The Portuguese transition to democracy must be analyzed having in mind the international circumstances in which it happened. In the beginning of the 1970s the Cold War had gained a different shape. No longer were the two superpowers the exclusively dominant in their sphere of influence and we can even say that their strength was somehow diminishing. This allowed for the ascendance of some other powers within the two blocs, which didn’t directly question the authority of each superpower, but contributed to make the plurality within each bloc more visible. In the western bloc, the United States was particularly weakened when its intervention in the Chilean Coup of September 1973 became public, by the Vietnam retreat and the Watergate affair. All these issues somehow limited Washington's ability to act, as it came under tight scrutiny from Congress. This created the opportunity for the establishment of some autonomy within the Western alliance, which was visible in the case of the Federal Republic of Germany. At the same time, the two blocs were on the verge of finally reaching an agreement within the framework of the Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE). This would be a historical moment, as for the first time in Cold War rivalry, an agreement regarding the inviolability of frontiers and non-interference in internal affairs was to be signed by the thirty-five countries attending this Conference between July 1973 and August 1975. In this article, we will analyze on how this international context influenced the western Allies response to the Portuguese revolution and transition to democracy.

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Democratização,Dimensão Internacional,Guerra Fria,Alemanha Federal