Перевод: с английского на все языки

со всех языков на английский

he's a Spanish major

  • 1 major

    'mei‹ə
    1. adjective
    (great, or greater, in size, importance etc: major and minor roads; a major discovery.) mayor, principal

    2. noun
    1) ((often abbreviated to Maj. when written) the rank next below lieutenant-colonel.) comandante
    2) ((American) the subject in which you specialize at college or university: a major in physics; Her major is psychology.)

    3. verb
    ((with in) (American) to study a certain subject in which you specialize at college or university: She is majoring in philosophy.) especializarse en
    - major-general
    - the age of majority

    major1 adj
    1. importante / principal
    2. serio / grave
    major2 n comandante
    tr['meɪʤəSMALLr/SMALL]
    1 (more important, greater) mayor, principal
    2 (important - gen) importante; (- issue) de gran envergadura; (- illness) grave
    3 SMALLMUSIC/SMALL (key, scale) mayor
    1 SMALLMILITARY/SMALL comandante nombre masculino
    2 SMALLAMERICAN ENGLISH/SMALL (main subject) asignatura principal, especialidad nombre femenino; (student) estudiante <MF< I>que se especializa en una asignatura>
    3 SMALLMUSIC/SMALL (major key) clave nombre femenino mayor
    \
    SMALLIDIOMATIC EXPRESSION/SMALL
    major general SMALLMILITARY/SMALL general nombre masculino de división
    major league liga nacional
    major premise premisa mayor
    major ['meɪʤər] vi, - jored ; - joring : especializarse
    major adj
    1) greater: mayor
    2) noteworthy: mayor, notable
    3) serious: grave
    4) : mayor (en la música)
    1) : mayor mf, comandante mf (en las fuerzas armadas)
    2) : especialidad f (universitaria)
    adj.
    comandante (Graduación) adj.
    importante adj.
    mayor adj.
    mayor de edad adj.
    n.
    comandante s.m.
    especialidad en la universidad s.f.
    mayor s.m.

    I 'meɪdʒər, 'meɪdʒə(r)
    1) <change/client> muy importante; < setback> serio; < revision> a fondo; < illness> grave
    2) ( Mus) mayor

    B/C major — si/do mayor


    II
    1) ( Mil) mayor mf ( en AmL), comandante mf ( en Esp)
    2) (AmE Educ) ( subject) asignatura f principal; ( student)
    3) majors pl (AmE)
    a) ( companies) grandes or importantes empresas fpl
    b) ( Sport)

    III

    to major IN something — especializarse* en algo

    ['meɪdʒǝ(r)]
    1. ADJ
    1) (=large, important) [city, company] muy importante; [change, role] fundamental, muy importante; [factor] clave, muy importante, fundamental; [problem] serio, grave; [worry] enorme; [breakthrough] de enorme importancia

    the result was a major blow to the government — el resultado fue un duro golpe para el gobierno

    it is a major cause of death — causa un enorme número de muertes

    to be a major factor in sth — ser un factor clave or muy importante or fundamental en algo

    three major issues remained unresolved — quedaron sin resolver tres temas fundamentales or tres temas de enorme importancia

    the major issues which affect our lives — las principales cuestiones que afectan nuestras vidas, las cuestiones de mayor importancia or más importantes que afectan nuestras vidas

    nothing major has happened — no ha pasado nada de importancia

    a hysterectomy is a major operationla histerectomía es una operación seria or grave

    this represents a major step forward — esto representa un enorme paso hacia delante

    he is recovering after major surgeryse está recuperando de una operación seria or grave

    2) (=principal) [cities, political parties] más importante
    3) (Mus) [chord, key] mayor
    4) (Brit)
    (Scol)
    2. N
    1) (Mil) comandante m, mayor m (LAm)
    2) (US)
    (Univ)
    a) (=subject) asignatura f principal
    b) (=student)
    3) (US)
    (Baseball)
    3.
    VI

    to major in sth(US) (Univ) especializarse en algo

    4.
    CPD

    major general N — (Mil) general m de división

    major league N(US) liga f principal

    major-league

    major suit N — (Bridge) palo m mayor

    * * *

    I ['meɪdʒər, 'meɪdʒə(r)]
    1) <change/client> muy importante; < setback> serio; < revision> a fondo; < illness> grave
    2) ( Mus) mayor

    B/C major — si/do mayor


    II
    1) ( Mil) mayor mf ( en AmL), comandante mf ( en Esp)
    2) (AmE Educ) ( subject) asignatura f principal; ( student)
    3) majors pl (AmE)
    a) ( companies) grandes or importantes empresas fpl
    b) ( Sport)

    III

    to major IN something — especializarse* en algo

    English-spanish dictionary > major

  • 2 major

    major ['meɪdʒə(r)]
    the major part of our research l'essentiel de nos recherches;
    the major portion of my time is devoted to politics la majeure partie ou la plus grande partie de mon temps est consacrée à la politique
    (b) (significant → decision, change, factor, event) majeur;
    we shouldn't have any major problems nous ne devrions pas rencontrer de problèmes majeurs;
    don't worry, it's not a major problem ne t'inquiète pas, ce n'est pas très grave;
    any problems? - nothing major des problèmes? - rien d'important;
    of major importance d'une grande importance, d'une importance capitale;
    a major role (in play, film) un grand rôle; (in negotiations, reform) un rôle capital ou essentiel;
    we invested in a major way nous avons investi de manière considérable;
    he's taken up Spanish in a major way il s'est mis à fond à l'espagnol;
    he's fallen for Fiona in a major way il est tombé follement amoureux de Fiona
    (c) (serious → obstacle, difficulty) majeur;
    the roof is in need of major repair work la toiture a grand besoin d'être remise en état;
    she underwent major surgery elle a subi une grosse opération
    (d) Music majeur;
    a sonata in E major une sonate en mi majeur;
    in a major key en (mode) majeur;
    a major third une tierce majeure
    Smith major Smith aîné
    (f) Cards majeur;
    major suit majeure f
    2 noun
    (a) Military (in airforce) commandant m; French Canadian & Belgian major m; (in infantry) chef m de bataillon, Belgian, French Canadian & Swiss major m; (in cavalry) commandant m, Belgian, French Canadian & Swiss major m
    (b) formal (person over 18) personne f majeure
    (c) American University (subject) matière f principale;
    Tina is a physics major Tina fait des études de physique
    (d) Music (mode m) majeur m
    the oil majors les grandes compagnies fpl pétrolières;
    the Majors (film companies) = les cinq compagnies de production les plus importantes à Hollywood
    (f) Golf tournoi m du grand chelem
    (a) (specialize) se spécialiser;
    Joe majors in chemistry Joe se spécialise en chimie
    she majored in sociology elle a fait des études de sociologie
    ►► Military major general général m de division, Belgian général-major m, Swiss divisionnaire m, French Canadian major-général m;
    American Sport major league (in baseball) = une des deux principales divisions de baseball professionnel aux États-Unis et au Canada; (gen) première division f;
    Military major offensive vaste offensive f;
    to launch a major offensive lancer une vaste offensive;
    Philosophy major premise majeure f;
    major road route f principale ou à grande circulation, nationale f;
    Finance major shareholder actionnaire mf de référence;
    University major subject matière f principale
    ✾ Play 'Major Barbara' Shaw 'La Commandante Barbara'

