Prime Minister Granjo and multiple other ministers. The coup would ultimately fail, but Portugal would devolve into chaos, and after 2 high profile assassinations within 6 months both the people’s, and importantly the military's faith in the republic was destroyed.
The Royalists wouldn't take long to capitalise on the collapsing republic. On 5 December, former colonial governor Mitchell de Paiva Couceiro and his junta would march onto Porto, declaring the reestablishment of the monarchy. Whilst the republic struggled to respond, a separate mutinous army, backed by both the Integralists and the Clergy, marched on Lisbon a week later completely unopposed.
With the main 2 cities under siege by Royalist forces, and the army beginning to mutiny across the nation, President Antonio Jose de Almeida realised the republic was dead. Meeting with Paiva Couceiro on the 17th, the two would agree to restore the monarchy, and establish a provisional military government to stabilise the nation. Manuel II, having been taken by surprise by the restoration, graciously accepted his throne. On 5 January 1922, King Manuel II would be coronated and the Kingdom of Portugal would be formally restored, with the Monarchist cause in control.
The Calm before the Storm[]
The monarchists soon began to fix the troubled nation. The new government experienced a good recovery, especially in terms of international prestige. The economy and politics were reformed; Old currencies, flags, and titles restored, and most importantly a stable government, helped Portugal prosper throughout the early 20s. Expanded trade with Britain, following the loss of many of their markets, would buoy the Portuguese economy. The wider issues, stemming from low industrialisation, inexperienced economists & general economic corruption would not be solved however, and these issues still persist well into 1936. Manuel was initially open to restoring democracy, however his advisors warned against letting Republicanism have a chance to regain legitimacy. Such movements wouldn't be banned however, though their own instability would see them lose much of their popularity over the coming years.
The following years brought prosperity at last. As popular support for the Monarchy grew, some Republicans would turn more and more radical. An attempted assassination of the increasingly popular Manuel by a radical would further decrease Republican support, until only a minority wished for the Republic to return. The remaining prominent Republicans would either lay low, hoping that their underground movements slowly took root, or went into exile, never to return. Everything seemed too good to be true.
The Second Ultimatum[]
And it was. Portugal’s reliance on the British markets was seen to be foolproof, and attempts to open up trade links with Germany would be brushed aside. 1925 would prove to be a bad year for Portugal. With the British Revolution intensifying, Portugal would lose its main trading partner. The economy would once again slip away, as the nation's balance of payments would falter. With a lack of trade, unemployment would run rife. Things however would even get worse in November.
Long claimed by the Kingdom, Portugal moved into the Nyasaland in late 1925, while the British colonies in Africa were slipping from London’s control. A global land grab was already ensuing and Germany sent a warning to Lisbon to immediately vacate the area. The warning however was ignored, and therefore Germany would present Portugal with the Second Ultimatum, stipulating that the “The British colonies were to be divided along the Zambezi river, from the Caprivi-Strip to the Indian Ocean.” Given a week to comply before war would be declared, Portugal quickly realised that the Entente would not be able to support their claims in Africa. After 4 days, Prime Minister Paiva Couceiro would reluctantly accept the ultimatum, withdrawing the Portuguese troops back to Mozambique.
The Second Ultimatum would prove to be a humiliating loss of prestige, though it wouldn’t prove to be the end of the monarchy like many feared. As the economy continued to drag, and colonial prestige was shot, radical movements would begin to stir once again. Faith in the Monarchist Cause would fall away, and the Integralismo Lusitano would rise to the occasion. Already influential during the Restoration of 1922, the Integralists had initially struggled to find a proper support base in the Kingdom, and the death of their influential leader Antonio Sardinha in early 1925 would seemingly doom them. But here was a golden opportunity, and one that they would grab with both hands.
The Integralist Coup[]
In early 1926 the Integralists would launch a coup to take over the nation. Lacking the proper political capital to take over by themselves, the Integralists formed a royal coalition with other catholic monarchist movements, including the popular Catholic Center. On March 13th, an army headed up by José Hipólito Raposo would march on the Royal Palace, where a simple demand would be made: Install their Coalition into power, or suffer the consequences. Though they did not control huge amounts of the military, their political influence with the coalition was concerning to Manuel. A man of peace, he would take the choice to avoid bloodshed and allowed the Coalition into power, dismissing Coucerio as Prime Minister and installing Raposo in his place.
