Street demonstration during the Revolution of 1974
Courtesy Embassy of Portugal, Washington

António dos Santos Ramalho Eanes, president of Portugal, 1976-86
Courtesy Embassy of Portugal, Washington

Aníbal Cavaco Silva, prime minister, 1985-
Courtesy Embassy of Portugal, Washington

Portugal's experience with democracy before the Revolution of 1974 had not been particularly successful. Its First Republic lasted only sixteen years, from 1910 to 1926 (see The First Republic , ch. 1). Under the republic, parliamentary institutions worked poorly and were soon discredited. Corruption and economic mismanagement were widespread. When a military coup d'état ended the republic in 1926, few lamented its passing.

Data as of January 1993