    Un panorama unique de l'anglais et du français > major

  • 3 Historical Portugal

       Before Romans described western Iberia or Hispania as "Lusitania," ancient Iberians inhabited the land. Phoenician and Greek trading settlements grew up in the Tagus estuary area and nearby coasts. Beginning around 202 BCE, Romans invaded what is today southern Portugal. With Rome's defeat of Carthage, Romans proceeded to conquer and rule the western region north of the Tagus, which they named Roman "Lusitania." In the fourth century CE, as Rome's rule weakened, the area experienced yet another invasion—Germanic tribes, principally the Suevi, who eventually were Christianized. During the sixth century CE, the Suevi kingdom was superseded by yet another Germanic tribe—the Christian Visigoths.
       A major turning point in Portugal's history came in 711, as Muslim armies from North Africa, consisting of both Arab and Berber elements, invaded the Iberian Peninsula from across the Straits of Gibraltar. They entered what is now Portugal in 714, and proceeded to conquer most of the country except for the far north. For the next half a millennium, Islam and Muslim presence in Portugal left a significant mark upon the politics, government, language, and culture of the country.
       Islam, Reconquest, and Portugal Created, 714-1140
       The long frontier struggle between Muslim invaders and Christian communities in the north of the Iberian peninsula was called the Reconquista (Reconquest). It was during this struggle that the first dynasty of Portuguese kings (Burgundian) emerged and the independent monarchy of Portugal was established. Christian forces moved south from what is now the extreme north of Portugal and gradually defeated Muslim forces, besieging and capturing towns under Muslim sway. In the ninth century, as Christian forces slowly made their way southward, Christian elements were dominant only in the area between Minho province and the Douro River; this region became known as "territorium Portu-calense."
       In the 11th century, the advance of the Reconquest quickened as local Christian armies were reinforced by crusading knights from what is now France and England. Christian forces took Montemor (1034), at the Mondego River; Lamego (1058); Viseu (1058); and Coimbra (1064). In 1095, the king of Castile and Léon granted the country of "Portu-cale," what became northern Portugal, to a Burgundian count who had emigrated from France. This was the foundation of Portugal. In 1139, a descendant of this count, Afonso Henriques, proclaimed himself "King of Portugal." He was Portugal's first monarch, the "Founder," and the first of the Burgundian dynasty, which ruled until 1385.
       The emergence of Portugal in the 12th century as a separate monarchy in Iberia occurred before the Christian Reconquest of the peninsula. In the 1140s, the pope in Rome recognized Afonso Henriques as king of Portugal. In 1147, after a long, bloody siege, Muslim-occupied Lisbon fell to Afonso Henriques's army. Lisbon was the greatest prize of the 500-year war. Assisting this effort were English crusaders on their way to the Holy Land; the first bishop of Lisbon was an Englishman. When the Portuguese captured Faro and Silves in the Algarve province in 1248-50, the Reconquest of the extreme western portion of the Iberian peninsula was complete—significantly, more than two centuries before the Spanish crown completed the Reconquest of the eastern portion by capturing Granada in 1492.
       Consolidation and Independence of Burgundian Portugal, 1140-1385
       Two main themes of Portugal's early existence as a monarchy are the consolidation of control over the realm and the defeat of a Castil-ian threat from the east to its independence. At the end of this period came the birth of a new royal dynasty (Aviz), which prepared to carry the Christian Reconquest beyond continental Portugal across the straits of Gibraltar to North Africa. There was a variety of motives behind these developments. Portugal's independent existence was imperiled by threats from neighboring Iberian kingdoms to the north and east. Politics were dominated not only by efforts against the Muslims in
       Portugal (until 1250) and in nearby southern Spain (until 1492), but also by internecine warfare among the kingdoms of Castile, Léon, Aragon, and Portugal. A final comeback of Muslim forces was defeated at the battle of Salado (1340) by allied Castilian and Portuguese forces. In the emerging Kingdom of Portugal, the monarch gradually gained power over and neutralized the nobility and the Church.
       The historic and commonplace Portuguese saying "From Spain, neither a good wind nor a good marriage" was literally played out in diplomacy and war in the late 14th-century struggles for mastery in the peninsula. Larger, more populous Castile was pitted against smaller Portugal. Castile's Juan I intended to force a union between Castile and Portugal during this era of confusion and conflict. In late 1383, Portugal's King Fernando, the last king of the Burgundian dynasty, suddenly died prematurely at age 38, and the Master of Aviz, Portugal's most powerful nobleman, took up the cause of independence and resistance against Castile's invasion. The Master of Aviz, who became King João I of Portugal, was able to obtain foreign assistance. With the aid of English archers, Joao's armies defeated the Castilians in the crucial battle of Aljubarrota, on 14 August 1385, a victory that assured the independence of the Portuguese monarchy from its Castilian nemesis for several centuries.
       Aviz Dynasty and Portugal's First Overseas Empire, 1385-1580
       The results of the victory at Aljubarrota, much celebrated in Portugal's art and monuments, and the rise of the Aviz dynasty also helped to establish a new merchant class in Lisbon and Oporto, Portugal's second city. This group supported King João I's program of carrying the Reconquest to North Africa, since it was interested in expanding Portugal's foreign commerce and tapping into Muslim trade routes and resources in Africa. With the Reconquest against the Muslims completed in Portugal and the threat from Castile thwarted for the moment, the Aviz dynasty launched an era of overseas conquest, exploration, and trade. These efforts dominated Portugal's 15th and 16th centuries.
       The overseas empire and age of Discoveries began with Portugal's bold conquest in 1415 of the Moroccan city of Ceuta. One royal member of the 1415 expedition was young, 21-year-old Prince Henry, later known in history as "Prince Henry the Navigator." His part in the capture of Ceuta won Henry his knighthood and began Portugal's "Marvelous Century," during which the small kingdom was counted as a European and world power of consequence. Henry was the son of King João I and his English queen, Philippa of Lancaster, but he did not inherit the throne. Instead, he spent most of his life and his fortune, and that of the wealthy military Order of Christ, on various imperial ventures and on voyages of exploration down the African coast and into the Atlantic. While mythology has surrounded Henry's controversial role in the Discoveries, and this role has been exaggerated, there is no doubt that he played a vital part in the initiation of Portugal's first overseas empire and in encouraging exploration. He was naturally curious, had a sense of mission for Portugal, and was a strong leader. He also had wealth to expend; at least a third of the African voyages of the time were under his sponsorship. If Prince Henry himself knew little science, significant scientific advances in navigation were made in his day.
       What were Portugal's motives for this new imperial effort? The well-worn historical cliche of "God, Glory, and Gold" can only partly explain the motivation of a small kingdom with few natural resources and barely 1 million people, which was greatly outnumbered by the other powers it confronted. Among Portuguese objectives were the desire to exploit known North African trade routes and resources (gold, wheat, leather, weaponry, and other goods that were scarce in Iberia); the need to outflank the Muslim world in the Mediterranean by sailing around Africa, attacking Muslims en route; and the wish to ally with Christian kingdoms beyond Africa. This enterprise also involved a strategy of breaking the Venetian spice monopoly by trading directly with the East by means of discovering and exploiting a sea route around Africa to Asia. Besides the commercial motives, Portugal nurtured a strong crusading sense of Christian mission, and various classes in the kingdom saw an opportunity for fame and gain.
       By the time of Prince Henry's death in 1460, Portugal had gained control of the Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeiras, begun to colonize the Cape Verde Islands, failed to conquer the Canary Islands from Castile, captured various cities on Morocco's coast, and explored as far as Senegal, West Africa, down the African coast. By 1488, Bar-tolomeu Dias had rounded the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa and thereby discovered the way to the Indian Ocean.
       Portugal's largely coastal African empire and later its fragile Asian empire brought unexpected wealth but were purchased at a high price. Costs included wars of conquest and defense against rival powers, manning the far-flung navel and trade fleets and scattered castle-fortresses, and staffing its small but fierce armies, all of which entailed a loss of skills and population to maintain a scattered empire. Always short of capital, the monarchy became indebted to bankers. There were many defeats beginning in the 16th century at the hands of the larger imperial European monarchies (Spain, France, England, and Holland) and many attacks on Portugal and its strung-out empire. Typically, there was also the conflict that arose when a tenuously held world empire that rarely if ever paid its way demanded finance and manpower Portugal itself lacked.
       The first 80 years of the glorious imperial era, the golden age of Portugal's imperial power and world influence, was an African phase. During 1415-88, Portuguese navigators and explorers in small ships, some of them caravelas (caravels), explored the treacherous, disease-ridden coasts of Africa from Morocco to South Africa beyond the Cape of Good Hope. By the 1470s, the Portuguese had reached the Gulf of Guinea and, in the early 1480s, what is now Angola. Bartolomeu Dias's extraordinary voyage of 1487-88 to South Africa's coast and the edge of the Indian Ocean convinced Portugal that the best route to Asia's spices and Christians lay south, around the tip of southern Africa. Between 1488 and 1495, there was a hiatus caused in part by domestic conflict in Portugal, discussion of resources available for further conquests beyond Africa in Asia, and serious questions as to Portugal's capacity to reach beyond Africa. In 1495, King Manuel and his council decided to strike for Asia, whatever the consequences. In 1497-99, Vasco da Gama, under royal orders, made the epic two-year voyage that discovered the sea route to western India (Asia), outflanked Islam and Venice, and began Portugal's Asian empire. Within 50 years, Portugal had discovered and begun the exploitation of its largest colony, Brazil, and set up forts and trading posts from the Middle East (Aden and Ormuz), India (Calicut, Goa, etc.), Malacca, and Indonesia to Macau in China.
       By the 1550s, parts of its largely coastal, maritime trading post empire from Morocco to the Moluccas were under siege from various hostile forces, including Muslims, Christians, and Hindi. Although Moroccan forces expelled the Portuguese from the major coastal cities by 1550, the rival European monarchies of Castile (Spain), England, France, and later Holland began to seize portions of her undermanned, outgunned maritime empire.
       In 1580, Phillip II of Spain, whose mother was a Portuguese princess and who had a strong claim to the Portuguese throne, invaded Portugal, claimed the throne, and assumed control over the realm and, by extension, its African, Asian, and American empires. Phillip II filled the power vacuum that appeared in Portugal following the loss of most of Portugal's army and its young, headstrong King Sebastião in a disastrous war in Morocco. Sebastiao's death in battle (1578) and the lack of a natural heir to succeed him, as well as the weak leadership of the cardinal who briefly assumed control in Lisbon, led to a crisis that Spain's strong monarch exploited. As a result, Portugal lost its independence to Spain for a period of 60 years.
       Portugal under Spanish Rule, 1580-1640
       Despite the disastrous nature of Portugal's experience under Spanish rule, "The Babylonian Captivity" gave birth to modern Portuguese nationalism, its second overseas empire, and its modern alliance system with England. Although Spain allowed Portugal's weakened empire some autonomy, Spanish rule in Portugal became increasingly burdensome and unacceptable. Spain's ambitious imperial efforts in Europe and overseas had an impact on the Portuguese as Spain made greater and greater demands on its smaller neighbor for manpower and money. Portugal's culture underwent a controversial Castilianization, while its empire became hostage to Spain's fortunes. New rival powers England, France, and Holland attacked and took parts of Spain's empire and at the same time attacked Portugal's empire, as well as the mother country.
       Portugal's empire bore the consequences of being attacked by Spain's bitter enemies in what was a form of world war. Portuguese losses were heavy. By 1640, Portugal had lost most of its Moroccan cities as well as Ceylon, the Moluccas, and sections of India. With this, Portugal's Asian empire was gravely weakened. Only Goa, Damão, Diu, Bombay, Timor, and Macau remained and, in Brazil, Dutch forces occupied the northeast.
       On 1 December 1640, long commemorated as a national holiday, Portuguese rebels led by the duke of Braganza overthrew Spanish domination and took advantage of Spanish weakness following a more serious rebellion in Catalonia. Portugal regained independence from Spain, but at a price: dependence on foreign assistance to maintain its independence in the form of the renewal of the alliance with England.
       Restoration and Second Empire, 1640-1822
       Foreign affairs and empire dominated the restoration era and aftermath, and Portugal again briefly enjoyed greater European power and prestige. The Anglo-Portuguese Alliance was renewed and strengthened in treaties of 1642, 1654, and 1661, and Portugal's independence from Spain was underwritten by English pledges and armed assistance. In a Luso-Spanish treaty of 1668, Spain recognized Portugal's independence. Portugal's alliance with England was a marriage of convenience and necessity between two monarchies with important religious, cultural, and social differences. In return for legal, diplomatic, and trade privileges, as well as the use during war and peace of Portugal's great Lisbon harbor and colonial ports for England's navy, England pledged to protect Portugal and its scattered empire from any attack. The previously cited 17th-century alliance treaties were renewed later in the Treaty of Windsor, signed in London in 1899. On at least 10 different occasions after 1640, and during the next two centuries, England was central in helping prevent or repel foreign invasions of its ally, Portugal.
       Portugal's second empire (1640-1822) was largely Brazil-oriented. Portuguese colonization, exploitation of wealth, and emigration focused on Portuguese America, and imperial revenues came chiefly from Brazil. Between 1670 and 1740, Portugal's royalty and nobility grew wealthier on funds derived from Brazilian gold, diamonds, sugar, tobacco, and other crops, an enterprise supported by the Atlantic slave trade and the supply of African slave labor from West Africa and Angola. Visitors today can see where much of that wealth was invested: Portugal's rich legacy of monumental architecture. Meanwhile, the African slave trade took a toll in Angola and West Africa.
       In continental Portugal, absolutist monarchy dominated politics and government, and there was a struggle for position and power between the monarchy and other institutions, such as the Church and nobility. King José I's chief minister, usually known in history as the marquis of Pombal (ruled 1750-77), sharply suppressed the nobility and the
       Church (including the Inquisition, now a weak institution) and expelled the Jesuits. Pombal also made an effort to reduce economic dependence on England, Portugal's oldest ally. But his successes did not last much beyond his disputed time in office.
       Beginning in the late 18th century, the European-wide impact of the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon placed Portugal in a vulnerable position. With the monarchy ineffectively led by an insane queen (Maria I) and her indecisive regent son (João VI), Portugal again became the focus of foreign ambition and aggression. With England unable to provide decisive assistance in time, France—with Spain's consent—invaded Portugal in 1807. As Napoleon's army under General Junot entered Lisbon meeting no resistance, Portugal's royal family fled on a British fleet to Brazil, where it remained in exile until 1821. In the meantime, Portugal's overseas empire was again under threat. There was a power vacuum as the monarch was absent, foreign armies were present, and new political notions of liberalism and constitutional monarchy were exciting various groups of citizens.
       Again England came to the rescue, this time in the form of the armies of the duke of Wellington. Three successive French invasions of Portugal were defeated and expelled, and Wellington succeeded in carrying the war against Napoleon across the Portuguese frontier into Spain. The presence of the English army, the new French-born liberal ideas, and the political vacuum combined to create revolutionary conditions. The French invasions and the peninsular wars, where Portuguese armed forces played a key role, marked the beginning of a new era in politics.
       Liberalism and Constitutional Monarchy, 1822-1910
       During 1807-22, foreign invasions, war, and civil strife over conflicting political ideas gravely damaged Portugal's commerce, economy, and novice industry. The next terrible blow was the loss of Brazil in 1822, the jewel in the imperial crown. Portugal's very independence seemed to be at risk. In vain, Portugal sought to resist Brazilian independence by force, but in 1825 it formally acknowledged Brazilian independence by treaty.
       Portugal's slow recovery from the destructive French invasions and the "war of independence" was complicated by civil strife over the form of constitutional monarchy that best suited Portugal. After struggles over these issues between 1820 and 1834, Portugal settled somewhat uncertainly into a moderate constitutional monarchy whose constitution (Charter of 1826) lent it strong political powers to exert a moderating influence between the executive and legislative branches of the government. It also featured a new upper middle class based on land ownership and commerce; a Catholic Church that, although still important, lived with reduced privileges and property; a largely African (third) empire to which Lisbon and Oporto devoted increasing spiritual and material resources, starting with the liberal imperial plans of 1836 and 1851, and continuing with the work of institutions like the Lisbon Society of Geography (established 1875); and a mass of rural peasants whose bonds to the land weakened after 1850 and who began to immigrate in increasing numbers to Brazil and North America.
       Chronic military intervention in national politics began in 19th-century Portugal. Such intervention, usually commencing with coups or pronunciamentos (military revolts), was a shortcut to the spoils of political office and could reflect popular discontent as well as the power of personalities. An early example of this was the 1817 golpe (coup) attempt of General Gomes Freire against British military rule in Portugal before the return of King João VI from Brazil. Except for a more stable period from 1851 to 1880, military intervention in politics, or the threat thereof, became a feature of the constitutional monarchy's political life, and it continued into the First Republic and the subsequent Estado Novo.
       Beginning with the Regeneration period (1851-80), Portugal experienced greater political stability and economic progress. Military intervention in politics virtually ceased; industrialization and construction of railroads, roads, and bridges proceeded; two political parties (Regenerators and Historicals) worked out a system of rotation in power; and leading intellectuals sparked a cultural revival in several fields. In 19th-century literature, there was a new golden age led by such figures as Alexandre Herculano (historian), Eça de Queirós (novelist), Almeida Garrett (playwright and essayist), Antero de Quental (poet), and Joaquim Oliveira Martins (historian and social scientist). In its third overseas empire, Portugal attempted to replace the slave trade and slavery with legitimate economic activities; to reform the administration; and to expand Portuguese holdings beyond coastal footholds deep into the African hinterlands in West, West Central, and East Africa. After 1841, to some extent, and especially after 1870, colonial affairs, combined with intense nationalism, pressures for economic profit in Africa, sentiment for national revival, and the drift of European affairs would make or break Lisbon governments.
       Beginning with the political crisis that arose out of the "English Ultimatum" affair of January 1890, the monarchy became discredtted and identified with the poorly functioning government, political parties splintered, and republicanism found more supporters. Portugal participated in the "Scramble for Africa," expanding its African holdings, but failed to annex territory connecting Angola and Mozambique. A growing foreign debt and state bankruptcy as of the early 1890s damaged the constitutional monarchy's reputation, despite the efforts of King Carlos in diplomacy, the renewal of the alliance in the Windsor Treaty of 1899, and the successful if bloody colonial wars in the empire (1880-97). Republicanism proclaimed that Portugal's weak economy and poor society were due to two historic institutions: the monarchy and the Catholic Church. A republic, its stalwarts claimed, would bring greater individual liberty; efficient, if more decentralized government; and a stronger colonial program while stripping the Church of its role in both society and education.
       As the monarchy lost support and republicans became more aggressive, violence increased in politics. King Carlos I and his heir Luís were murdered in Lisbon by anarchist-republicans on 1 February 1908. Following a military and civil insurrection and fighting between monarchist and republican forces, on 5 October 1910, King Manuel II fled Portugal and a republic was proclaimed.
       First Parliamentary Republic, 1910-26
       Portugal's first attempt at republican government was the most unstable, turbulent parliamentary republic in the history of 20th-century Western Europe. During a little under 16 years of the republic, there were 45 governments, a number of legislatures that did not complete normal terms, military coups, and only one president who completed his four-year term in office. Portuguese society was poorly prepared for this political experiment. Among the deadly legacies of the monarchy were a huge public debt; a largely rural, apolitical, and illiterate peasant population; conflict over the causes of the country's misfortunes; and lack of experience with a pluralist, democratic system.
       The republic had some talented leadership but lacked popular, institutional, and economic support. The 1911 republican constitution established only a limited democracy, as only a small portion of the adult male citizenry was eligible to vote. In a country where the majority was Catholic, the republic passed harshly anticlerical laws, and its institutions and supporters persecuted both the Church and its adherents. During its brief disjointed life, the First Republic drafted important reform plans in economic, social, and educational affairs; actively promoted development in the empire; and pursued a liberal, generous foreign policy. Following British requests for Portugal's assistance in World War I, Portugal entered the war on the Allied side in March 1916 and sent armies to Flanders and Portuguese Africa. Portugal's intervention in that conflict, however, was too costly in many respects, and the ultimate failure of the republic in part may be ascribed to Portugal's World War I activities.
       Unfortunately for the republic, its time coincided with new threats to Portugal's African possessions: World War I, social and political demands from various classes that could not be reconciled, excessive military intervention in politics, and, in particular, the worst economic and financial crisis Portugal had experienced since the 16th and 17th centuries. After the original Portuguese Republican Party (PRP, also known as the "Democrats") splintered into three warring groups in 1912, no true multiparty system emerged. The Democrats, except for only one or two elections, held an iron monopoly of electoral power, and political corruption became a major issue. As extreme right-wing dictatorships elsewhere in Europe began to take power in Italy (1922), neighboring Spain (1923), and Greece (1925), what scant popular support remained for the republic collapsed. Backed by a right-wing coalition of landowners from Alentejo, clergy, Coimbra University faculty and students, Catholic organizations, and big business, career military officers led by General Gomes da Costa executed a coup on 28 May 1926, turned out the last republican government, and established a military government.
       The Estado Novo (New State), 1926-74
       During the military phase (1926-32) of the Estado Novo, professional military officers, largely from the army, governed and administered Portugal and held key cabinet posts, but soon discovered that the military possessed no magic formula that could readily solve the problems inherited from the First Republic. Especially during the years 1926-31, the military dictatorship, even with its political repression of republican activities and institutions (military censorship of the press, political police action, and closure of the republic's rowdy parliament), was characterized by similar weaknesses: personalism and factionalism; military coups and political instability, including civil strife and loss of life; state debt and bankruptcy; and a weak economy. "Barracks parliamentarism" was not an acceptable alternative even to the "Nightmare Republic."
       Led by General Óscar Carmona, who had replaced and sent into exile General Gomes da Costa, the military dictatorship turned to a civilian expert in finance and economics to break the budget impasse and bring coherence to the disorganized system. Appointed minister of finance on 27 April 1928, the Coimbra University Law School professor of economics Antônio de Oliveira Salazar (1889-1970) first reformed finance, helped balance the budget, and then turned to other concerns as he garnered extraordinary governing powers. In 1930, he was appointed interim head of another key ministry (Colonies) and within a few years had become, in effect, a civilian dictator who, with the military hierarchy's support, provided the government with coherence, a program, and a set of policies.
       For nearly 40 years after he was appointed the first civilian prime minister in 1932, Salazar's personality dominated the government. Unlike extreme right-wing dictators elsewhere in Europe, Salazar was directly appointed by the army but was never endorsed by a popular political party, street militia, or voter base. The scholarly, reclusive former Coimbra University professor built up what became known after 1932 as the Estado Novo ("New State"), which at the time of its overthrow by another military coup in 1974, was the longest surviving authoritarian regime in Western Europe. The system of Salazar and the largely academic and technocratic ruling group he gathered in his cabinets was based on the central bureaucracy of the state, which was supported by the president of the republic—always a senior career military officer, General Óscar Carmona (1928-51), General Craveiro Lopes (1951-58), and Admiral Américo Tómaz (1958-74)—and the complicity of various institutions. These included a rubber-stamp legislature called the National Assembly (1935-74) and a political police known under various names: PVDE (1932-45), PIDE (1945-69),
       and DGS (1969-74). Other defenders of the Estado Novo security were paramilitary organizations such as the National Republican Guard (GNR); the Portuguese Legion (PL); and the Portuguese Youth [Movement]. In addition to censorship of the media, theater, and books, there was political repression and a deliberate policy of depoliticization. All political parties except for the approved movement of regime loyalists, the União Nacional or (National Union), were banned.
       The most vigorous and more popular period of the New State was 1932-44, when the basic structures were established. Never monolithic or entirely the work of one person (Salazar), the New State was constructed with the assistance of several dozen top associates who were mainly academics from law schools, some technocrats with specialized skills, and a handful of trusted career military officers. The 1933 Constitution declared Portugal to be a "unitary, corporative Republic," and pressures to restore the monarchy were resisted. Although some of the regime's followers were fascists and pseudofascists, many more were conservative Catholics, integralists, nationalists, and monarchists of different varieties, and even some reactionary republicans. If the New State was authoritarian, it was not totalitarian and, unlike fascism in Benito Mussolini's Italy or Adolf Hitler's Germany, it usually employed the minimum of violence necessary to defeat what remained a largely fractious, incoherent opposition.
