On Thursday 22 October the Bruges Library organized an online lecture titled Mário SOARES, the EU and Portuguese Democracy.
António COSTA PINTO, Research Professor at the Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon, started with a short overview of the political history of 20th century Portugal. He outlined the Salazar's New State, the opposition activism of the 1950s and 1960s, the creation of the Portuguese Socialist Party (1973) and the Carnation Revolution (1974).
The main cleavages of 1975 (e.g. communist threat, decolonization) were enlightened, as Mário SOARES' struggle for liberal democracy, his imprisonment and exile. His position as Prime Minister and Portugal's Membership to the EEC were also discussed.
Mário SOARES will be remembered as republican, secular, a socialist and a Federalist Europeanist.
Afterwards a Q&A session was held with some interesting questions of our students.
For more information, please contact Roselien VAN LOOCKE.