Tony Cliff

Portugal at the crossroads

(September 1975)

 
1974:

MFA overthrows Caetano regime. Spinola appointed President. Promise of free elections within one year.

Secret Police, PIDE, disbanded and members hounded through streets. Taken into military custody for protection.

100,000 march through streets of Lisbon.

1st Provisional Government set up. CP takes Ministry of Labour.

CP trade union leaders in the Intersindical attack workers who have been striking for higher wages. CP denounces bakery workers as “fascists”.

Strike wave continues, including nearly every major group of workers.

Postal workers’ strike starts in Lisbon. Bitterly attacked by CP.

New Press Law passed – allows fines and suspensions of papers. A Maoist editor is imprisoned. PRP paper Revolução fined for expressing discontent of rank and file soldiers.

Second Provisional Government. Vasco Gonçalves appointed prime minister.

Two officers who refuse to break postal workers’ strike arrested and imprisoned.

Spinola forced to issue statement supporting immediate independence for Portuguese colonies.

During August the Press Law is used against a number of Portuguese papers, including Republica, which is suspended. The minister responsible is Raoul Rego.

Guinea-Bissau recognised as independent.

New strike law passed, outlawing occupations and setting up 30-day cooling-off period. CP remains in the government which passes this law and makes no protest.

Lisnave workers’ one-day strike. CP supports government ban on march.

TAP workers, who have been on strike for a month, stage massive demonstration against the use of the army to break their strike.

Spinola plots coup. Demonstration of the “silent majority” called for by Spinola is stopped by workers. Workers build barricades in Lisbon and Oporto. Bridges are blocked. Railway workers strike. Motor transport is stopped and searched by armed workers and rank and file soldiers. MFA leaders forced to back workers’ mobilisation. Many right wingers arrested.

Spinola forced to resign as President. Replaced by his former chief of staff in the African Wars, General Costa Gomes.

 
1975:

Discussion of new trade union law. CP and revolutionary left call for a single trade union centre. Socialist Party and right wing call for several trade union federations – designed to split workers along religious and political lines. CP support for single federation not entirely impartial as they have firm bureaucratic control over the existing single centre, the Intersindical.

Mass demonstration of 100,000 workers in Lisbon in favour of single trade union federation.

COS, a right-wing party led by former fascists, holds rally in Oporto attended by British Tories, including Geoffrey Rippon. The hall is besieged by left-wing demonstrators. Police attack demonstrators. Troops called in side with demonstrators against the police.

40,000 workers march in Lisbon organised by the Interempresa. The Interempresa (inter-factory committee) was a body set up on a PRP initiative in the Lisbon area. It grew to include the representatives of 40 of the most militant factories in the area. The demonstration is called over the fight against unemployment and in protest against the manoeuvres of the NATO fleet off Portugal.

30,000 farm workers, landless labourers from the Alentejo region in the South, demand the confiscation of the landlords’ land. A wave of land seizures begins in the South.

Elections postponed to 25 April, a sign of the mounting tension in Lisbon.

Police fire on left-wing demonstrators in Setubal, killing one worker.

Right wing, led by Spinola, attempt coup. The RAL 1 barracks in Lisbon attacked from the air and ringed by paratroopers. Workers down tools, build barricades, demand arms from soldiers. The police barracks in Lisbon besieged by crowds of workers. Other police barracks are stormed and weapons taken by workers. Paratroopers attacking RAL 1 are surrounded by workers who argue with them. The attempted coup peters out. After the coup Spinola a flees to Brazil and many right-wing officers are purged from the army.

Bank workers occupy banks to prevent economic sabotage.

Government forced to nationalise banks. Foreign-owned banks and agricultural credit institutions are excepted.

Fourth Provisional Government declared. Election campaign begins.

MRPP banned from election on grounds that it refuses to change its symbol, which the CP claims is too much like its own. Although this Party, the AOC and the semi-fascist PDC are all subject to legal restrictions during this period, and some members of the MRPP are arrested and held for brief periods, the left-wing parties continue to be able to operate completely openly.

The first Congress of the CRTSM (Councils of Revolutionary Workers, Soldiers and Sailors) movement is held in Lisbon. The PRP is the only organisation in Portugal putting forward any perspective of workers’ democracy at this stage. All other parties are obsessed with lecturing workers via their free television time, etc.

Elections held. The SP wins largest number of seats in the Constituent Assembly, although it, like all the other main parties, has agreed with the MFA that it is to continue to dominate Portuguese politics. The big SP vote finds no reflection in the government, so Soares launches his long campaign to force concessions. CP gets only 12 percent of the votes, and the parties to the left of it about 4 percent.

Massive May Day rally in Lisbon. Soares tries to force his way onto the platform. PRP organise smaller demonstration in support of CRTSMs.

MRPP members arrested in Lisbon and other towns. Held in same jail as ex-PIDE members.

Throughout May and June the SP backs attempts of one of its leaders, Rego, to prevent workers influencing contents of paper, Republica. SP claims this is a “Communist takeover”.

Crucial meeting of Armed Forces Movement assembly ends in compromise. Discussion centres around building of revolutionary councils. On Tuesday 17, 40,000 march through Lisbon on a demonstration organised by CRTSMs calling for the dictatorship of the proletariat. The same week the reports begin to come in of the first right-wing rallies in the Azores.

Radio Renascenca becomes focus of struggle between workers and bishops of Catholic Church.

Contradictory statements by government ministers as to what is going to happen to Renascenca.

Army occupies Lisbon Telephone Exchange to break strike.

Army announces withdrawal from Telephone Exchange. Morale of troops has broken down. During this week workers picketed the main Lisbon stations, persuading workers not to buy tickets in protest at fare increases. The CP Youth Organisations organise gangs of thugs to beat up pickets. Military Police sent in to break pickets, fraternise.

30,000 workers march through Lisbon in support of TLP workers.

MFA Assembly approves compromise document on “Popular Power”.

Republica produced under control of workers. Policy is well to the left of the CP and critical of it.

Soares leaves government, threatening to paralyse country unless SP demands are met.

Soares starts to put threats into practice with first rally in Lisbon. It is small and middle class, but shows right-wing politics.

Soldiers and workers demonstrate in Lisbon calling for implementation of the MFA plan for “Popular Power”.

SP programme of rallies gets under way. CP tries to set up barricades in Lisbon and Oporto to stop Socialist Party. Barricades taken over by Army. From this point on, attacks on CP, trade union and other left offices, and the beating up of militants, become regular throughout the North of Portugal.

Attempts to set up Fifth Provisional Government. Vasco Gonçalves still Prime Minister.

PRP offices in Sao Joao da Madeira attacked by reactionary mob. PRP members open fire and drive off crowd.

Second Conference of CRTSMs called in Lisbon.

Battle of the Documents: rival groups of army officers put forward proposals for reorganising the country. The “nine” produce right-wing document. Some officers of COPCON produce a left-wing alternative.

Mass demonstration in Lisbon by workers and soldiers demanding implementation of COPCON document.

United Front formed between CP, centrist groups and PRP.

United Front calls mass demonstration in Lisbon against threat of right-wing government. CP break unity and get Costa Gomes to speak. PRP contingent march off the demo in disgust.

CP start talks with SP and expelled from the United Front.

Military officers discuss political situation. Gonçalves removed as Prime Minister, rejected as Army Chief of Staff. Admiral Pinheiro de Azivedo appointed new Prime Minister. Begins discussion of new government. It looks likely that the new government will represent a sharp shift to the right.