       With the tumultuous Second Republic and the subsequent civil war in nearby Spain, the regime felt threatened and reinforced its defenses. During what Salazar rightly perceived as a time of foreign policy crisis for Portugal (1936-45), he assumed control of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From there, he pursued four basic foreign policy objectives: supporting the Nationalist rebels of General Francisco Franco in the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) and concluding defense treaties with a triumphant Franco; ensuring that General Franco in an exhausted Spain did not enter World War II on the Axis side; maintaining Portuguese neutrality in World War II with a post-1942 tilt toward the Allies, including granting Britain and the United States use of bases in the Azores Islands; and preserving and protecting Portugal's Atlantic Islands and its extensive, if poor, overseas empire in Africa and Asia.
       During the middle years of the New State (1944-58), many key Salazar associates in government either died or resigned, and there was greater social unrest in the form of unprecedented strikes and clandestine Communist activities, intensified opposition, and new threatening international pressures on Portugal's overseas empire. During the earlier phase of the Cold War (1947-60), Portugal became a steadfast, if weak, member of the US-dominated North Atlantic Treaty Organization alliance and, in 1955, with American support, Portugal joined the United Nations (UN). Colonial affairs remained a central concern of the regime. As of 1939, Portugal was the third largest colonial power in the world and possessed territories in tropical Africa (Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, and São Tomé and Príncipe Islands) and the remnants of its 16th-century empire in Asia (Goa, Damão, Diu, East Timor, and Macau). Beginning in the early 1950s, following the independence of India in 1947, Portugal resisted Indian pressures to decolonize Portuguese India and used police forces to discourage internal opposition in its Asian and African colonies.
       The later years of the New State (1958-68) witnessed the aging of the increasingly isolated but feared Salazar and new threats both at home and overseas. Although the regime easily overcame the brief oppositionist threat from rival presidential candidate General Humberto Delgado in the spring of 1958, new developments in the African and Asian empires imperiled the authoritarian system. In February 1961, oppositionists hijacked the Portuguese ocean liner Santa Maria and, in following weeks, African insurgents in northern Angola, although they failed to expel the Portuguese, gained worldwide media attention, discredited the New State, and began the 13-year colonial war. After thwarting a dissident military coup against his continued leadership, Salazar and his ruling group mobilized military repression in Angola and attempted to develop the African colonies at a faster pace in order to ensure Portuguese control. Meanwhile, the other European colonial powers (Britain, France, Belgium, and Spain) rapidly granted political independence to their African territories.
       At the time of Salazar's removal from power in September 1968, following a stroke, Portugal's efforts to maintain control over its colonies appeared to be successful. President Americo Tomás appointed Dr. Marcello Caetano as Salazar's successor as prime minister. While maintaining the New State's basic structures, and continuing the regime's essential colonial policy, Caetano attempted wider reforms in colonial administration and some devolution of power from Lisbon, as well as more freedom of expression in Lisbon. Still, a great deal of the budget was devoted to supporting the wars against the insurgencies in Africa. Meanwhile in Asia, Portuguese India had fallen when the Indian army invaded in December 1961. The loss of Goa was a psychological blow to the leadership of the New State, and of the Asian empire only East Timor and Macau remained.
       The Caetano years (1968-74) were but a hiatus between the waning Salazar era and a new regime. There was greater political freedom and rapid economic growth (5-6 percent annually to late 1973), but Caetano's government was unable to reform the old system thoroughly and refused to consider new methods either at home or in the empire. In the end, regime change came from junior officers of the professional military who organized the Armed Forces Movement (MFA) against the Caetano government. It was this group of several hundred officers, mainly in the army and navy, which engineered a largely bloodless coup in Lisbon on 25 April 1974. Their unexpected action brought down the 48-year-old New State and made possible the eventual establishment and consolidation of democratic governance in Portugal, as well as a reorientation of the country away from the Atlantic toward Europe.
       Revolution of Carnations, 1974-76
       Following successful military operations of the Armed Forces Movement against the Caetano government, Portugal experienced what became known as the "Revolution of Carnations." It so happened that during the rainy week of the military golpe, Lisbon flower shops were featuring carnations, and the revolutionaries and their supporters adopted the red carnation as the common symbol of the event, as well as of the new freedom from dictatorship. The MFA, whose leaders at first were mostly little-known majors and captains, proclaimed a three-fold program of change for the new Portugal: democracy; decolonization of the overseas empire, after ending the colonial wars; and developing a backward economy in the spirit of opportunity and equality. During the first 24 months after the coup, there was civil strife, some anarchy, and a power struggle. With the passing of the Estado Novo, public euphoria burst forth as the new provisional military government proclaimed the freedoms of speech, press, and assembly, and abolished censorship, the political police, the Portuguese Legion, Portuguese Youth, and other New State organizations, including the National Union. Scores of political parties were born and joined the senior political party, the Portuguese Community Party (PCP), and the Socialist Party (PS), founded shortly before the coup.
       Portugal's Revolution of Carnations went through several phases. There was an attempt to take control by radical leftists, including the PCP and its allies. This was thwarted by moderate officers in the army, as well as by the efforts of two political parties: the PS and the Social Democrats (PPD, later PSD). The first phase was from April to September 1974. Provisional president General Antonio Spínola, whose 1974 book Portugal and the Future had helped prepare public opinion for the coup, met irresistible leftist pressures. After Spinola's efforts to avoid rapid decolonization of the African empire failed, he resigned in September 1974. During the second phase, from September 1974 to March 1975, radical military officers gained control, but a coup attempt by General Spínola and his supporters in Lisbon in March 1975 failed and Spínola fled to Spain.
       In the third phase of the Revolution, March-November 1975, a strong leftist reaction followed. Farm workers occupied and "nationalized" 1.1 million hectares of farmland in the Alentejo province, and radical military officers in the provisional government ordered the nationalization of Portuguese banks (foreign banks were exempted), utilities, and major industries, or about 60 percent of the economic system. There were power struggles among various political parties — a total of 50 emerged—and in the streets there was civil strife among labor, military, and law enforcement groups. A constituent assembly, elected on 25 April 1975, in Portugal's first free elections since 1926, drafted a democratic constitution. The Council of the Revolution (CR), briefly a revolutionary military watchdog committee, was entrenched as part of the government under the constitution, until a later revision. During the chaotic year of 1975, about 30 persons were killed in political frays while unstable provisional governments came and went. On 25 November 1975, moderate military forces led by Colonel Ramalho Eanes, who later was twice elected president of the republic (1976 and 1981), defeated radical, leftist military groups' revolutionary conspiracies.
       In the meantime, Portugal's scattered overseas empire experienced a precipitous and unprepared decolonization. One by one, the former colonies were granted and accepted independence—Guinea-Bissau (September 1974), Cape Verde Islands (July 1975), and Mozambique (July 1975). Portugal offered to turn over Macau to the People's Republic of China, but the offer was refused then and later negotiations led to the establishment of a formal decolonization or hand-over date of 1999. But in two former colonies, the process of decolonization had tragic results.
       In Angola, decolonization negotiations were greatly complicated by the fact that there were three rival nationalist movements in a struggle for power. The January 1975 Alvor Agreement signed by Portugal and these three parties was not effectively implemented. A bloody civil war broke out in Angola in the spring of 1975 and, when Portuguese armed forces withdrew and declared that Angola was independent on 11 November 1975, the bloodshed only increased. Meanwhile, most of the white Portuguese settlers from Angola and Mozambique fled during the course of 1975. Together with African refugees, more than 600,000 of these retornados ("returned ones") went by ship and air to Portugal and thousands more to Namibia, South Africa, Brazil, Canada, and the United States.
       The second major decolonization disaster was in Portugal's colony of East Timor in the Indonesian archipelago. Portugal's capacity to supervise and control a peaceful transition to independence in this isolated, neglected colony was limited by the strength of giant Indonesia, distance from Lisbon, and Portugal's revolutionary disorder and inability to defend Timor. In early December 1975, before Portugal granted formal independence and as one party, FRETILIN, unilaterally declared East Timor's independence, Indonesia's armed forces invaded, conquered, and annexed East Timor. Indonesian occupation encountered East Timorese resistance, and a heavy loss of life followed. The East Timor question remained a contentious international issue in the UN, as well as in Lisbon and Jakarta, for more than 20 years following Indonesia's invasion and annexation of the former colony of Portugal. Major changes occurred, beginning in 1998, after Indonesia underwent a political revolution and allowed a referendum in East Timor to decide that territory's political future in August 1999. Most East Timorese chose independence, but Indonesian forces resisted that verdict until
       UN intervention in September 1999. Following UN rule for several years, East Timor attained full independence on 20 May 2002.
       Consolidation of Democracy, 1976-2000
       After several free elections and record voter turnouts between 25 April 1975 and June 1976, civil war was averted and Portugal's second democratic republic began to stabilize. The MFA was dissolved, the military were returned to the barracks, and increasingly elected civilians took over the government of the country. The 1976 Constitution was revised several times beginning in 1982 and 1989, in order to reempha-size the principle of free enterprise in the economy while much of the large, nationalized sector was privatized. In June 1976, General Ram-alho Eanes was elected the first constitutional president of the republic (five-year term), and he appointed socialist leader Dr. Mário Soares as prime minister of the first constitutional government.
       From 1976 to 1985, Portugal's new system featured a weak economy and finances, labor unrest, and administrative and political instability. The difficult consolidation of democratic governance was eased in part by the strong currency and gold reserves inherited from the Estado Novo, but Lisbon seemed unable to cope with high unemployment, new debt, the complex impact of the refugees from Africa, world recession, and the agitation of political parties. Four major parties emerged from the maelstrom of 1974-75, except for the Communist Party, all newly founded. They were, from left to right, the Communists (PCP); the Socialists (PS), who managed to dominate governments and the legislature but not win a majority in the Assembly of the Republic; the Social Democrats (PSD); and the Christian Democrats (CDS). During this period, the annual growth rate was low (l-2 percent), and the nationalized sector of the economy stagnated.
       Enhanced economic growth, greater political stability, and more effective central government as of 1985, and especially 1987, were due to several developments. In 1977, Portugal applied for membership in the European Economic Community (EEC), now the European Union (EU) since 1993. In January 1986, with Spain, Portugal was granted membership, and economic and financial progress in the intervening years has been significantly influenced by the comparatively large investment, loans, technology, advice, and other assistance from the EEC. Low unemployment, high annual growth rates (5 percent), and moderate inflation have also been induced by the new political and administrative stability in Lisbon. Led by Prime Minister Cavaco Silva, an economist who was trained abroad, the PSD's strong organization, management, and electoral support since 1985 have assisted in encouraging economic recovery and development. In 1985, the PSD turned the PS out of office and won the general election, although they did not have an absolute majority of assembly seats. In 1986, Mário Soares was elected president of the republic, the first civilian to hold that office since the First Republic. In the elections of 1987 and 1991, however, the PSD was returned to power with clear majorities of over 50 percent of the vote.
       Although the PSD received 50.4 percent of the vote in the 1991 parliamentary elections and held a 42-seat majority in the Assembly of the Republic, the party began to lose public support following media revelations regarding corruption and complaints about Prime Minister Cavaco Silva's perceived arrogant leadership style. President Mário Soares voiced criticism of the PSD's seemingly untouchable majority and described a "tyranny of the majority." Economic growth slowed down. In the parliamentary elections of 1995 and the presidential election of 1996, the PSD's dominance ended for the time being. Prime Minister Antônio Guterres came to office when the PS won the October 1995 elections, and in the subsequent presidential contest, in January 1996, socialist Jorge Sampaio, the former mayor of Lisbon, was elected president of the republic, thus defeating Cavaco Silva's bid. Young and popular, Guterres moved the PS toward the center of the political spectrum. Under Guterres, the PS won the October 1999 parliamentary elections. The PS defeated the PSD but did not manage to win a clear, working majority of seats, and this made the PS dependent upon alliances with smaller parties, including the PCP.
       In the local elections in December 2001, the PSD's criticism of PS's heavy public spending allowed the PSD to take control of the key cities of Lisbon, Oporto, and Coimbra. Guterres resigned, and parliamentary elections were brought forward from 2004 to March 2002. The PSD won a narrow victory with 40 percent of the votes, and Jose Durão Barroso became prime minister. Having failed to win a majority of the seats in parliament forced the PSD to govern in coalition with the right-wing Popular Party (PP) led by Paulo Portas. Durão Barroso set about reducing government spending by cutting the budgets of local authorities, freezing civil service hiring, and reviving the economy by accelerating privatization of state-owned enterprises. These measures provoked a 24-hour strike by public-sector workers. Durão Barroso reacted with vows to press ahead with budget-cutting measures and imposed a wage freeze on all employees earning more than €1,000, which affected more than one-half of Portugal's work force.
       In June 2004, Durão Barroso was invited by Romano Prodi to succeed him as president of the European Commission. Durão Barroso accepted and resigned the prime ministership in July. Pedro Santana Lopes, the leader of the PSD, became prime minister. Already unpopular at the time of Durão Barroso's resignation, the PSD-led government became increasingly unpopular under Santana Lopes. A month-long delay in the start of the school year and confusion over his plan to cut taxes and raise public-sector salaries, eroded confidence even more. By November, Santana Lopes's government was so unpopular that President Jorge Sampaio was obliged to dissolve parliament and hold new elections, two years ahead of schedule.
       Parliamentary elections were held on 20 February 2005. The PS, which had promised the electorate disciplined and transparent governance, educational reform, the alleviation of poverty, and a boost in employment, won 45 percent of the vote and the majority of the seats in parliament. The leader of the PS, José Sôcrates became prime minister on 12 March 2005. In the regularly scheduled presidential elections held on 6 January 2006, the former leader of the PSD and prime minister, Aníbal Cavaco Silva, won a narrow victory and became president on 9 March 2006. With a mass protest, public teachers' strike, and street demonstrations in March 2008, Portugal's media, educational, and social systems experienced more severe pressures. With the spreading global recession beginning in September 2008, Portugal's economic and financial systems became more troubled.
       Owing to its geographic location on the southwestern most edge of continental Europe, Portugal has been historically in but not of Europe. Almost from the beginning of its existence in the 12th century as an independent monarchy, Portugal turned its back on Europe and oriented itself toward the Atlantic Ocean. After carving out a Christian kingdom on the western portion of the Iberian peninsula, Portuguese kings gradually built and maintained a vast seaborne global empire that became central to the way Portugal understood its individuality as a nation-state. While the creation of this empire allows Portugal to claim an unusual number of "firsts" or distinctions in world and Western history, it also retarded Portugal's economic, social, and political development. It can be reasonably argued that the Revolution of 25 April 1974 was the most decisive event in Portugal's long history because it finally ended Portugal's oceanic mission and view of itself as an imperial power. After the 1974 Revolution, Portugal turned away from its global mission and vigorously reoriented itself toward Europe. Contemporary Portugal is now both in and of Europe.
       The turn toward Europe began immediately after 25 April 1974. Portugal granted independence to its African colonies in 1975. It was admitted to the European Council and took the first steps toward accession to the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1976. On 28 March 1977, the Portuguese government officially applied for EEC membership. Because of Portugal's economic and social backwardness, which would require vast sums of EEC money to overcome, negotiations for membership were long and difficult. Finally, a treaty of accession was signed on 12 June 1985. Portugal officially joined the EEC (the European Union [EU] since 1993) on 1 January 1986. Since becoming a full-fledged member of the EU, Portugal has been steadily overcoming the economic and social underdevelopment caused by its imperial past and is becoming more like the rest of Europe.
       Membership in the EU has speeded up the structural transformation of Portugal's economy, which actually began during the Estado Novo. Investments made by the Estado Novo in Portugal's economy began to shift employment out of the agricultural sector, which, in 1950, accounted for 50 percent of Portugal's economically active population. Today, only 10 percent of the economically active population is employed in the agricultural sector (the highest among EU member states); 30 percent in the industrial sector (also the highest among EU member states); and 60 percent in the service sector (the lowest among EU member states). The economically active population numbers about 5,000,000 employed, 56 percent of whom are women. Women workers are the majority of the workforce in the agricultural and service sectors (the highest among the EU member states). The expansion of the service sector has been primarily in health care and education. Portugal has had the lowest unemployment rates among EU member states, with the overall rate never being more than 10 percent of the active population. Since joining the EU, the number of employers increased from 2.6 percent to 5.8 percent of the active population; self-employed from 16 to 19 percent; and employees from 65 to 70 percent. Twenty-six percent of the employers are women. Unemployment tends to hit younger workers in industry and transportation, women employed in domestic service, workers on short-term contracts, and poorly educated workers. Salaried workers earn only 63 percent of the EU average, and hourly workers only one-third to one-half of that earned by their EU counterparts. Despite having had the second highest growth of gross national product (GNP) per inhabitant (after Ireland) among EU member states, the above data suggest that while much has been accomplished in terms of modernizing the Portuguese economy, much remains to be done to bring Portugal's economy up to the level of the "average" EU member state.
       Membership in the EU has also speeded up changes in Portuguese society. Over the last 30 years, coastalization and urbanization have intensified. Fully 50 percent of Portuguese live in the coastal urban conurbations of Lisbon, Oporto, Braga, Aveiro, Coimbra, Viseu, Évora, and Faro. The Portuguese population is one of the oldest among EU member states (17.3 percent are 65 years of age or older) thanks to a considerable increase in life expectancy at birth (77.87 years for the total population, 74.6 years for men, 81.36 years for women) and one of the lowest birthrates (10.59 births/1,000) in Europe. Family size averages 2.8 persons per household, with the strict nuclear family (one or two generations) in which both parents work being typical. Common law marriages, cohabitating couples, and single-parent households are more and more common. The divorce rate has also increased. "Youth Culture" has developed. The young have their own meeting places, leisure-time activities, and nightlife (bars, clubs, and discos).
       All Portuguese citizens, whether they have contributed or not, have a right to an old-age pension, invalidity benefits, widowed persons' pension, as well as payments for disabilities, children, unemployment, and large families. There is a national minimum wage (€385 per month), which is low by EU standards. The rapid aging of Portugal's population has changed the ratio of contributors to pensioners to 1.7, the lowest in the EU. This has created deficits in Portugal's social security fund.
       The adult literacy rate is about 92 percent. Illiteracy is still found among the elderly. Although universal compulsory education up to grade 9 was achieved in 1980, only 21.2 percent of the population aged 25-64 had undergone secondary education, compared to an EU average of 65.7 percent. Portugal's higher education system currently consists of 14 state universities and 14 private universities, 15 state polytechnic institutions, one Catholic university, and one military academy. All in all, Portugal spends a greater percentage of its state budget on education than most EU member states. Despite this high level of expenditure, the troubled Portuguese education system does not perform well. Early leaving and repetition rates are among the highest among EU member states.
       After the Revolution of 25 April 1974, Portugal created a National Health Service, which today consists of 221 hospitals and 512 medical centers employing 33,751 doctors and 41,799 nurses. Like its education system, Portugal's medical system is inefficient. There are long waiting lists for appointments with specialists and for surgical procedures.
       Structural changes in Portugal's economy and society mean that social life in Portugal is not too different from that in other EU member states. A mass consumption society has been created. Televisions, telephones, refrigerators, cars, music equipment, mobile phones, and personal computers are commonplace. Sixty percent of Portuguese households possess at least one automobile, and 65 percent of Portuguese own their own home. Portuguese citizens are more aware of their legal rights than ever before. This has resulted in a trebling of the number of legal proceeding since 1960 and an eight-fold increase in the number of lawyers. In general, Portuguese society has become more permissive and secular; the Catholic Church and the armed forces are much less influential than in the past. Portugal's population is also much more culturally, religiously, and ethnically diverse, a consequence of the coming to Portugal of hundreds of thousands of immigrants, mainly from former African colonies.
       Portuguese are becoming more cosmopolitan and sophisticated through the impact of world media, the Internet, and the World Wide Web. A prime case in point came in the summer and early fall of 1999, with the extraordinary events in East Timor and the massive Portuguese popular responses. An internationally monitored referendum in East Timor, Portugal's former colony in the Indonesian archipelago and under Indonesian occupation from late 1975 to summer 1999, resulted in a vote of 78.5 percent for rejecting integration with Indonesia and for independence. When Indonesian prointegration gangs, aided by the Indonesian military, responded to the referendum with widespread brutality and threatened to reverse the verdict of the referendum, there was a spontaneous popular outpouring of protest in the cities and towns of Portugal. An avalanche of Portuguese e-mail fell on leaders and groups in the UN and in certain countries around the world as Portugal's diplomats, perhaps to compensate for the weak initial response to Indonesian armed aggression in 1975, called for the protection of East Timor as an independent state and for UN intervention to thwart Indonesian action. Using global communications networks, the Portuguese were able to mobilize UN and world public opinion against Indonesian actions and aided the eventual independence of East Timor on 20 May 2002.
       From the Revolution of 25 April 1974 until the 1990s, Portugal had a large number of political parties, one of the largest Communist parties in western Europe, frequent elections, and endemic cabinet instability. Since the 1990s, the number of political parties has been dramatically reduced and cabinet stability increased. Gradually, the Portuguese electorate has concentrated around two larger parties, the right-of-center Social Democrats (PSD) and the left-of-center Socialist (PS). In the 1980s, these two parties together garnered 65 percent of the vote and 70 percent of the seats in parliament. In 2005, these percentages had risen to 74 percent and 85 percent, respectively. In effect, Portugal is currently a two-party dominant system in which the two largest parties — PS and PSD—alternate in and out of power, not unlike the rotation of the two main political parties (the Regenerators and the Historicals) during the last decades (1850s to 1880s) of the liberal constitutional monarchy. As Portugal's democracy has consolidated, turnout rates for the eligible electorate have declined. In the 1970s, turnout was 85 percent. In Portugal's most recent parliamentary election (2005), turnout had fallen to 65 percent of the eligible electorate.
       Portugal has benefited greatly from membership in the EU, and whatever doubts remain about the price paid for membership, no Portuguese government in the near future can afford to sever this connection. The vast majority of Portuguese citizens see membership in the EU as a "good thing" and strongly believe that Portugal has benefited from membership. Only the Communist Party opposed membership because it reduces national sovereignty, serves the interests of capitalists not workers, and suffers from a democratic deficit. Despite the high level of support for the EU, Portuguese voters are increasingly not voting in elections for the European Parliament, however. Turnout for European Parliament elections fell from 40 percent of the eligible electorate in the 1999 elections to 38 percent in the 2004 elections.
       In sum, Portugal's turn toward Europe has done much to overcome its backwardness. However, despite the economic, social, and political progress made since 1986, Portugal has a long way to go before it can claim to be on a par with the level found even in Spain, much less the rest of western Europe. As Portugal struggles to move from underde-velopment, especially in the rural areas away from the coast, it must keep in mind the perils of too rapid modern development, which could damage two of its most precious assets: its scenery and environment. The growth and future prosperity of the economy will depend on the degree to which the government and the private sector will remain stewards of clean air, soil, water, and other finite resources on which the tourism industry depends and on which Portugal's world image as a unique place to visit rests. Currently, Portugal is investing heavily in renewable energy from solar, wind, and wave power in order to account for about 50 percent of its electricity needs by 2010. Portugal opened the world's largest solar power plant and the world's first commercial wave power farm in 2006.
       An American documentary film on Portugal produced in the 1970s described this little country as having "a Past in Search of a Future." In the years after the Revolution of 25 April 1974, it could be said that Portugal is now living in "a Present in Search of a Future." Increasingly, that future lies in Europe as an active and productive member of the EU.

