Marcelo Caetano
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| Marcelo Caetano | |
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| In office September 27, 1968 – April 25, 1974 |
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| Preceded by | António de Oliveira Salazar |
| Succeeded by | António de Spínola |
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| Born | 17 August 1906 |
| Died | 26 October 1980 (aged 74) Rio de Janeiro |
| Political party | National Union (later renamed People's National Action) |
| Spouse | Maria Teresa Teixeira de Queirós de Barros Caetano |
Marcelo José das Neves Alves Caetano, GCTE, GCC, also spelled Marcello Caetano (pronounced [mɐɾˈsɛlu kɐiˈtɐnu]; August 17, 1906 – October 26, 1980), was a Portuguese politician and scholar, who was prime minister from 1968 until his overthrow in the Carnation Revolution of 1974.
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[edit] Early career
Graduated in Law, Caetano was a professor at the Law School of the University of Lisbon. An ultraconservative politician and a self-proclaimed reactionary in his youth [1], Caetano started his political career in the 1930s under the authoritarian regime of António de Oliveira Salazar. He soon became an important figure in the "Estado Novo" regime, and in 1940 was appointed chief of the Mocidade Portuguesa (Portuguese Youth), then Minister of the Colonies (1944-1947), President of the Executive Board of the National Union since 1947, and President of the Corporative Chamber (1949-1955).
[edit] Failed succession of Salazar
From 1955 to 1958 Caetano was the number two of the regime, as Minister Attached to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, second only to the President of the Council, Salazar himself, who was approaching retirement age. His relationship with Salazar was tense at times, hindering him from becoming clearly a successor. Back to the academic career while maintaining formally important political functions (executive president of the National Union), Caetano was the Rector of the University of Lisbon from 1959 on, but the Academic Crisis of 1962 led him to resign, after the brutal reaction of the riot police against the students in the University's campus. He then abandoned any political functions until Salazar quit power for health reasons in September 1968.
[edit] Prime Minister
In August 1968, at 79, Salazar suddenly suffered a stroke after falling from a chair, and after 36 years as prime minister he was removed from power. President Admiral Américo Tomás, after weighing a number of choices, appointed Caetano to replace Salazar on September 27, 1968.[2] Tomás never consulted Salazar about this decision. By some accounts, when Salazar died in July 1970, he still believed he was prime minister.
Most of the people hoped that the new prime minister would soften the edges of Salazar's authoritarian regime and modernize the economy. Caetano moved on to foster economic growth and some social improvements, such as the awarding of a monthly pension to rural workers who had never had the chance to pay social security. Some large scale investments were made at national level, such as the building of a major oil processing centre in Sines. The economy reacted very well at first, but into the 70's some serious problems began to show, due in part to two-digit inflation (from 1970 on) and to the effects of the 1973 oil crisis.
On the political side, Caetano's power was largely held in check by Tomás, who had been largely a figurehead under Salazar. This was due more to a balance of power and personalities than any constitutional provision. As a result, there wasn't much that Caetano actually could or was willing to do. He considered running for President, which would have given him more power, but dismissed the idea.
Caetano made some attempts to blunt the harsher edges of the regime, even though at bottom he was still an authoritarian. Among some gestures, the PIDE, the dreaded secret police was renamed the DGS (Direcção Geral de Segurança, General-Directorate of Security). The opposition was allowed to run in the 1969 elections, as it was formally possible since 1945, but again with no realistic chance of winning any seats. The National Assembly during the Estado Novo was not conceived as a chamber for parties, but merely for popular representatives, chosen and elected on single lists. The 1969 and 1973 legislative elections changed little in that practice, and the National Union won all seats, as it happened before.
These reforms had to be extracted with some effort from the more hardline members of the government, namely Tomás. However, even these changes were not enough for large elements of the population who were eager for more freedom and civil rights and had no memory of the instability that preceded Salazar. Caetano was very disappointed that the opposition was not content with the meager reforms that he was able to wring out of the hardliners.
Since the beginning of the 1960s, the Portuguese colonies (the so-called overseas provinces) in Africa (Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé e Príncipe and Cape Verde) were struggling for independence, but the Lisbon government was not willing to concede and Salazar sent troops to fight the independence movements. By 1970, the war in Africa was consuming as much as 40% of the Portuguese budget and there was no sign of a solution in sight. At a military level, most of Guinea-Bissau was de facto independent since 1973. In Angola and Mozambique, independence movements controlled at most some remote areas. However, their impending presence and the fact that they wouldn't go away dominated public anxiety.
[edit] Overthrow and death
By the beginning of 1974, signals of rebellion increased. A movement named Movimento das Forças Armadas (MFA) was formed within the army and started planning a coup d'état to end the "Estado Novo" regime. In March, an unsuccessful attempt against the regime was made. By that time, Caetano had offered his resignation to the President more than once, but it was denied. There was now little attempt or political possibility to control the opposition's movements. On April 25, the military overthrew the regime in the "Carnation Revolution". There was almost no resistance. Caetano resigned, and was flown under custody to the Madeira Islands where he stayed for a few days. He then flew to exile in Brazil, where he died in Rio de Janeiro of a heart attack in 1980.[3]
[edit] Publications
Marcelo Caetano published several books, including several highly rated law books and two books of memoirs in exile: Minhas Memórias de Salazar (My memories of Salazar) ISBN B0000E8L13 and Depoimento (Testimony). He was one of the world's top authorities in fiscal law, some of his works being studied even in Soviet Universities. He also wrote Os nativos na economía africana in 1954. During his exile in Brazil, Caetano pursued academic activities, and published works on fiscal and constitutional Law.
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ At 20, Caetano directed the review Ordem Nova (1926-1927), which declared itself on the cover as "Catholic", "monarchist", "anti-democratic", "anti-liberal", "counter-revolutionary", "anti-bourgeois", "anti-bolchevist" and "intolerant", among other epithets.
- ^ See Decree N° 48597.
- ^ Time Magazine
| Preceded by António de Oliveira Salazar |
Prime Minister of Portugal 1968–1974 |
Succeeded by António de Spínola (interim, as President of the National Salvation Junta) Adelino da Palma Carlos (effective) |
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