The Integralists introduced ambitious reforms, again. The economy would be improved by, put simply, trading with anyone who would buy their products. Much of this would take the form of Germany which, though unpopular due to the Second Ultimatum, would be fairly effective. In the early 30s, the administration of the colonies would be overhauled, with bureaucracy cleared out and the Governor-General of the province being empowered further, to the point where they outrank all ministers except the PM on matters in their colony. The military would be modernized slightly and industrialisation measures would be introduced.
Portugal in the 1930s[]
On the 2nd July, 1932, King Manuel II would die in his sleep aged just 42. Dying after being “suffocated by an abnormal swelling in the vocal folds of his larynx, or tracheal oedema” his death was viewed as suspicious by many. However, with no suspects, no witnesses and no evidence of anything untoward, it would be legally ruled as a natural death. Childless, the Pact of Dover stipulated that Duarte Nuno, the former Miguelist candidate succeed the throne as Duarte II. As such he did, finally uniting the succession branches after around 100 years of conflict.
Duarte would quickly prove to be a far different king to his predecessor. Interventionist and politically astute, friction would rapidly begin to grow between Duarte and Prime Minister Raposo. Duarte expected to have a bevy of royal powers, but the agreements between Manuel and Raposo had left the King with few other powers, and broad public support for the Integralists meant they couldn't be easily ousted, not without a seriously destabilising event.
The King and the Prime Minister quickly grew to hate each other, though publically they supported each others actions. This reflected the situation within the Royal Congress too. Though the two main coalition parties, the Integralists and the Catholic Center, openly supported each other, behind the scenes the situation was being much more factional.
As the Integralists personal support has begun to level off in recent years, the King has been making many meetings with former members of the Coucerio cabinet, as well as prominent coalition leaders outside of the Integralists. Whispers of a “National Restoration” can be heard through the Congress, though Jose Hipolito Raposo, entering his 10th year as Prime Minister, simply brushes aside the conspiracies. For all parties involved, the next few years will prove critical for the monarchy.
Politics[]
Portuguese politics are no longer the chaotic affair that the Republic once was, and while the Integralists rule with a comfortable majority, two other movements, the Cruzada Nuno Alvares and the Royalist Action, also have a significant presence. Legal, non-syndicalist parties still silently campaign for the return of the Republic, such as National Republican Party and Democratic Left Republican Party.
Head of State: SMF Duarte II de Braganza
Head of Government: José Hipólito Raposo
Foreign Minister:
Economy Minister:
Minister of Interior:
Military[]
Portugal's military performed poorly in the Weltkrieg, and thus many steps are being taken to ensure reforms and better equipment. Most of its military equipment is either imported from Canada or based on Canadian designs
Army[]
The Portuguese Royal Army, as it stands, consists of 5 divisions spread across the Portuguese colonial empire. While reasonably well equipped and trained, Portugal will need more if it is to survive a protracted war against any aggressor.
[]
The Royal Navy is small; budgetary issues prevented the naval expansion Portugal originally wanted. Its main duties are escorting cargo and personnel to the Overseas Provinces.
Air Force[]
The Portuguese Royal Airforce consists of a single squadron of Canadian-made bombers, but further expansion is planned.
Foreign Relations[]
Very good relations with Canada, the French Republic, the West Indies Federation, Australasia and the Dominion of India, since its still a nominal member of the Entente.
Good relations with the Papal State, Two Sicilies, Spain and Brazil.
Poor relations with Germany and its dependencies.
Very Poor relations with the Commune of France, Italian Socialist Republic and the Union of Britain.
Colonies and Dependencies[]
Portugal's overseas provinces in Africa are Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Angola, Mozambique and São Tome & Príncipe.
Portuguese colonies in Asia are the State of India, Macau and East Timor.