    Historical dictionary of Portugal > Historical Portugal

  • 4 Chronology

      15,000-3,000 BCE Paleolithic cultures in western Portugal.
      400-200 BCE Greek and Carthaginian trade settlements on coast.
      202 BCE Roman armies invade ancient Lusitania.
      137 BCE Intensive Romanization of Lusitania begins.
      410 CE Germanic tribes — Suevi and Visigoths—begin conquest of Roman Lusitania and Galicia.
      714—16 Muslims begin conquest of Visigothic Lusitania.
      1034 Christian Reconquest frontier reaches Mondego River.
      1064 Christians conquer Coimbra.
      1139 Burgundian Count Afonso Henriques proclaims himself king of Portugal; birth of Portugal. Battle of Ourique: Afonso Henriques defeats Muslims.
      1147 With English Crusaders' help, Portuguese seize Lisbon from Muslims.
      1179 Papacy formally recognizes Portugal's independence (Pope Alexander III).
      1226 Campaign to reclaim Alentejo from Muslims begins.
      1249 Last Muslim city (Silves) falls to Portuguese Army.
      1381 Beginning of third war between Castile and Portugal.
      1383 Master of Aviz, João, proclaimed regent by Lisbon populace.
      1385 April: Master of Aviz, João I, proclaimed king of Portugal by Cortes of Coimbra. 14 August: Battle of Aljubarrota, Castilians defeated by royal forces, with assistance of English army.
      1394 Birth of "Prince Henry the Navigator," son of King João I.
      1415 Beginning of overseas expansion as Portugal captures Moroccan city of Ceuta.
      1419 Discovery of Madeira Islands.
      1425-28 Prince D. Pedro, older brother of Prince Henry, travels in Europe.
      1427 Discovery (or rediscovery?) of Azores Islands.
      1434 Prince Henry the Navigator's ships pass beyond Cape Bojador, West Africa.
      1437 Disaster at Tangier, Morocco, as Portuguese fail to capture city.
      1441 First African slaves from western Africa reach Portugal.
      1460 Death of Prince Henry. Portuguese reach what is now Senegal, West Africa.
      1470s Portuguese explore West African coast and reach what is now Ghana and Nigeria and begin colonizing islands of São Tomé and Príncipe.
      1479 Treaty of Alcáçovas between kings of Portugal and Spain.
      1482 Portuguese establish post at São Jorge da Mina, Gold Coast (now Ghana).
      1482-83 Portuguese navigator Diogo Cão reaches mouth of Congo River and Angola.
      1488 Navigator Bartolomeu Dias rounds Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, and finds route to Indian Ocean.
      1492-93 Columbus's first voyage to West Indies.
      1493 Columbus visits Azores and Portugal on return from first voyage; tells of discovery of New World. Treaty of Tordesillas signed between kings of Portugal and Spain: delimits spheres of conquest with line 370 leagues west of Cape Verde Islands (claimed by Portugal); Portugal's sphere to east of line includes, in effect, Brazil.
       King Manuel I and Royal Council decide to continue seeking all-water route around Africa to Asia.
       King Manuel I expels unconverted Jews from Portugal.
      1497-99 Epic voyage of Vasco da Gama from Portugal around Africa to west India, successful completion of sea route to Asia project; da Gama returns to Portugal with samples of Asian spices.
      1500 Bound for India, Navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral "discovers" coast of Brazil and claims it for Portugal.
      1506 Anti-Jewish riots in Lisbon.
       Battle of Diu, India; Portugal's command of Indian Ocean assured for some time with Francisco de Almeida's naval victory over Egyptian and Gujerati fleets.
       Afonso de Albuquerque conquers Goa, India; beginning of Portuguese hegemony in south Asia.
       Portuguese conquest of Malacca; commerce in Spice Islands.
      1519 Magellan begins circumnavigation voyage.
      1536 Inquisition begins in Portugal.
      1543 Portuguese merchants reach Japan.
      1557 Portuguese merchants granted Chinese territory of Macau for trading factory.
      1572 Luís de Camões publishes epic poem, Os Lusíadas.
      1578 Battle of Alcácer-Quivir; Moroccan forces defeat army of King Sebastião of Portugal; King Sebastião dies in battle. Portuguese succession crisis.
      1580 King Phillip II of Spain claims and conquers Portugal; Spanish rule of Portugal, 1580-1640.
      1607-24 Dutch conquer sections of Asia and Brazil formerly held by Portugal.
      1640 1 December: Portuguese revolution in Lisbon overthrows Spanish rule, restores independence. Beginning of Portugal's Braganza royal dynasty.
      1654 Following Dutch invasions and conquest of parts of Brazil and Angola, Dutch expelled by force.
      1661 Anglo-Portuguese Alliance treaty signed: England pledges to defend Portugal "as if it were England itself." Queen Catherine of Bra-ganza marries England's Charles II.
      1668 February: In Portuguese-Spanish peace treaty, Spain recognizes independence of Portugal, thus ending 28-year War of Restoration.
      1703 Methuen Treaties signed, key commercial trade agreement and defense treaty between England and Portugal.
      1750 Pombal becomes chief minister of King José I.
      1755 1 November: Massive Lisbon earthquake, tidal wave, and fire.
      1759 Expulsion of Jesuits from Portugal and colonies.
      1761 Slavery abolished in continental Portugal.
      1769 Abandonment of Mazagão, Morocco, last Portuguese outpost.
      1777 Pombal dismissed as chief minister by Queen Maria I, after death of José I.
      1791 Portugal and United States establish full diplomatic relations.
      1807 November: First Napoleonic invasion; French forces under Junot conquer Portugal. Royal family flees to colony of Brazil and remains there until 1821.
      1809 Second French invasion of Portugal under General Soult.
      1811 Third French invasion of Portugal under General Masséna.
      1813 Following British general Wellington's military victories, French forces evacuate Portugal.
      1817 Liberal, constitutional movements against absolutist monarchist rule break out in Brazil (Pernambuco) and Portugal (Lisbon, under General Gomes Freire); crushed by government. British marshal of Portugal's army, Beresford, rules Portugal.
       Liberal insurrection in army officer corps breaks out in Cadiz, Spain, and influences similar movement in Portugal's armed forces first in Oporto.
       King João VI returns from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and early draft of constitution; era of constitutional monarchy begins.
      1822 7 September: João VI's son Pedro proclaims independence of
       Brazil from Portugal and is named emperor. 23 September: Constitution of 1822 ratified.
       Portugal recognizes sovereign independence of Brazil.
       King João VI dies; power struggle for throne ensues between his sons, brothers Pedro and Miguel; Pedro, emperor of Brazil, abdicates Portuguese throne in favor of his daughter, D. Maria II, too young to assume crown. By agreement, Miguel, uncle of D. Maria, is to accept constitution and rule in her stead.
      1828 Miguel takes throne and abolishes constitution. Sections of Portugal rebel against Miguelite rule.
      1831 Emperor Pedro abdicates throne of Brazil and returns to Portugal to expel King Miguel from Portuguese throne.
      1832-34 Civil war between absolutist King Miguel and constitutionalist Pedro, who abandons throne of Brazil to restore his young daughter Maria to throne of Portugal; Miguel's armed forces defeated by those of Pedro. Miguel leaves for exile and constitution (1826 Charter) is restored.
      1834-53 Constitutional monarchy consolidated under rule of Queen Maria II, who dies in 1853.
      1851-71 Regeneration period of economic development and political stability; public works projects sponsored by Minister Fontes Pereira de Melo.
      1871-90 Rotativism period of alternating party governments; achieves political stability and less military intervention in politics and government. Expansion of colonial territory in tropical Africa.
       January: Following territorial dispute in central Africa, Britain delivers "Ultimatum" to Portugal demanding withdrawal of Portugal's forces from what is now Malawi and Zimbabwe. Portugal's government, humiliated in accepting demand under threat of a diplomatic break, falls. Beginning of governmental and political instability; monarchist decline and republicanism's rise.
       Anglo-Portuguese treaties signed relating to delimitation of frontiers in colonial Africa.
      1899 Treaty of Windsor; renewal of Anglo-Portuguese defense and friendship alliance.
      1903 Triumphal visit of King Edward VII to Portugal.
      1906 Politician João Franco supported by King Carlos I in dictatorship to restore order and reform.
      1908 1 February: Murder in Lisbon of King Carlos I and his heir apparent, Prince Dom Luís, by Portuguese anarchists. Eighteen-year-old King Manuel II assumes throne.
      1910 3-5 October: Following republican-led military insurrection in armed forces, monarchy falls and first Portuguese republic is proclaimed. Beginning of unstable, economically troubled, parliamentary republic form of government.
       May: Violent insurrection in Lisbon overturns government of General Pimenta de Castro; nearly a thousand casualties from several days of armed combat in capital.
       March: Following Portugal's honoring ally Britain's request to confiscate German shipping in Portuguese harbors, Germany declares war on Portugal; Portugal enters World War I on Allied side.
       Portugal organizes and dispatches Portuguese Expeditionary Corps to fight on the Western Front. 9 April: Portuguese forces mauled by German offensive in Battle of Lys. Food rationing and riots in Lisbon. Portuguese military operations in Mozambique against German expedition's invasion from German East Africa. 5 December: Authoritarian, presidentialist government under Major Sidónio Pais takes power in Lisbon, following a successful military coup.
      1918 11 November: Armistice brings cessation of hostilities on Western Front in World War I. Portuguese expeditionary forces stationed in Angola, Mozambique, and Flanders begin return trip to Portugal. 14 December: President Sidónio Pais assassinated. Chaotic period of ephemeral civil war ensues.
      1919-21 Excessively unstable political period, including January
      1919 abortive effort of Portuguese monarchists to restore Braganza dynasty to power. Republican forces prevail, but level of public violence, economic distress, and deprivation remains high.
      1921 October: Political violence attains peak with murder of former prime minister and other prominent political figures in Lisbon. Sectors of armed forces and Guarda Nacional Republicana are mutinous. Year of financial and corruption scandals, including Portuguese bank note (fraud) case; military court acquits guilty military insurrectionists, and one military judge declares "the country is sick."
       28 May: Republic overthrown by military coup or pronunciamento and conspiracy among officer corps. Parliament's doors locked and parliament closed for nearly nine years to January 1935. End of parliamentary republic, Western Europe's most unstable political system in this century, beginning of the Portuguese dictatorship, after 1930 known as the Estado Novo. Officer corps assumes reins of government, initiates military censorship of the press, and suppresses opposition.
       February: Military dictatorship under General Óscar Carmona crushes failed republican armed insurrection in Oporto and Lisbon.
       April: Military dictatorship names Professor Antônio de Oliveira Salazar minister of finance, with dictatorial powers over budget, to stabilize finances and rebuild economy. Insurrectionism among military elements continues into 1931.
      1930 Dr. Salazar named minister for colonies and announces balanced budgets. Salazar consolidates support by various means, including creation of official regime "movement," the National Union. Salazar engineers Colonial Act to ensure Lisbon's control of bankrupt African colonies by means of new fiscal controls and centralization of authority. July: Military dictatorship names Salazar prime minister for first time, and cabinet composition undergoes civilianization; academic colleagues and protégés plan conservative reform and rejuvenation of society, polity, and economy. Regime comes to be called the Estado Novo (New State). New State's constitution ratified by new parliament, the National Assembly; Portugal described in document as "unitary, corporative Republic" and governance influenced by Salazar's stern personality and doctrines such as integralism, Catholicism, and fiscal conservatism.
      1936 Violent instability and ensuing civil war in neighboring Spain, soon internationalized by fascist and communist intervention, shake Estado Novo regime. Pseudofascist period of regime features creation of imitation Fascist institutions to defend regime from leftist threats; Portugal institutes "Portuguese Youth" and "Portuguese Legion."
      1939 3 September: Prime Minister Salazar declares Portugal's neutrality in World War II. October: Anglo-Portuguese agreement grants naval and air base facilities to Britain and later to United States for Battle of the Atlantic and Normandy invasion support. Third Reich protests breach of Portugal's neutrality.
       6 June: On day of Allies' Normandy invasion, Portugal suspends mining and export of wolfram ore to both sides in war.
       8 May: Popular celebrations of Allied victory and Fascist defeat in Lisbon and Oporto coincide with Victory in Europe Day. Following managed elections for Estado Novo's National Assembly in November, regime police, renamed PIDE, with increased powers, represses opposition.
      1947 Abortive military coup in central Portugal easily crushed by regime. Independence of India and initiation of Indian protests against Portuguese colonial rule in Goa and other enclaves.
      1949 Portugal becomes founding member of NATO.
      1951 Portugal alters constitution and renames overseas colonies "Overseas Provinces." Portugal and United States sign military base agreements for use of air and naval facilities in Azores Islands and military aid to Lisbon. President Carmona dies in office, succeeded by General Craveiro Lopes (1951-58). July: Indians occupy enclave of Portuguese India (dependency of Damão) by means of passive resistance movement. August: Indian passive resistance movement in Portuguese India repelled by Portuguese forces with loss of life. December: With U.S. backing, Portugal admitted as member of United Nations (along with Spain). Air force general Humberto Delgado, in opposition, challenges Estado Novo's hand-picked successor to Craveiro Lopes, Admiral Américo Tomás. Delgado rallies coalition of democratic, liberal, and communist opposition but loses rigged election and later flees to exile in Brazil. Portugal joins European Free Trade Association (EFTA).
       January and February: Estado Novo rocked by armed African insurrection in northern Angola, crushed by armed forces. Hijacking of Portuguese ocean liner by ally of Delgado, Captain Henrique Galvão. April: Salazar defeats attempted military coup and reshuffles cabinet with group of younger figures who seek to reform colonial rule and strengthen the regime's image abroad. 18 December: Indian army rapidly defeats Portugal's defense force in Goa, Damão, and Diu and incorporates Portugal's Indian possessions into Indian Union. January: Abortive military coup in Beja, Portugal.
      1965 February: General Delgado and his Brazilian secretary murdered and secretly buried near Spanish frontier by political police, PIDE.
      1968 August and September: Prime Minister Salazar, aged 79, suffers crippling stoke. President Tomás names former cabinet officer Marcello Caetano as Salazar's successor. Caetano institutes modest reforms in Portugal and overseas.
      1971 Caetano government ratifies amended constitution that allows slight devolution and autonomy to overseas provinces in Africa and Asia. Right-wing loyalists oppose reforms in Portugal. 25 April: Military coup engineered by Armed Forces Movement overthrows Estado Novo and establishes provisional government emphasizing democratization, development, and decolonization. Limited resistance by loyalists. President Tomás and Premier Caetano flown to exile first in Madeira and then in Brazil. General Spínola appointed president. September: Revolution moves to left, as President Spínola, thwarted in his program, resigns.
       March: Military coup by conservative forces fails, and leftist response includes nationalization of major portion of economy. Polarization between forces and parties of left and right. 25 November: Military coup by moderate military elements thwarts leftist forces. Constituent Assembly prepares constitution. Revolution moves from left to center and then right.
       March: Constitution ratified by Assembly of the Republic. 25 April: Second general legislative election gives largest share of seats to Socialist Party (PS). Former oppositionist lawyer, Mário Soares, elected deputy and named prime minister.
      1977-85 Political pendulum of democratic Portugal moves from center-left to center-right, as Social Democratic Party (PSD) increases hold on assembly and take office under Prime Minister Cavaco Silva. July
      1985 elections give edge to PSD who advocate strong free-enterprise measures and revision of leftist-generated 1976 Constitution, amended modestly in 1982.
      1986 January: Portugal joins European Economic Community (EEC).
      1987 July: General, legislative elections for assembly give more than 50 percent to PSD led by Prime Minister Cavaco Silva. For first time, since 1974, Portugal has a working majority government.
      1989 June: Following revisions of 1976 Constitution, reprivatization of economy begins, under PS government.
       January: Presidential elections, Mário Soares reelected for second term. July: General, legislative elections for assembly result in new PSD victory and majority government.
       January-July: Portugal holds presidency of the Council of the European Economic Community (EEC). December: Tariff barriers fall as fully integrated Common Market established in the EEC.
       November: Treaty of Maastricht comes into force. The EEC officially becomes the European Union (EU). Portugal is signatory with 11 other member-nations.
       October: General, legislative elections for assembly result in PS victory and naming of Prime Minister Guterres. PS replace PSD as leading political party. November: Excavations for Lisbon bank uncover ancient Phoenician, Roman, and Christian ruins.
       January: General, presidential elections; socialist Jorge Sampaio defeats PSD's Cavaco Silva and assumes presidency from Dr. Mário Soares. July: Community of Portuguese Languages Countries (CPLP) cofounded by Portugal and Brazil.
       May-September: Expo '98 held in Lisbon. Opening of Vasco da Gama Bridge across Tagus River, Europe's longest (17 kilometers/ 11 miles). June: National referendum on abortion law change defeated after low voter turnout. November: National referendum on regionaliza-tion and devolution of power defeated after another low voter turnout.
       October: General, legislative elections: PS victory over PSD lacks clear majority in parliament. Following East Timor referendum, which votes for independence and withdrawal of Indonesia, outburst of popular outrage in streets, media, and communications of Portugal approves armed intervention and administration of United Nations (and withdrawal of Indonesia) in East Timor. Portugal and Indonesia restore diplomatic relations. December: A Special Territory since 1975, Colony of Macau transferred to sovereignty of People's Republic of China.
       January-June: Portugal holds presidency of the Council of the EU; end of Discoveries Historical Commemoration Cycle (1988-2000).
       United Nations forces continue to occupy and administer former colony of East Timor, with Portugal's approval.
       January: General, presidential elections; PS president Sampaio reelected for second term. City of Oporto, "European City of Culture" for the year, hosts arts festival. December: Municipal elections: PSD defeats PS; socialist prime minister Guterres resigns; President Sampaio calls March parliamentary elections.
       1 January: Portugal enters single European Currency system. Euro currency adopted and ceases use of former national currency, the escudo. March: Parliamentary elections; PSD defeats PS and José Durão Barroso becomes prime minister. Military modernization law passed. Portugal holds chairmanship of Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
       May: Municipal law passed permitting municipalities to reorganize in new ways.
       June: Prime Minister Durão Barroso, invited to succeed Romano Prodi as president of EU Commission, resigns. Pedro Santana Lopes becomes prime minister. European Parliament elections held. Conscription for national service in army and navy ended. Mass grave uncovered at Academy of Sciences Museum, Lisbon, revealing remains of several thousand victims of Lisbon earthquake, 1755.
       February: Parliamentary elections; PS defeats PSD, socialists win first absolute majority in parliament since 1975. José Sócrates becomes prime minister.
       January: Presidential elections; PSD candidate Aníbal Cavaco Silva elected and assumes presidency from Jorge Sampaio. Portugal's national soccer team ranked 7th out of 205 countries by international soccer association. European Union's Bologna Process in educational reform initiated in Portugal.
       July-December: Portugal holds presidency of the Council of the European Union. For reasons of economy, Portugal announces closure of many consulates, especially in France and the eastern US. Government begins official inspections of private institutions of higher education, following scandals.
      2008 January: Prime Minister Sócrates announces location of new Lisbon area airport as Alcochete, on south bank of Tagus River, site of air force shooting range. February: Portuguese Army begins to receive new modern battle tanks (Leopard 2 A6). March: Mass protest of 85,000 public school (primary and secondary levels) teachers in Lisbon schools dispute recent educational policies of minister of education and prime minister.

