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Portugal A New Portugal?
Portugal was long a closed, hierarchical, elitist,
rigidly
structured society whose social institutions seemed to be
more
nineteenth century than twentieth. Portugal was called a
"society
of uniforms" because people could be identified and their
class
rank determined by the clothes they wore, their manner of
speech,
and how they walked and carried themselves. Social
structure was
seen as immutable, and persons were expected to accept
their
station in life. Other than a few slots in the university
or the
military officer corps, few opportunities existed for
upward
mobility.
The Revolution of 1974 destroyed, undermined, or at
least
precipitated the toppling of many of these hierarchical
institutions. In the years since then, Portuguese society
has
become more flexible. More opportunities for social
mobility
appeared, and old categories of place and position became
blurred. Portuguese society became more egalitarian,
pluralist,
and democratic, and there was more of what the Portuguese
liked
to call movimento (change, dynamism, or movement).
In the years following the mid-1970s, the country's
middle
class grew in size and solidarity, the working class
enjoyed a
rising standard of living, and the number of entrepreneurs
and
technicians increased markedly. The most significant of
these
changes was the growth of a sizeable and more stable
middle class
that offered the hope for a more stable and democratic
country.
The middle class largely replaced the old elite and came
to
dominate most Portuguese social and political
institutions: the
political parties, the church, business, the military
officer
corps, government and bureaucracy, and even union
leadership.
Thus, a major class shift occurred. It had begun earlier
in the
century, continued through the Salazar era, and by the
early
1990s appeared to have been consolidated. This shift from
upperto middle-class leadership could give Portugal the basis
for
stable, democratic rule that it lacked before.
Data as of January 1993
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