    Historical dictionary of Portugal > Chronology

  • 5 A

    ei
    (one of the notes in the musical scale.) la
    - A sharp
    a det un / una
    Recuerda que a se emplea delante de una palabra que empieza por consonante; delante de una palabra que empieza por un sonido vocálico se emplea an
    Multiple Entries: A     a A,
    a sustantivo femenino (pl aes) (read as /a/) the letter A, a

    a preposición Nota: La preposición a suele emplearse precedida de ciertos verbos como empezar, ir, oler, sonar etc, en cuyo caso ver bajo el respectivo verbo.No se traduce cuando introduce el complemento directo de persona (ser humano, pronombres personales que lo representan, como quien, alguien, algún etc) o un nombre con un objeto o animal personalizado: amo a mi patria = I love my country, paseo a mi perro = I walk my dog.En los casos en que precede al artículo definido el para formar la contracción al, ver bajo la siguiente entrada, donde también se encontrarán otros ejemplos y usos de a. 1
    voy a México/la tienda I'm going to Mexico/to the shop;
    voy a casa I'm going home; se cayó al río she fell into the river a orillas del Ebro on the banks of the Ebro; se sentó al sol he sat in the sun; se sentó a mi derecha he sat down on my right 2
    a) (señalando hora, momento) at;
    a la hora de comer at lunch time; ¿a qué hora vengo? what time shall I come?; a mediados de abril in mid-April; al día siguiente the next o following day
    hoy estamos a lunes/a 20 today is Monday/it's the 20th today
    c) al + inf:
    al enterarse de la noticia when he learnt o on learning the news ( antes) a few minutes before she arrived; 3 (en relaciones de proporción, equivalencia): sale a 100 euros cada uno it works out at 100 euros each; a 100 kilómetros por hora (at) 100 kilometers per hour; nos ganaron cinco a tres they beat us five three o (AmE) five to three 4 (indicando modo, medio, estilo):
    a pie/a caballo on foot/on horseback;
    a crédito on credit; funciona a pilas it runs on batteries; a mano by hand; a rayas striped; vestirse a lo punk to wear punk clothes 5
    ¿viste a José? did you see José?;
    no he leído a Freud I haven't read (any) Freud dáselo a ella give it to her; les enseña inglés a mis hijos she teaches my children English; le echó (la) llave a la puerta she locked the door
    se lo compré a una gitana I bought it from o (colloq) off a gipsy

    A, a f (letra) A 'A' also found in these entries: Spanish: a. C. - a.m. - abajeña - abajeño - abanderada - abanderado - abandonar - abandonada - abandonado - abanico - abarquillada - abarquillado - abarrotada - abarrotado - abasto - abatida - abatido - abatirse - abdicar - aberración - abertura - abierta - abierto - abigarrada - abigarrado - abigarrar - ablandar - ablusada - ablusado - abnegada - abnegado - abobada - abobado - abocada - abocado - abogacía - abogada - abogado - abombada - abombado - abonar - abonada - abonado - abonarse - abono - abordar - abordaje - aborregar - abortar - abortiva English: A - A-level - a.m. - abandon - abandoned - abide by - ability - abject - abnormal - aboard - aborigine - abortion - abortive - about - above - above-board - above-mentioned - abrasive - abreast - abridged - abrupt - absent - absent-minded - absolute - absolutely - absorbed - abstemious - abstract - absurd - abundant - abuse - abusive - abysmal - academic - academy - accede - accent - acceptable - access - accident-prone - accidental - accidentally - acclimatized - accommodate - accommodation - accomplish - accomplished - account - account for - accountable
    A
    tr[æmp, 'æmpeəSMALLr/SMALL]
    1 ( ampere) amperio; (symbol) A
    a ['eɪ] n, pl a's or as ['eɪz] : primera letra del alfabeto inglés
    a [ə, 'eɪ] art, an [ən, 'æn] before vowel or silent h)
    1) : un m, una f
    a house: una casa
    half an hour: media hora
    what a surprise!: ¡qué sorpresa!
    2) per: por, a la, al
    30 kilometers an hour: 30 kilómetros por hora
    twice a month: dos veces al mes
    n.
    la (Música) s.f.
    anoun
    1)
    a) ( letter) A, a f

    to get from A to B — ir* de un sitio a otro

    b) ( Mus) la m

    A flat/sharp/natural — la bemol/sostenido/natural

    A major/minor — la mayor/menor

    2)

    35A — ≈35 bis, ≈35 duplicado

    b) ( in sizes of paper) (BrE)

    A3 — A3 ( 420 x 297mm)

    A4 — A4 ( 297 x 210mm)

    A5 — A5 ( 210 x 148mm)

    c) ( Transp) ( in UK) (before n)

    A road — ≈carretera f or ruta f nacional


    I [eɪ]
    1. N
    1) (=letter) A, a f

    No. 32A — (=house) núm. 32 bis, núm. 32 duplicado

    the A-Z of Management Techniques — el manual básico de Técnicas de Gestión, Técnicas de Gestión de la A a la Z

    - know sth from A to Z
    2) (Mus)

    A — la m

    A major/minor — la mayor/menor

    A sharp/flat — la sostenido/bemol

    3) (Scol) sobresaliente m
    2.
    CPD

    A level N ABBR (Brit) (Scol) = Advanced level — bachillerato m

    A road N(Brit) carretera f nacional

    "A" shares NPLacciones fpl de clase A

    A side N[of record] cara f A

    A to Z ® N(=map book) callejero m

    A LEVELS Al terminar la educación secundaria obligatoria, los estudiantes de Inglaterra, Gales e Irlanda del Norte pueden estudiar otros dos años para preparar tres o cuatro asignaturas más y examinarse de ellas a los 18 años. Estos exámenes se conocen con el nombre de A levels o Advanced levels. Cada universidad determina el número de A levels y la calificación necesaria para acceder a ella. En Escocia los exámenes equivalentes son los Highers o Higher Grades, que se hacen de unas cinco asignaturas tras un año de estudios. Después se puede optar entre entrar en la universidad directamente o estudiar otro año más, bien para hacer el mismo examen de otras asignaturas, o para sacar los Advanced Highers.
    See:

    II
    [eɪ] [ˌǝ]
    INDEF ART ( before vowel or silent h an) [ˌæn] [ˌǝn] [ˌn]
    1) un(a) m / f ; (+ fem noun starting with stressed [a] or [ha]) un

    that child's a thief! — ¡ese niño es un ladrón!

    b) (after [tener]/[buscar] if singular object the norm)

    have you got a passport? — ¿tiene usted pasaporte?

    See:
    LOOK FOR in look

    a fine excuse! — ¡bonita disculpa!

    what an idiot! — ¡qué idiota!

    Patrick, a lecturer at Glasgow University, says that... — Patrick, profesor de la Universidad de Glasgow, dice que...

    the Duero, a Spanish river — el Duero, un río español

    3) (=a certain) un(a) tal
    4) (=each, per) por

    £80 a week — 80 libras por semana

    once a week/three times a month — una vez a la semanaes veces al mes

    * * *
    a [eɪ] noun
    1)
    a) ( letter) A, a f

    to get from A to B — ir* de un sitio a otro

    b) ( Mus) la m

    A flat/sharp/natural — la bemol/sostenido/natural

    A major/minor — la mayor/menor

    2)

    35A — ≈35 bis, ≈35 duplicado

    b) ( in sizes of paper) (BrE)

    A3 — A3 ( 420 x 297mm)

    A4 — A4 ( 297 x 210mm)

    A5 — A5 ( 210 x 148mm)

    c) ( Transp) ( in UK) (before n)

    A road — ≈carretera f or ruta f nacional

    English-spanish dictionary > A

  • 6 a

    ei
    (one of the notes in the musical scale.) la
    - A sharp
    a det un / una
    Recuerda que a se emplea delante de una palabra que empieza por consonante; delante de una palabra que empieza por un sonido vocálico se emplea an
    Multiple Entries: A     a A,
    a sustantivo femenino (pl aes) (read as /a/) the letter A, a

    a preposición Nota: La preposición a suele emplearse precedida de ciertos verbos como empezar, ir, oler, sonar etc, en cuyo caso ver bajo el respectivo verbo.No se traduce cuando introduce el complemento directo de persona (ser humano, pronombres personales que lo representan, como quien, alguien, algún etc) o un nombre con un objeto o animal personalizado: amo a mi patria = I love my country, paseo a mi perro = I walk my dog.En los casos en que precede al artículo definido el para formar la contracción al, ver bajo la siguiente entrada, donde también se encontrarán otros ejemplos y usos de a. 1
    voy a México/la tienda I'm going to Mexico/to the shop;
    voy a casa I'm going home; se cayó al río she fell into the river a orillas del Ebro on the banks of the Ebro; se sentó al sol he sat in the sun; se sentó a mi derecha he sat down on my right 2
    a) (señalando hora, momento) at;
    a la hora de comer at lunch time; ¿a qué hora vengo? what time shall I come?; a mediados de abril in mid-April; al día siguiente the next o following day
    hoy estamos a lunes/a 20 today is Monday/it's the 20th today
    c) al + inf:
    al enterarse de la noticia when he learnt o on learning the news ( antes) a few minutes before she arrived; 3 (en relaciones de proporción, equivalencia): sale a 100 euros cada uno it works out at 100 euros each; a 100 kilómetros por hora (at) 100 kilometers per hour; nos ganaron cinco a tres they beat us five three o (AmE) five to three 4 (indicando modo, medio, estilo):
    a pie/a caballo on foot/on horseback;
    a crédito on credit; funciona a pilas it runs on batteries; a mano by hand; a rayas striped; vestirse a lo punk to wear punk clothes 5
    ¿viste a José? did you see José?;
    no he leído a Freud I haven't read (any) Freud dáselo a ella give it to her; les enseña inglés a mis hijos she teaches my children English; le echó (la) llave a la puerta she locked the door
    se lo compré a una gitana I bought it from o (colloq) off a gipsy

    A, a f (letra) A 'A' also found in these entries: Spanish: a. C. - a.m. - abajeña - abajeño - abanderada - abanderado - abandonar - abandonada - abandonado - abanico - abarquillada - abarquillado - abarrotada - abarrotado - abasto - abatida - abatido - abatirse - abdicar - aberración - abertura - abierta - abierto - abigarrada - abigarrado - abigarrar - ablandar - ablusada - ablusado - abnegada - abnegado - abobada - abobado - abocada - abocado - abogacía - abogada - abogado - abombada - abombado - abonar - abonada - abonado - abonarse - abono - abordar - abordaje - aborregar - abortar - abortiva English: A - A-level - a.m. - abandon - abandoned - abide by - ability - abject - abnormal - aboard - aborigine - abortion - abortive - about - above - above-board - above-mentioned - abrasive - abreast - abridged - abrupt - absent - absent-minded - absolute - absolutely - absorbed - abstemious - abstract - absurd - abundant - abuse - abusive - abysmal - academic - academy - accede - accent - acceptable - access - accident-prone - accidental - accidentally - acclimatized - accommodate - accommodation - accomplish - accomplished - account - account for - accountable
    A
    tr[æmp, 'æmpeəSMALLr/SMALL]
    1 ( ampere) amperio; (symbol) A
    a ['eɪ] n, pl a's or as ['eɪz] : primera letra del alfabeto inglés
    a [ə, 'eɪ] art, an [ən, 'æn] before vowel or silent h)
    1) : un m, una f
    a house: una casa
    half an hour: media hora
    what a surprise!: ¡qué sorpresa!
    2) per: por, a la, al
    30 kilometers an hour: 30 kilómetros por hora
    twice a month: dos veces al mes
    n.
    la (Música) s.f.
    anoun
    1)
    a) ( letter) A, a f

    to get from A to B — ir* de un sitio a otro

    b) ( Mus) la m

    A flat/sharp/natural — la bemol/sostenido/natural

    A major/minor — la mayor/menor

    2)

    35A — ≈35 bis, ≈35 duplicado

    b) ( in sizes of paper) (BrE)

    A3 — A3 ( 420 x 297mm)

    A4 — A4 ( 297 x 210mm)

    A5 — A5 ( 210 x 148mm)

    c) ( Transp) ( in UK) (before n)

    A road — ≈carretera f or ruta f nacional


    I [eɪ]
    1. N
    1) (=letter) A, a f

    No. 32A — (=house) núm. 32 bis, núm. 32 duplicado

    the A-Z of Management Techniques — el manual básico de Técnicas de Gestión, Técnicas de Gestión de la A a la Z

    - know sth from A to Z
    2) (Mus)

    A — la m

    A major/minor — la mayor/menor

    A sharp/flat — la sostenido/bemol

    3) (Scol) sobresaliente m
    2.
    CPD

    A level N ABBR (Brit) (Scol) = Advanced level — bachillerato m

    A road N(Brit) carretera f nacional

    "A" shares NPLacciones fpl de clase A

    A side N[of record] cara f A

    A to Z ® N(=map book) callejero m

    A LEVELS Al terminar la educación secundaria obligatoria, los estudiantes de Inglaterra, Gales e Irlanda del Norte pueden estudiar otros dos años para preparar tres o cuatro asignaturas más y examinarse de ellas a los 18 años. Estos exámenes se conocen con el nombre de A levels o Advanced levels. Cada universidad determina el número de A levels y la calificación necesaria para acceder a ella. En Escocia los exámenes equivalentes son los Highers o Higher Grades, que se hacen de unas cinco asignaturas tras un año de estudios. Después se puede optar entre entrar en la universidad directamente o estudiar otro año más, bien para hacer el mismo examen de otras asignaturas, o para sacar los Advanced Highers.
    See:

    II
    [eɪ] [ˌǝ]
    INDEF ART ( before vowel or silent h an) [ˌæn] [ˌǝn] [ˌn]
    1) un(a) m / f ; (+ fem noun starting with stressed [a] or [ha]) un

    that child's a thief! — ¡ese niño es un ladrón!

    b) (after [tener]/[buscar] if singular object the norm)

    have you got a passport? — ¿tiene usted pasaporte?

    See:
    LOOK FOR in look

    a fine excuse! — ¡bonita disculpa!

    what an idiot! — ¡qué idiota!

    Patrick, a lecturer at Glasgow University, says that... — Patrick, profesor de la Universidad de Glasgow, dice que...

    the Duero, a Spanish river — el Duero, un río español

    3) (=a certain) un(a) tal
    4) (=each, per) por

    £80 a week — 80 libras por semana

    once a week/three times a month — una vez a la semanaes veces al mes

    * * *
    a [eɪ] noun
    1)
    a) ( letter) A, a f

    to get from A to B — ir* de un sitio a otro

    b) ( Mus) la m

    A flat/sharp/natural — la bemol/sostenido/natural

    A major/minor — la mayor/menor

    2)

    35A — ≈35 bis, ≈35 duplicado

    b) ( in sizes of paper) (BrE)

    A3 — A3 ( 420 x 297mm)

    A4 — A4 ( 297 x 210mm)

    A5 — A5 ( 210 x 148mm)

    c) ( Transp) ( in UK) (before n)

    A road — ≈carretera f or ruta f nacional

    English-spanish dictionary > a

  • 7 Introduction

       Portugal is a small Western European nation with a large, distinctive past replete with both triumph and tragedy. One of the continent's oldest nation-states, Portugal has frontiers that are essentially unchanged since the late 14th century. The country's unique character and 850-year history as an independent state present several curious paradoxes. As of 1974, when much of the remainder of the Portuguese overseas empire was decolonized, Portuguese society appeared to be the most ethnically homogeneous of the two Iberian states and of much of Europe. Yet, Portuguese society had received, over the course of 2,000 years, infusions of other ethnic groups in invasions and immigration: Phoenicians, Greeks, Celts, Romans, Suevi, Visigoths, Muslims (Arab and Berber), Jews, Italians, Flemings, Burgundian French, black Africans, and Asians. Indeed, Portugal has been a crossroads, despite its relative isolation in the western corner of the Iberian Peninsula, between the West and North Africa, Tropical Africa, and Asia and America. Since 1974, Portugal's society has become less homogeneous, as there has been significant immigration of former subjects from its erstwhile overseas empire.
       Other paradoxes should be noted as well. Although Portugal is sometimes confused with Spain or things Spanish, its very national independence and national culture depend on being different from Spain and Spaniards. Today, Portugal's independence may be taken for granted. Since 1140, except for 1580-1640 when it was ruled by Philippine Spain, Portugal has been a sovereign state. Nevertheless, a recurring theme of the nation's history is cycles of anxiety and despair that its freedom as a nation is at risk. There is a paradox, too, about Portugal's overseas empire(s), which lasted half a millennium (1415-1975): after 1822, when Brazil achieved independence from Portugal, most of the Portuguese who emigrated overseas never set foot in their overseas empire, but preferred to immigrate to Brazil or to other countries in North or South America or Europe, where established Portuguese overseas communities existed.
       Portugal was a world power during the period 1415-1550, the era of the Discoveries, expansion, and early empire, and since then the Portuguese have experienced periods of decline, decadence, and rejuvenation. Despite the fact that Portugal slipped to the rank of a third- or fourth-rate power after 1580, it and its people can claim rightfully an unusual number of "firsts" or distinctions that assure their place both in world and Western history. These distinctions should be kept in mind while acknowledging that, for more than 400 years, Portugal has generally lagged behind the rest of Western Europe, although not Southern Europe, in social and economic developments and has remained behind even its only neighbor and sometime nemesis, Spain.
       Portugal's pioneering role in the Discoveries and exploration era of the 15th and 16th centuries is well known. Often noted, too, is the Portuguese role in the art and science of maritime navigation through the efforts of early navigators, mapmakers, seamen, and fishermen. What are often forgotten are the country's slender base of resources, its small population largely of rural peasants, and, until recently, its occupation of only 16 percent of the Iberian Peninsula. As of 1139—10, when Portugal emerged first as an independent monarchy, and eventually a sovereign nation-state, England and France had not achieved this status. The Portuguese were the first in the Iberian Peninsula to expel the Muslim invaders from their portion of the peninsula, achieving this by 1250, more than 200 years before Castile managed to do the same (1492).
       Other distinctions may be noted. Portugal conquered the first overseas empire beyond the Mediterranean in the early modern era and established the first plantation system based on slave labor. Portugal's empire was the first to be colonized and the last to be decolonized in the 20th century. With so much of its scattered, seaborne empire dependent upon the safety and seaworthiness of shipping, Portugal was a pioneer in initiating marine insurance, a practice that is taken for granted today. During the time of Pombaline Portugal (1750-77), Portugal was the first state to organize and hold an industrial trade fair. In distinctive political and governmental developments, Portugal's record is more mixed, and this fact suggests that maintaining a government with a functioning rule of law and a pluralist, representative democracy has not been an easy matter in a country that for so long has been one of the poorest and least educated in the West. Portugal's First Republic (1910-26), only the third republic in a largely monarchist Europe (after France and Switzerland), was Western Europe's most unstable parliamentary system in the 20th century. Finally, the authoritarian Estado Novo or "New State" (1926-74) was the longest surviving authoritarian system in modern Western Europe. When Portugal departed from its overseas empire in 1974-75, the descendants, in effect, of Prince Henry the Navigator were leaving the West's oldest empire.
       Portugal's individuality is based mainly on its long history of distinc-tiveness, its intense determination to use any means — alliance, diplomacy, defense, trade, or empire—to be a sovereign state, independent of Spain, and on its national pride in the Portuguese language. Another master factor in Portuguese affairs deserves mention. The country's politics and government have been influenced not only by intellectual currents from the Atlantic but also through Spain from Europe, which brought new political ideas and institutions and novel technologies. Given the weight of empire in Portugal's past, it is not surprising that public affairs have been hostage to a degree to what happened in her overseas empire. Most important have been domestic responses to imperial affairs during both imperial and internal crises since 1415, which have continued to the mid-1970s and beyond. One of the most important themes of Portuguese history, and one oddly neglected by not a few histories, is that every major political crisis and fundamental change in the system—in other words, revolution—since 1415 has been intimately connected with a related imperial crisis. The respective dates of these historical crises are: 1437, 1495, 1578-80, 1640, 1820-22, 1890, 1910, 1926-30, 1961, and 1974. The reader will find greater detail on each crisis in historical context in the history section of this introduction and in relevant entries.
       LAND AND PEOPLE
       The Republic of Portugal is located on the western edge of the Iberian Peninsula. A major geographical dividing line is the Tagus River: Portugal north of it has an Atlantic orientation; the country to the south of it has a Mediterranean orientation. There is little physical evidence that Portugal is clearly geographically distinct from Spain, and there is no major natural barrier between the two countries along more than 1,214 kilometers (755 miles) of the Luso-Spanish frontier. In climate, Portugal has a number of microclimates similar to the microclimates of Galicia, Estremadura, and Andalusia in neighboring Spain. North of the Tagus, in general, there is an Atlantic-type climate with higher rainfall, cold winters, and some snow in the mountainous areas. South of the Tagus is a more Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry, often rainless summers and cool, wet winters. Lisbon, the capital, which has a fifth of the country's population living in its region, has an average annual mean temperature about 16° C (60° F).
       For a small country with an area of 92,345 square kilometers (35,580 square miles, including the Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and the Madeiras), which is about the size of the state of Indiana in the United States, Portugal has a remarkable diversity of regional topography and scenery. In some respects, Portugal resembles an island within the peninsula, embodying a unique fusion of European and non-European cultures, akin to Spain yet apart. Its geography is a study in contrasts, from the flat, sandy coastal plain, in some places unusually wide for Europe, to the mountainous Beira districts or provinces north of the Tagus, to the snow-capped mountain range of the Estrela, with its unique ski area, to the rocky, barren, remote Trás-os-Montes district bordering Spain. There are extensive forests in central and northern Portugal that contrast with the flat, almost Kansas-like plains of the wheat belt in the Alentejo district. There is also the unique Algarve district, isolated somewhat from the Alentejo district by a mountain range, with a microclimate, topography, and vegetation that resemble closely those of North Africa.
       Although Portugal is small, just 563 kilometers (337 miles) long and from 129 to 209 kilometers (80 to 125 miles) wide, it is strategically located on transportation and communication routes between Europe and North Africa, and the Americas and Europe. Geographical location is one key to the long history of Portugal's three overseas empires, which stretched once from Morocco to the Moluccas and from lonely Sagres at Cape St. Vincent to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is essential to emphasize the identity of its neighbors: on the north and east Portugal is bounded by Spain, its only neighbor, and by the Atlantic Ocean on the south and west. Portugal is the westernmost country of Western Europe, and its shape resembles a face, with Lisbon below the nose, staring into the
       Atlantic. No part of Portugal touches the Mediterranean, and its Atlantic orientation has been a response in part to turning its back on Castile and Léon (later Spain) and exploring, traveling, and trading or working in lands beyond the peninsula. Portugal was the pioneering nation in the Atlantic-born European discoveries during the Renaissance, and its diplomatic and trade relations have been dominated by countries that have been Atlantic powers as well: Spain; England (Britain since 1707); France; Brazil, once its greatest colony; and the United States.
       Today Portugal and its Atlantic islands have a population of roughly 10 million people. While ethnic homogeneity has been characteristic of it in recent history, Portugal's population over the centuries has seen an infusion of non-Portuguese ethnic groups from various parts of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Between 1500 and 1800, a significant population of black Africans, brought in as slaves, was absorbed in the population. And since 1950, a population of Cape Verdeans, who worked in menial labor, has resided in Portugal. With the influx of African, Goan, and Timorese refugees and exiles from the empire—as many as three quarters of a million retornados ("returned ones" or immigrants from the former empire) entered Portugal in 1974 and 1975—there has been greater ethnic diversity in the Portuguese population. In 2002, there were 239,113 immigrants legally residing in Portugal: 108,132 from Africa; 24,806 from Brazil; 15,906 from Britain; 14,617 from Spain; and 11,877 from Germany. In addition, about 200,000 immigrants are living in Portugal from eastern Europe, mainly from Ukraine. The growth of Portugal's population is reflected in the following statistics:
       1527 1,200,000 (estimate only)
       1768 2,400,000 (estimate only)
       1864 4,287,000 first census
       1890 5,049,700
       1900 5,423,000
       1911 5,960,000
       1930 6,826,000
       1940 7,185,143
       1950 8,510,000
       1960 8,889,000
       1970 8,668,000* note decrease
       1980 9,833,000
       1991 9,862,540
       1996 9,934,100
       2006 10,642,836
       2010 10,710,000 (estimated)

    Historical dictionary of Portugal > Introduction

  • 8 mayor

    meə, ]( American) 'meiər
    ((especially in England, Ireland and the United States) the chief public official of a city, town or borough.) alcalde
    - lord mayor
    mayor n alcalde / alcaldesa


    mayor adjetivo 1
    grande) ‹número/porcentaje greater, higher;
    beneficio greater; a mayor escala on a larger scale; un número mayor que 40 a number greater than 40
    grande): el mayor número de accidentes the greatest o highest number of accidents;
    su mayor preocupación her greatest o biggest worry; a la mayor brevedad posible as soon as possible; la mayor parte de los estudiantes most students, the majority of students 2 ( en edad) mayor que algn older than sb
    es la mayor de las dos she is the older o elder of the two;
    mi hijo mayor my eldest o oldest son
    d) ( adulto):
    cuando sea mayor when I grow up; ser mayor de edad (Der) to be of age; soy mayor de edad y haré lo que quiera I'm over 18 (o 21 etc) and I'll do as I please 3 ( en nombres) ( principal) main; 4 (Mús) major 5 (Com): ■ sustantivo masculino y femenino ( adulto) adult, grown-up (colloq); mis/tus mayores my/your elders; mayor de edad person who is legally of age
    mayor
    I adjetivo
    1 (comparativo de tamaño) larger, bigger: necesitas una talla mayor, you need a larger size (superlativo) largest, biggest: ésa es la mayor, that is the biggest one
    2 (comparativo de grado) greater: su capacidad es mayor que la mía, his capacity is greater than mine
    la ciudad no tiene mayor atractivo, the town isn't particularly appealing (superlativo) greatest: ésa es la mayor tontería que he oído nunca, that is the most absurd thing I've ever heard
    3 (comparativo de edad) older: es mayor que tu madre, she is older than your mother (superlativo) oldest
    el mayor de los tres, the oldest one 4 está muy mayor, (crecido, maduro) he's quite grown-up (anciano) he looks old
    ser mayor de edad, to be of age (maduro) old: es un hombre mayor, he's an old man
    eres mayor para entenderlo, you are old enough to understand it
    5 (principal) major, main: tu mayor responsabilidad es su educación, the thing that's most important to you is her education; la calle mayor, the main street
    6 Mús major
    7 Com al por mayor, wholesale
    II sustantivo masculino
    1 Mil major 2 mayores, (adultos) grownups, adults (ancianos) elders Locuciones: al por mayor, wholesale
    ir/pasar a mayores, to become serious: discutió con su marido, pero el asunto no pasó a mayores, she had an argument with her husband but they soon forgot about it ' mayor' also found in these entries: Spanish: abundar - adicta - adicto - afán - alcalde - alcaldía - almacén - amable - brevedad - burgomaestre - calle - caza - colegio - confluencia - desarrollar - edad - engrandecer - escaparate - estado - Excemo. - Excmo. - fuerza - gruesa - grueso - hacer - hacerse - inri - obra - osa - palo - persona - plana - polemizar - predilección - re - safari - salir - sol - teniente - vender - venta - abuelo - ama - anhelo - atractivo - audiencia - cazar - ciudad - compás - de English: act - address - adult - big - bomb - bulk - capacity - cash-and-carry - claw back - densely - dipper - dormitory - elaborate - elder - eldest - few - frisky - grow up - growing - high street - hill - inquest - lion - little - main - major - mayor - mostly - much - nominee - often - old - outflow - outweigh - over - part - perpendicular - residence - senior - sergeant major - spur - staff - trade price - utmost - wholesale - wholesale trade - wholesaler - worship - abject - cash
    tr[meəSMALLr/SMALL]
    1 (man) alcalde nombre masculino; (woman) alcaldesa
    \
    SMALLIDIOMATIC EXPRESSION/SMALL
    lady mayor alcaldesa
    mayor ['meɪər, 'mɛr] n
    : alcalde m, -desa f
    n.
    alcalde (Gobierno) s.m.
    'meɪər, meə(r)
    noun alcalde, -desa m,f, intendente mf (municipal) (RPl)
    [mɛǝ(r)]
    N alcalde m, alcaldesa f, intendente mf (S. Cone, Mex), regente mf (Mex)
    * * *
    ['meɪər, meə(r)]
    noun alcalde, -desa m,f, intendente mf (municipal) (RPl)

    English-spanish dictionary > mayor

  • 9 Empire, Portuguese overseas

    (1415-1975)
       Portugal was the first Western European state to establish an early modern overseas empire beyond the Mediterranean and perhaps the last colonial power to decolonize. A vast subject of complexity that is full of myth as well as debatable theories, the history of the Portuguese overseas empire involves the story of more than one empire, the question of imperial motives, the nature of Portuguese rule, and the results and consequences of empire, including the impact on subject peoples as well as on the mother country and its society, Here, only the briefest account of a few such issues can be attempted.
       There were various empires or phases of empire after the capture of the Moroccan city of Ceuta in 1415. There were at least three Portuguese empires in history: the First empire (1415-1580), the Second empire (1580-1640 and 1640-1822), and the Third empire (1822-1975).
       With regard to the second empire, the so-called Phillipine period (1580-1640), when Portugal's empire was under Spanish domination, could almost be counted as a separate era. During that period, Portugal lost important parts of its Asian holdings to England and also sections of its colonies of Brazil, Angola, and West Africa to Holland's conquests. These various empires could be characterized by the geography of where Lisbon invested its greatest efforts and resources to develop territories and ward off enemies.
       The first empire (1415-1580) had two phases. First came the African coastal phase (1415-97), when the Portuguese sought a foothold in various Moroccan cities but then explored the African coast from Morocco to past the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. While colonization and sugar farming were pursued in the Atlantic islands, as well as in the islands in the Gulf of Guinea like São Tomé and Príncipe, for the most part the Portuguese strategy was to avoid commitments to defending or peopling lands on the African continent. Rather, Lisbon sought a seaborne trade empire, in which the Portuguese could profit from exploiting trade and resources (such as gold) along the coasts and continue exploring southward to seek a sea route to Portuguese India. The second phase of the first empire (1498-1580) began with the discovery of the sea route to Asia, thanks to Vasco da Gama's first voyage in 1497-99, and the capture of strong points, ports, and trading posts in order to enforce a trade monopoly between Asia and Europe. This Asian phase produced the greatest revenues of empire Portugal had garnered, yet ended when Spain conquered Portugal and commanded her empire as of 1580.
       Portugal's second overseas empire began with Spanish domination and ran to 1822, when Brazil won her independence from Portugal. This phase was characterized largely by Brazilian dominance of imperial commitment, wealth in minerals and other raw materials from Brazil, and the loss of a significant portion of her African and Asian coastal empire to Holland and Great Britain. A sketch of Portugal's imperial losses either to native rebellions or to imperial rivals like Britain and Holland follows:
       • Morocco (North Africa) (sample only)
       Arzila—Taken in 1471; evacuated in 1550s; lost to Spain in 1580, which returned city to a sultan.
       Ceuta—Taken in 1415; lost to Spain in 1640 (loss confirmed in 1668 treaty with Spain).
       • Tangiers—Taken in 15th century; handed over to England in 1661 as part of Catherine of Braganza's dowry to King Charles II.
       • West Africa
       • Fort/Castle of São Jorge da Mina, Gold Coast (in what is now Ghana)—Taken in 1480s; lost to Holland in 1630s.
       • Middle East
       Socotra-isle—Conquered in 1507; fort abandoned in 1511; used as water resupply stop for India fleet.
       Muscat—Conquered in 1501; lost to Persians in 1650.
       Ormuz—Taken, 1505-15 under Albuquerque; lost to England, which gave it to Persia in the 17th century.
       Aden (entry to Red Sea) — Unsuccessfully attacked by Portugal (1513-30); taken by Turks in 1538.
       • India
       • Ceylon (Sri Lanka)—Taken by 1516; lost to Dutch after 1600.
       • Bombay—Taken in 16th century; given to England in 1661 treaty as part of Catherine of Braganza's dowry for Charles II.
       • East Indies
       • Moluccas—Taken by 1520; possession confirmed in 1529 Saragossa treaty with Spain; lost to Dutch after 1600; only East Timor remaining.
       After the restoration of Portuguese independence from Spain in 1640, Portugal proceeded to revive and strengthen the Anglo- Portuguese Alliance, with international aid to fight off further Spanish threats to Portugal and drive the Dutch invaders out of Brazil and Angola. While Portugal lost its foothold in West Africa at Mina to the Dutch, dominion in Angola was consolidated. The most vital part of the imperial economy was a triangular trade: slaves from West Africa and from the coasts of Congo and Angola were shipped to plantations in Brazil; raw materials (sugar, tobacco, gold, diamonds, dyes) were sent to Lisbon; Lisbon shipped Brazil colonists and hardware. Part of Portugal's War of Restoration against Spain (1640-68) and its reclaiming of Brazil and Angola from Dutch intrusions was financed by the New Christians (Jews converted to Christianity after the 1496 Manueline order of expulsion of Jews) who lived in Portugal, Holland and other low countries, France, and Brazil. If the first empire was mainly an African coastal and Asian empire, the second empire was primarily a Brazilian empire.
       Portugal's third overseas empire began upon the traumatic independence of Brazil, the keystone of the Lusitanian enterprise, in 1822. The loss of Brazil greatly weakened Portugal both as a European power and as an imperial state, for the scattered remainder of largely coastal, poor, and uncolonized territories that stretched from the bulge of West Africa to East Timor in the East Indies and Macau in south China were more of a financial liability than an asset. Only two small territories balanced their budgets occasionally or made profits: the cocoa islands of São Tomé and Príncipe in the Gulf of Guinea and tiny Macau, which lost much of its advantage as an entrepot between the West and the East when the British annexed neighboring Hong Kong in 1842. The others were largely burdens on the treasury. The African colonies were strapped by a chronic economic problem: at a time when the slave trade and then slavery were being abolished under pressures from Britain and other Western powers, the economies of Guinea- Bissau, São Tomé/Príncipe, Angola, and Mozambique were totally dependent on revenues from the slave trade and slavery. During the course of the 19th century, Lisbon began a program to reform colonial administration in a newly rejuvenated African empire, where most of the imperial efforts were expended, by means of replacing the slave trade and slavery, with legitimate economic activities.
       Portugal participated in its own early version of the "Scramble" for Africa's interior during 1850-69, but discovered that the costs of imperial expansion were too high to allow effective occupation of the hinterlands. After 1875, Portugal participated in the international "Scramble for Africa" and consolidated its holdings in west and southern Africa, despite the failure of the contra-costa (to the opposite coast) plan, which sought to link up the interiors of Angola and Mozambique with a corridor in central Africa. Portugal's expansion into what is now Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe (eastern section) in 1885-90 was thwarted by its oldest ally, Britain, under pressure from interest groups in South Africa, Scotland, and England. All things considered, Portugal's colonizing resources and energies were overwhelmed by the African empire it possessed after the frontier-marking treaties of 1891-1906. Lisbon could barely administer the massive area of five African colonies, whose total area comprised about 8 percent of the area of the colossal continent. The African territories alone were many times the size of tiny Portugal and, as of 1914, Portugal was the third colonial power in terms of size of area possessed in the world.
       The politics of Portugal's empire were deceptive. Lisbon remained obsessed with the fear that rival colonial powers, especially Germany and Britain, would undermine and then dismantle her African empire. This fear endured well into World War II. In developing and keeping her potentially rich African territories (especially mineral-rich Angola and strategically located Mozambique), however, the race against time was with herself and her subject peoples. Two major problems, both chronic, prevented Portugal from effective colonization (i.e., settling) and development of her African empire: the economic weakness and underdevelopment of the mother country and the fact that the bulk of Portuguese emigration after 1822 went to Brazil, Venezuela, the United States, and France, not to the colonies. These factors made it difficult to consolidate imperial control until it was too late; that is, until local African nationalist movements had organized and taken the field in insurgency wars that began in three of the colonies during the years 1961-64.
       Portugal's belated effort to revitalize control and to develop, in the truest sense of the word, Angola and Mozambique after 1961 had to be set against contemporary events in Europe, Africa, and Asia. While Portugal held on to a backward empire, other European countries like Britain, France, and Belgium were rapidly decolonizing their empires. Portugal's failure or unwillingness to divert the large streams of emigrants to her empire after 1850 remained a constant factor in this question. Prophetic were the words of the 19th-century economist Joaquim Oliveira Martins, who wrote in 1880 that Brazil was a better colony for Portugal than Africa and that the best colony of all would have been Portugal itself. As of the day of the Revolution of 25 April 1974, which sparked the final process of decolonization of the remainder of Portugal's third overseas empire, the results of the colonization program could be seen to be modest compared to the numbers of Portuguese emigrants outside the empire. Moreover, within a year, of some 600,000 Portuguese residing permanently in Angola and Mozambique, all but a few thousand had fled to South Africa or returned to Portugal.
       In 1974 and 1975, most of the Portuguese empire was decolonized or, in the case of East Timor, invaded and annexed by a foreign power before it could consolidate its independence. Only historic Macau, scheduled for transfer to the People's Republic of China in 1999, remained nominally under Portuguese control as a kind of footnote to imperial history. If Portugal now lacked a conventional overseas empire and was occupied with the challenges of integration in the European Union (EU), Lisbon retained another sort of informal dependency that was a new kind of empire: the empire of her scattered overseas Portuguese communities from North America to South America. Their numbers were at least six times greater than that of the last settlers of the third empire.

    Historical dictionary of Portugal > Empire, Portuguese overseas

  • 10 capital

    I
    1. 'kæpitl noun
    1) (the chief town or seat of government: Paris is the capital of France.) capital
    2) ((also capital letter) any letter of the type found at the beginning of sentences, proper names etc: THESE ARE CAPITAL LETTERS / CAPITALS.) mayúscula
    3) (money (for investment etc): You need capital to start a new business.) capital

    2. adjective
    1) (involving punishment by death: a capital offence.) capital, pena de muerte
    2) (excellent: a capital idea.) excelente, brillante
    3) ((of a city) being a capital: Paris and other capital cities.) capital
    - capitalist
    - capitalist
    - capitalistic

    II 'kæpitl noun
    (in architecture, the top part of a column of a building etc.) capitel
    capital n capital


    capital adjetivo ‹ importancia cardinal, prime; ‹ influencia seminal (frml); ‹ obra key, seminal (frml) ■ sustantivo masculino
    a) (Com, Fin) capital
    b) (recursos, riqueza) resources (pl)
    ■ sustantivo femenino ( de país) capital; ( de provincia) provincial capital, ≈ county seat ( in US), ≈ county town ( in UK);
    capital
    I sustantivo femenino capital: la orquesta tocará en las principales capitales europeas, the orchestra will play in all the main European capitals
    II sustantivo masculino Fin capital
    capital activo/social, working/share capital
    III adjetivo capital, main
    pena capital, capital punishment ' capital' also found in these entries: Spanish: capitel - caudal - ciudad - inmovilizar - mayúscula - plusvalía - provincia - retener - retención - social - versal - versalita - villa - ampliación - ampliar - antiguo - capitalino - divisa - doblar - fuga - ganancia - inmediaciones - invertir - mayúsculo - México - Panamá - pecado - pena - sangría English: archives - capital - capital gains tax - capital punishment - capital reserves - district - drain - equity - injection - major - movement - opposed - principal - share capital - tie up - up - working capital - against - big - caps - flow - inject - put
    tr['kæpɪtəl]
    1 SMALLARCHITECTURE/SMALL capitel nombre masculino
    ————————
    tr['kæpɪtəl]
    what's the capital of Greece? ¿cuál es la capital de Grecia?
    2 SMALLFINANCE/SMALL capital nombre masculino
    3 (letter) mayúscula
    1 SMALLLAW/SMALL (offence) capital
    2 (letter) mayúscula
    4 (primary, chief, principal) primordial, capital
    \
    SMALLIDIOMATIC EXPRESSION/SMALL
    to make capital out of something sacar provecho de algo, sacar partido de algo
    capital expenditure / capital investment inversión nombre femenino de capital
    capital transfer tax impuesto sobre sucesiones
    capital ['kæpət̬əl] adj
    1) : capital
    capital punishment: pena capital
    2) : mayúsculo (dícese de las letras)
    3) : de capital
    capital assets: activo fijo
    capital gain: ganancia de capital, plusvalía
    4) excellent: excelente, estupendo
    1) or capital city : capital f, sede f del gobierno
    2) wealth: capital m
    3) or capital letter : mayúscula f
    4) : capitel m (de una columna)
    n.
    capital s.m. (Government)
    n.
    capital s.f. (Letter)
    n.
    mayúscula s.f.
    adj.
    capital adj.
    capitel (Arquitectura) adj.
    excelente adj.
    mayúscula adj.
    versal adj.
    n.
    capitel s.m.
    fondo s.m.
    versal s.m.

    I 'kæpətḷ, 'kæpɪtḷ
    1) c ( city) capital f
    2) c ( letter) mayúscula f
    3) u ( Fin) capital m

    to make capital (out) of something — sacar* provecho or partido de algo; (before n)

    capital expenditure/investment — gasto m/inversión f de capital

    capital gains taximpuesto m sobre la plusvalía


    II
    1) ( Law) < offense> que está sancionado con la pena de muerte

    capital punishmentpena f capital or de muerte

    2)
    a) ( major) primordial
    b) (Geog, Pol)
    3) ( Print) < letter> mayúscula

    he's into art with a capital A — ( iro) le interesa el Arte con mayúscula

    ['kæpɪtl]
    1. ADJ
    1) (Jur) capital
    2) (=chief) capital
    3) (=essential) capital, primordial
    4) [letter] mayúsculo

    capital Q — Q f mayúscula

    5) * (=splendid) magnífico, estupendo

    capital! — ¡magnífico!, ¡estupendo!

    2. N
    1) (also: capital letter) mayúscula f

    capitals (large) mayúsculas fpl, versales fpl ; (small) versalitas fpl

    2) (also: capital city) capital f
    3) (Econ) capital m

    to make capital out of sth — (fig) sacar provecho de algo

    4) (Archit) capitel m
    3.
    CPD

    capital account Ncuenta f de capital

    capital allowance Ndesgravación f sobre bienes de capital

    capital equipment Nbienes mpl de equipo

    capital expenditure Ninversión f de capital

    capital formation Nformación f de capital

    capital gain(s) N (PL) — plusvalía f

    capital gains tax Nimpuesto m sobre las plusvalías

    capital goods NPLbienes mpl de equipo

    capital growth Naumento m del capital

    capital investment Ninversión f de capital

    capital levy Nimpuesto m sobre el capital

    capital offence, capital offense (US) Ndelito m capital

    capital outlay Ndesembolso m de capital

    capital punishment Npena f de muerte

    capital reserves NPLreservas fpl de capital

    capital sentence Ncondena f a la pena de muerte

    capital spending Ncapital m adquisitivo

    capital stock N(=capital) capital m social or comercial; (=shares) acciones fpl de capital

    capital transfer tax N(Brit) impuesto m sobre plusvalía de cesión

    * * *

    I ['kæpətḷ, 'kæpɪtḷ]
    1) c ( city) capital f
    2) c ( letter) mayúscula f
    3) u ( Fin) capital m

    to make capital (out) of something — sacar* provecho or partido de algo; (before n)

    capital expenditure/investment — gasto m/inversión f de capital

    capital gains taximpuesto m sobre la plusvalía


    II
    1) ( Law) < offense> que está sancionado con la pena de muerte

    capital punishmentpena f capital or de muerte

    2)
    a) ( major) primordial
    b) (Geog, Pol)
    3) ( Print) < letter> mayúscula

    he's into art with a capital A — ( iro) le interesa el Arte con mayúscula

    English-spanish dictionary > capital

  • 11 comandante

    comandante sustantivo masculino y femenino ( en las fuerzas aéreas) major (AmE), squadron leader (BrE);
    c) (Aviac) captain

    comandante sustantivo masculino
    1 Mil Náut commander, commanding officer
    2 Av captain ' comandante' also found in these entries: Spanish: jefa - jefe English: commander - commanding officer - major - squadron leader - captain - commandant

    English-spanish dictionary > comandante

  • 12 Lisbon

        Lisboa in Portuguese, is the capital of Portugal and capital of the Lisbon district. The city population is just over half a million; greater Lisbon area contains at least 2.5 million. Located on the north bank of one of the greatest harbors in Europe, formed from the estuary of the Tagus River, which flows into the Atlantic, Lisbon has a long and illustrious history. A site of Phoenician and Greek trading communities, Lisbon became an important Roman city. Its name, Lisboa, in Portuguese and Spanish, is a corruption of its Roman name, Felicitas Julia. The city experienced various waves of invaders. Muslims seized it from the Visigoths in the eighth century, and after a long siege Muslim Lisbon fell to the Portuguese Christian forces of King Afonso Henriques in 1147.
       Lisbon, built on a number of hills, saw most of its major palaces and churches constructed between the 14th and 18th centuries. In the 16th century, the city became the Aviz dynasty's main capital and seat, and a royal palace was built in the lower city along the harbor where ships brought the empire's riches from Africa, Asia, and Brazil. On 1 November 1755, a devastating earthquake wrecked a large part of the main city and destroyed the major buildings, killed or displaced scores of thousands of people, and destroyed important historical records and artifacts. The king's prime minister, the Marquis of Pombal, ordered the city rebuilt. The main lower city center, the baixa ("down town"), was reconstructed according to a master plan that laid out a square grid of streets, spacious squares, and broad avenues, upon which were erected buildings of a uniform height and design. Due to the earthquake's destruction, few buildings, with the exception of the larger cathedrals and palaces, predate 1755. The Baixa Pombalina, as this part of Lisbon is known, was the first planned city in Europe.
       Lisbon is more than the political capital of Portugal, the site of the central government's offices, the legislative, and executive buildings. Lisbon is the economic, social, and cultural capital of the country, as well as the major educational center that contains almost half the country's universities and secondary schools.
       The continuing importance of Lisbon as the country's political heart and mind, despite the justifiable resentment of its northern rival, Oporto, and the university town of Coimbra, was again illustrated in the Revolution of 25 April 1974, which began with a military coup by the Armed Forces Movement there. The Estado Novo was overthrown in a largely bloodless coup organized by career junior military officers whose main strategy was directed toward the conquest and control of the capital. Once the Armed Forces Movement had the city of Lisbon and environs under its control by the afternoon of 25 April 1974, its mastery of the remainder of the country was assured.
       Along with its dominance of the country's economy, politics, and government, Lisbon's cultural offerings remain impressive. The city is a treasure house that contains hundreds of historic houses and squares, churches and cathedrals, ancient palaces, and castles, some reconstructed to appear as they were before the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. There are scores of museums and libraries. Among the more outstanding museums open to the public are the Museu de Arte Antiga and the museums of the Gulbenkian Foundation.

    Historical dictionary of Portugal > Lisbon

  • 13 Krupp, Alfred

    [br]
    b. 26 April 1812 Essen, Germany
    d. 14 July 1887 Bredeney, near Essen, Germany
    [br]
    German manufacturer of steel and armaments.
    [br]
    Krupp's father founded a small cast-steel works at Essen, but at his early death in 1826 the firm was left practically insolvent to his sons. Alfred's formal education ended at that point and he entered the ailing firm. The expansion of trade brought about by the Zollverein, or customs union, enabled him to increase output, and by 1843 he had 100 workers under him, making steel springs and machine parts. Five years later he was able to buy out his co-heirs, and in 1849 he secured his first major railway contract. The quality of his product was usefully advertised by displaying a flawless 2-ton steel ingot at the Great Exhibition of 1851. Krupp was then specializing in the manufacture of steel parts for railways and steamships, notably a weldless steel tire for locomotives, from which was derived the three-ring emblem of the Krupp concern. Krupp made a few cannon from 1847 but sold his first to the Khedive of Egypt in 1857. Two years later he won a major order of 312 cannon from the Prussian Government. With the development of this side of the business, he became the largest steel producer in Europe. In 1862 he adopted the Bessemer steelmaking process. The quality and design of his cannon were major factors in the victory of the Prussian artillery bombardment at Sedan in the Franco- Prussian War of 1870. Krupp expanded further during the boom years of the early 1870s and he was able to gain control of German coal and Spanish iron-ore supplies. He went on to manufacture heavy artillery, with a celebrated testing ground at Osnabrück. By this time he had a workforce of 21,000, whom he ruled with benevolent but strict control. His will instructed that the firm should not be divided.
    [br]
    Further Reading
    P.Batty, 1966, The House of Krupp (includes a bibliography). G.von Klass, 1954, Krupp: The Story of an Industrial Empire.
    LRD

    Biographical history of technology > Krupp, Alfred

  • 14 bream, red sea

    2. RUS краснопёрый пагель m, розовый пагелюс m
    3. ENG gunner, blue-spotted [Spanish, red sea] bream
    4. DEU Nordischer Meerbrassen m, Blei m
    5. FRA bogaravelle f, daurade f commune, pagre m du Nord

    2. RUS атлантический [красный] пагель m
    3. ENG pandora, red (Spanish) sea bream, becher, king of the bream
    4. DEU (Kleiner) Rotbrassen m, Goldbrassen m
    5. FRA pageot m rouge, daurade f rose, pagel m commun [rouge]

    2. RUS красный пагр m, красный морской карась m, (большой) красный тай m
    3. ENG genuine porgy, snapper [red] sea bream
    4. DEU Roter Tai m
    5. FRA daurade f japonaise

    DICTIONARY OF ANIMAL NAMES IN FIVE LANGUAGES > bream, red sea

  • 15 Messerschmitt, Willi E.

    SUBJECT AREA: Aerospace
    [br]
    b. 26 June 1898 Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany
    d. 17 September 1978 Munich, Germany
    [br]
    German aircraft designer noted for successful fighters such as the Bf 109, one of the world's most widely produced aircraft.
    [br]
    Messerschmitt studied engineering at the Munich Institute of Tchnology and obtained his degree in 1923. By 1926 he was Chief Designer at the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke in Augsburg. Due to the ban on military aircraft in Germany following the First World War, his early designs included gliders, light aircraft, and a series of high-wing airliners. He began to make a major impact on German aircraft design once Hitler came to power and threw off the shackles of the Treaty of Versailles, which so restricted Germany's armed forces. In 1932 he bought out the now-bankrupt Bayerische Flugzeugwerke, but initially, because of enmity between himself and the German aviation minister, was not invited to compete for an air force contract for a single-engined fighter. However, in 1934 Messerschmitt designed the Bf 108 Taifun, a small civil aircraft with a fighter-like appearance. This displayed the quality of his design and the German air ministry was forced to recognize him. As a result, he unveiled the famous Bf 109 fighter which first flew in August 1935; it was used during the Spanish Civil War in 1936–9, and was to become one of the foremost combat aircraft of the Second World War. In 1938, after several name changes, the company became Messerschmitt Aktien-Gesellschaft (and hence a change of prefix from Bf to Me). During April 1939 a Messerschmitt aircraft broke the world air-speed record at 755.14 km/h (469.32 mph): it was entered in the FAI records as a Bf 109R, but was more accurately a new design designated Me 209V-1.
    During the Second World War, the 5/70P was progressively improved, and eventually almost 35,000 were built. Other successful fighters followed, such as the twin-engined Me 110 which also served as a bomber and night fighter. The Messerschmitt Me 262 twin-engined jet fighter, the first jet aircraft in the world to enter service, flew during the early years of the war, but it was never given a high priority by the High Command and only a small number were in service when the war ended. Another revolutionary Messerschmitt AG design was the Me 163 Komet, the concept of Professor Alexander Lippisch who had joined Messerschmitt's company in 1939; this was the first rocket-propelled fighter to enter service. It was a small tailless design capable of 880 km/hr (550 mph), but its duration under power was only about 10 minutes and it was very dangerous to fly. From late 1944 onwards it was used to intercept the United States Air Force bombers during their daylight raids. At the other end of the scale, Messerschmitt produced the Me 321 Gigant, a huge transport glider which was towed behind a flight of three Me 110s. Later it was equipped with six engines, but it was an easy target for allied fighters. This was a costly white elephant, as was his high-speed twin-engined Me 210 fighter-bomber project which nearly made his company bankrupt. Nevertheless, he was certainly an innovator and was much admired by Hitler, who declared that he had "the skull of a genius", because of the Me 163 Komet rocket-powered fighter and the Me 262.
    At the end of the war Messerschmitt was detained by the Americans for two years. In 1952 Messerschmitt became an aviation adviser to the Spanish government, and his Bf109 was produced in Spain as the Hispano Buchon for a number of years and was powered by Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. A factory was also constructed in Egypt to produce aircraft to Messerschmitt's designs. His German company, banned from building aircraft, produced prefabricated houses, sewing machines and, from 1953 to 1962, a series of bubble-cars: the KR 175 (1953–55) and the KR 200 (1955–62) were single-cylinder three-wheeled bubble-cars, and the Tiger (1958–62) was a twin-cylinder, 500cc four-wheeler. In 1958 Messerschmitt resumed aircraft construction in Germany and later became the Honorary Chairman of the merged Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm company (now part of the Franco-German Eurocopter company).
    [br]
    Further Reading
    van Ishoven, 1975, Messerschmitt. Aircraft Designer, London. J.Richard Smith, 1971, Messerschmitt. An Air-craft Album, London.
    Anthony Pritchard, 1975, Messerschmitt, London (describes Messerschmitt aircraft).
    JDS / CM

    Biographical history of technology > Messerschmitt, Willi E.

  • 16 part

    1. noun
    1) (something which, together with other things, makes a whole; a piece: We spent part of the time at home and part at the seaside.) parte
    2) (an equal division: He divided the cake into three parts.) parte
    3) (a character in a play etc: She played the part of the queen.) papel
    4) (the words, actions etc of a character in a play etc: He learned his part quickly.) papel
    5) (in music, the notes to be played or sung by a particular instrument or voice: the violin part.) parte
    6) (a person's share, responsibility etc in doing something: He played a great part in the government's decision.) papel, función

    2. verb
    (to separate; to divide: They parted (from each other) at the gate.) separar(se); dividir
    - partly
    - part-time
    - in part
    - part company
    - part of speech
    - part with
    - take in good part
    - take someone's part
    - take part in

    part1 n
    1. parte
    2. papel
    what part do you play in the play? ¿qué papel haces tú en la obra?
    3. pieza
    to take part in something participar en algo / intervenir en algo
    part2 vb separarse
    after twenty years together, they parted después de veinte años juntos, se separaron
    tr[pɑːt]
    which part of London are you from? ¿de qué parte de Londres eres?
    2 (component) pieza
    3 (of serial, programme) capítulo; (of serialized publication) fascículo, entrega
    5 (in play, film) papel nombre masculino
    6 (role, share, involvement) papel nombre masculino, parte nombre femenino
    7 SMALLMUSIC/SMALL parte nombre femenino
    8 SMALLAMERICAN ENGLISH/SMALL (parting) raya
    1 en parte
    he's part Irish, part Spanish es mitad irlandés, mitad español
    1 parcial
    1 (separate) separar ( from, de)
    1 (separate) separarse; (say goodbye) despedirse
    2 (open - lips, curtains) abrirse
    you're not from these parts, are you? no eres de por aquí, ¿verdad?
    \
    SMALLIDIOMATIC EXPRESSION/SMALL
    for my part por mi parte, en cuanto a mí
    in part en parte
    of many parts de muchas facetas
    on the part of somebody / on somebody's part de parte de alguien
    the best part of / the better part of la mayor parte de, casi todo,-a
    to look the part encajar bien en el papel
    to part company with (leave) despedirse de 2 (separate) separarse de 3 (disagree) no estar de acuerdo con
    to play a part in (in play etc) desempeñar un papel en 2 (in project etc) intervenir en algo, influir en algo, tener que ver con algo
    to part one's hair hacerse la raya
    to take part in something participar en algo, tomar parte en algo
    to take somebody's part ponerse de parte de alguien
    foreign parts el extranjero
    part of speech parte nombre femenino de la oración
    part owner copropietario,-a
    part ['pɑrt] vi
    1) separate: separarse, despedirse
    we should part as friends: debemos separarnos amistosamente
    2) open: abrirse
    the curtains parted: las cortinas se abrieron
    3)
    to part with : dehacerse de
    part vt
    1) separate: separar
    2)
    to part one's hair : hacerse la raya, peinarse con raya
    part n
    1) section, segment: parte f, sección f
    2) piece: pieza f (de una máquina, etc.)
    3) role: papel m
    4) : raya f (del pelo)
    adj.
    parcial adj.
    adv.
    en parte adv.
    parte adv.
    n.
    crencha s.f.
    lote s.m.
    papel s.m.
    parte s.f.
    pieza s.f.
    porción s.f.
    región s.f.
    v.
    apartar v.
    dividir v.
    partir v.
    separar v.

    I pɑːrt, pɑːt
    1)
    a) c ( section) parte f

    the worst part of it was that... — lo peor de todo fue que...

    for the best part of a week/month — durante casi una semana/un mes

    b) c ( integral constituent) (no pl) parte f

    for the most part — en su mayor parte; see also part of speech

    2) c ( measure) parte f
    3) c ( component) pieza f; ( spare part) repuesto m, pieza f de recambio, refacción f (Méx)
    4) c
    a) ( in play) papel m

    a bit part — un papel secundario, un papelito (fam)

    he acted/played the part of Hamlet — representó/hizo el papel de Hamlet

    if you're a manager, you must act/look the part — si eres director, tienes que actuar/vestir como tu rol lo exige

    b) (role, share) papel m

    she had o played a major part in... — tuvo or jugó or desempeñó un papel fundamental en...

    to take part in somethingtomar parte or participar en algo

    5) ( side)

    for my part — por mi parte, por mi lado

    to take somebody's part — ponerse* de parte or de lado de alguien, tomar partido por alguien

    to take something in good part — tomarse algo bien, no tomarse algo a mal

    6) c (section of book, play) parte f; (episode of TV, radio serial) episodio m; ( Publ) fascículo m
    7) c ( Mus) (vocal, instrumental line) parte f
    8) c ( in hair) (AmE) raya f, carrera f (Col, Ven), partidura f (Chi)
    9) parts pl
    a) ( area)

    in/around these parts — por aquí, por estos lares (arc), por estos pagos (fam)


    II
    1.
    a) ( separate) separar
    b) ( divide)

    she parts her hair down the middlese peina con raya al or (Esp) en medio, se peina con la carrera por el medio (Col, Ven), se peina con partidura al medio (Chi)


    2.
    vi
    a) ( separate) \<\<lovers\>\> separarse
    b) \<\<curtains/lips\>\> ( open up) abrirse*
    c) ( break) \<\<rope/cable\>\> romperse*
    Phrasal Verbs:

    III
    adverb en parte

    I was part angry, part relieved — en parte or por un lado me dio rabia, pero al mismo tiempo fue un alivio

    he's part Chinese and part French — tiene sangre china y francesa; see also part exchange


    IV
    adjective (before n) < payment> parcial

    part owner — copropietario, -ria m,f

    [pɑːt]
    1. N
    1) (=portion, proportion) parte f

    this was only part of the story — esta no era la historia completa, esto solo era parte de la historia

    part of me wanted to apologize — por un lado quería pedir perdón, una parte de mí quería pedir perdón

    it went on for the best part of an hour — continuó durante casi una hora

    in the early part of this century — a principios de este siglo

    the funny part of it is that nobody seemed to notice — lo gracioso es que nadie pareció darse cuenta

    a good part of sth — gran parte de algo

    in great part — en gran parte

    in part — en parte

    the book is good in parts — hay partes del libro que son buenas, el libro es bueno en partes

    a large part of sth — gran parte de algo

    for the most part — (proportion) en su mayor parte; (number) en su mayoría; (=usually) por lo general

    for the most part, this is still unexplored terrain — en su mayor parte, este es un territorio aún no explorado

    the locals are, for the most part, very friendly — los habitantes son, en su mayoría, muy simpáticos

    the work is, for the most part, quite well paid — el trabajo está, por lo general, bastante bien pagado

    - a man of many parts
    - be part and parcel of sth
    furniture, private 3., sum
    2) (=measure) parte f
    3) (=share, role)

    to do one's part — poner de su parte

    he had no part in stealing it — no intervino or no participó en el robo

    work plays an important part in her life — el trabajo juega un papel importante en su vida

    to take part (in sth) — tomar parte (en algo), participar (en algo)

    I want no part of this — no quiero tener nada que ver con esto

    4) (Theat, Cine) papel m

    to look the part — vestir el cargo

    to play the part of Hamlet — hacer el papel de Hamlet

    bit I, 2.
    5) (=region) [of city] parte f, zona f ; [of country, world] región f

    what part of Spain are you from? — ¿de qué parte de España eres?

    in this/that part of the world — en esta/esa región

    in foreign parts — en el extranjero

    in or round these parts — por aquí, por estos pagos *

    6) (=side)

    for my part, I do not agree — en lo que a mí se refiere or por mi parte, no estoy de acuerdo

    to take sth in good part — tomarse algo bien

    it was bad organization on their part — fue mala organización por su parte

    to take sb's part — ponerse de parte de algn, tomar partido por algn

    7) (Mech) pieza f ; moving, replacement 2., spare 4.
    8) (Gram) parte f

    part of speechparte f de la oración, categoría f gramatical

    what part of speech is "of"? — ¿qué parte de la oración es "de"?, ¿a qué categoría gramatical pertenece "de"?

    9) (Mus) parte f

    a song in four parts, a four-part songuna canción a cuatro voces

    10) (=instalment) [of journal] número m ; [of serialized publication] fascículo m ; (TV, Rad) (=episode) parte f
    11) (US) (in hair) raya f

    side/center part — raya f al lado/al medio

    2.
    ADV (=partly) en parte

    it is part fiction and part fact — es en parte ficción y en parte realidad, contiene partes ficticias y partes reales

    3. VT
    1) (=separate) separar

    it would kill her to be parted from him — le mataría estar separada de él

    market traders try to part the tourists from their money — los dueños de los puestos en los mercados intentan sacar dinero de los turistas

    company 1., 2), death 1., 1), fool
    2) (=open) [+ curtains] abrir, correr; [+ legs, lips] abrir
    3) (=divide)

    to part one's hair on the left/right — peinarse con raya a la izquierda/derecha

    his hair was parted at the side/in the middle — tenía raya al lado/al medio

    4. VI
    1) (=separate) [people] separarse

    to part from sb — separarse de algn

    2) (=move to one side) [crowd, clouds] apartarse
    3) (=open) [lips, curtains] abrirse
    4) (=break) [rope] romperse, partirse
    5.
    CPD

    part payment Npago m parcial

    part song Ncanción f a varias voces

    * * *

    I [pɑːrt, pɑːt]
    1)
    a) c ( section) parte f

    the worst part of it was that... — lo peor de todo fue que...

    for the best part of a week/month — durante casi una semana/un mes

    b) c ( integral constituent) (no pl) parte f

    for the most part — en su mayor parte; see also part of speech

    2) c ( measure) parte f
    3) c ( component) pieza f; ( spare part) repuesto m, pieza f de recambio, refacción f (Méx)
    4) c
    a) ( in play) papel m

    a bit part — un papel secundario, un papelito (fam)

    he acted/played the part of Hamlet — representó/hizo el papel de Hamlet

    if you're a manager, you must act/look the part — si eres director, tienes que actuar/vestir como tu rol lo exige

    b) (role, share) papel m

    she had o played a major part in... — tuvo or jugó or desempeñó un papel fundamental en...

    to take part in somethingtomar parte or participar en algo

    5) ( side)

    for my part — por mi parte, por mi lado

    to take somebody's part — ponerse* de parte or de lado de alguien, tomar partido por alguien

    to take something in good part — tomarse algo bien, no tomarse algo a mal

    6) c (section of book, play) parte f; (episode of TV, radio serial) episodio m; ( Publ) fascículo m
    7) c ( Mus) (vocal, instrumental line) parte f
    8) c ( in hair) (AmE) raya f, carrera f (Col, Ven), partidura f (Chi)
    9) parts pl
    a) ( area)

    in/around these parts — por aquí, por estos lares (arc), por estos pagos (fam)


    II
    1.
    a) ( separate) separar
    b) ( divide)

    she parts her hair down the middlese peina con raya al or (Esp) en medio, se peina con la carrera por el medio (Col, Ven), se peina con partidura al medio (Chi)


    2.
    vi
    a) ( separate) \<\<lovers\>\> separarse
    b) \<\<curtains/lips\>\> ( open up) abrirse*
    c) ( break) \<\<rope/cable\>\> romperse*
    Phrasal Verbs:

    III
    adverb en parte

    I was part angry, part relieved — en parte or por un lado me dio rabia, pero al mismo tiempo fue un alivio

    he's part Chinese and part French — tiene sangre china y francesa; see also part exchange


    IV
    adjective (before n) < payment> parcial

    part owner — copropietario, -ria m,f

    English-spanish dictionary > part

  • 17 A

    A, a, an
    1. A <pl - 's>, a <pl - 's or -s> [eɪ] n
    1) ( letter) a nt, A nt;
    a capital A/ small a ein großes A/ein kleines a;
    \A for Andrew [or (Am) as in Abel] A wie Anton
    2) mus A nt, a nt;
    \A flat As nt, as nt;
    \A sharp Ais nt, ais nt;
    \A major A-Dur nt;
    \A minor a-Moll nt;
    \A natural A nt, a nt;
    key of \A A-Schlüssel m;
    to be in [the key of] \A major/ minor in A-Dur/a-Moll geschrieben sein
    3) ( school mark) Eins f, sehr gut;
    \A minus/ plus Eins minus/plus;
    to get straight \As nur Einser schreiben;
    to be an \A student (Am, Aus) ein Einserschüler/eine Einserschülerin sein;
    to get [an] \A eine Eins schreiben;
    to give sb an \A jdm eine Eins geben
    2. a [eɪ, ə], before vowel an [æn, ən] art
    1) ( undefined) ein(e)
    not \A kein(e);
    there was not \A person to be seen es war niemand zu sehen;
    I haven't got \A chance ich habe nicht die geringste Chance
    3) ( one) ein(e);
    can you pass me \A slice of bread please? reichst du mir mal bitte eine Scheibe Brot?;
    I need \A new pencil ich brauche einen neuen Bleistift
    4) before profession, nationality
    she wants to be \A doctor sie möchte Ärztin werden;
    she's \A teacher sie ist Lehrerin;
    he's \An Englishman er ist Engländer
    \A 17th-century cottage ein Landhaus im Stil des 17. Jahrhunderts;
    this is \A very mild cheese dieser Käse ist sehr mild
    6) ( work of an artist) ein(e);
    is that \A Picasso? ist das ein Picasso?
    7) ( quite) ein(e);
    that's \A thought! das ist ein guter Einfall!
    I only have \A limited knowledge of Spanish ich habe nur mäßige Spanischkenntnisse
    I'd love \A coffee ich hätte gern einen Kaffee;
    can I have \A knife and fork please? kann ich bitte Messer und Gabel haben?
    you won't go far on \A litre of petrol mit einem Liter Benzin wirst du nicht weit kommen;
    we walked for half \A mile wir gingen eine halbe Meile weit;
    \A dozen ein Dutzend;
    \A few ein paar;
    \A hundred/\A thousand hundert/tausend;
    count up to \A thousand zähle bis tausend;
    \A million eine Million;
    one and \A half eineinhalb;
    three-quarters of \An hour eine dreiviertel Stunde;
    six tenths of \A second sechs Zehntelsekunden
    11) before unknown name ein [gewisser].../eine [gewisse]...;
    there's \A Ms Evans to see you eine [gewisse] Frau Evans möchte Sie sprechen
    she'll never be \A Greta Garbo sie wird niemals eine Greta Garbo sein
    I'd never have guessed he was \A Wilson ich hätte nie gedacht, dass er ein Wilson ist
    14) before date ein(e);
    my birthday is on \A Friday this year mein Geburtstag fällt dieses Jahr auf einen Freitag
    she drives \A Ford sie fährt einen Ford prep
    he earns $100,000 \A year er verdient im Jahr 100.000 Dollar;
    three times \A day dreimal täglich;
    twice \A week zweimal die Woche;
    once \A month einmal im Monat
    3. A pl - 's or -s> [eɪ] n
    1) (hypothetical person, thing) A;
    suppose \A was B's sister angenommen A wäre die Schwester von B;
    [to get] from \A to B von A nach B [kommen]
    2) ( blood type) A
    3) (first, best)
    \A 1 eins A ( fam)
    PHRASES:
    from \A to Z von A bis Z
    4. A n
    2) abbrev of answer Antw.

    English-German students dictionary > A

  • 18 a

    A, a, an
    1. A <pl - 's>, a <pl - 's or -s> [eɪ] n
    1) ( letter) a nt, A nt;
    a capital A/ small a ein großes A/ein kleines a;
    \a for Andrew [or (Am) as in Abel] A wie Anton
    2) mus A nt, a nt;
    \a flat As nt, as nt;
    \a sharp Ais nt, ais nt;
    \a major A-Dur nt;
    \a minor a-Moll nt;
    \a natural A nt, a nt;
    key of \a A-Schlüssel m;
    to be in [the key of] \a major/ minor in A-Dur/a-Moll geschrieben sein
    3) ( school mark) Eins f, sehr gut;
    \a minus/ plus Eins minus/plus;
    to get straight \as nur Einser schreiben;
    to be an \a student (Am, Aus) ein Einserschüler/eine Einserschülerin sein;
    to get [an] \a eine Eins schreiben;
    to give sb an \a jdm eine Eins geben
    2. a [eɪ, ə], before vowel an [æn, ən] art
    1) ( undefined) ein(e)
    not \a kein(e);
    there was not \a person to be seen es war niemand zu sehen;
    I haven't got \a chance ich habe nicht die geringste Chance
    3) ( one) ein(e);
    can you pass me \a slice of bread please? reichst du mir mal bitte eine Scheibe Brot?;
    I need \a new pencil ich brauche einen neuen Bleistift
    4) before profession, nationality
    she wants to be \a doctor sie möchte Ärztin werden;
    she's \a teacher sie ist Lehrerin;
    he's \an Englishman er ist Engländer
    \a 17th-century cottage ein Landhaus im Stil des 17. Jahrhunderts;
    this is \a very mild cheese dieser Käse ist sehr mild
    6) ( work of an artist) ein(e);
    is that \a Picasso? ist das ein Picasso?
    7) ( quite) ein(e);
    that's \a thought! das ist ein guter Einfall!
    I only have \a limited knowledge of Spanish ich habe nur mäßige Spanischkenntnisse
    I'd love \a coffee ich hätte gern einen Kaffee;
    can I have \a knife and fork please? kann ich bitte Messer und Gabel haben?
    you won't go far on \a litre of petrol mit einem Liter Benzin wirst du nicht weit kommen;
    we walked for half \a mile wir gingen eine halbe Meile weit;
    \a dozen ein Dutzend;
    \a few ein paar;
    \a hundred/\a thousand hundert/tausend;
    count up to \a thousand zähle bis tausend;
    \a million eine Million;
    one and \a half eineinhalb;
    three-quarters of \an hour eine dreiviertel Stunde;
    six tenths of \a second sechs Zehntelsekunden
    11) before unknown name ein [gewisser].../eine [gewisse]...;
    there's \a Ms Evans to see you eine [gewisse] Frau Evans möchte Sie sprechen
    she'll never be \a Greta Garbo sie wird niemals eine Greta Garbo sein
    I'd never have guessed he was \a Wilson ich hätte nie gedacht, dass er ein Wilson ist
    14) before date ein(e);
    my birthday is on \a Friday this year mein Geburtstag fällt dieses Jahr auf einen Freitag
    she drives \a Ford sie fährt einen Ford prep
    he earns $100,000 \a year er verdient im Jahr 100.000 Dollar;
    three times \a day dreimal täglich;
    twice \a week zweimal die Woche;
    once \a month einmal im Monat
    3. A pl - 's or -s> [eɪ] n
    1) (hypothetical person, thing) A;
    suppose \a was B's sister angenommen A wäre die Schwester von B;
    [to get] from \a to B von A nach B [kommen]
    2) ( blood type) A
    3) (first, best)
    \a 1 eins A ( fam)
    PHRASES:
    from \a to Z von A bis Z
    4. A n
    2) abbrev of answer Antw.

    English-German students dictionary > a

  • 19 Armed forces

       Although armed force has been a major factor in the development of the Portuguese nation-state, a standing army did not exist until after the War of Restoration (1641-48). During the 18th century, Portugal's small army was drawn into many European wars. In 1811, a combined Anglo-Portuguese army drove the French army of Napoleon out of the country. After Germany declared war on Portugal in March 1916, two Portuguese divisions were conscripted and sent to France, where they sustained heavy casualties at the Battle of Lys in April 1918. As Portugal and Spain were neutral in World War II, the Portuguese Army cooperated with the Spanish army to defend Iberian neutrality. In 1949, Portugal became a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). When the nationalist quest for independence began in Portugal's colonies in Africa ( Angola, Mozambique, and Guinea- Bissau) in the 1960s, the military effort (1961-74) to suppress the nationalists resulted in an expansion of the Portuguese armed forces to about 250,000.
       Since the Revolution of 25 April 1974, the number of personnel on active duty in the army, navy, and air force has been greatly reduced (43,200 in 2007) and given a more direct role in NATO. New NATO commitments led to the organization of the Brigada Mista Independente (Independent Composite Brigade), later converted into the Brigada Aero-Transportada. (Air-Transported Brigade) to be used in the defense of Europe's southern flank. The Portuguese air force and navy are responsible for the defense of the Azores-Madeira-Portugal strategic triangle.
       Chronic military intervention in Portuguese political life began in the 19th century. These interventions usually began with revolts of the military ( pronunciamentos) in order to get rid of what were considered by the armed forces corrupt or incompetent civilian governments. The army overthrew the monarchy on the 5 October 1910 and established Portugal's First Republic. It overthrew the First Republic on 28 May 1926 and established a military dictatorship. The army returned to the barracks during the Estado Novo of Antônio de Oliveira Salazar. The armed forces once again returned to politics when the Armed Forces Movement (MFA) overthrew the Estado Novo on 25 April 1974. After the Revolution of 25 April 1974, the armed forces again played a major role in Portuguese politics through the Council of the Revolution, which was composed of the president of the Republic, Chiefs of the general staff, three service chiefs, and 14 MFA officers. The Council of the Revolution advised the president on the selection of the prime minister and could veto legislation.
       The subordination of the Portuguese armed forces to civilian authority began in 1982, when revisions to the Constitution abolished the Council of the Revolution and redefined the mission of the armed forces to that of safeguarding and defending the national territory. By the early 1990s, the political influence of Portugal armed force had waned and civilian control was reinforced with the National Defense Laws of 1991, which made the chief of the general staff of the armed forces directly responsible to the minister of defense, not the president of the republic, as had been the case previously. As the end of the Cold War had eliminated the threat of a Soviet invasion of western Europe, Portuguese armed forces continues to be scaled back and reorganized. Currently, the focus is on modernization to achieve high operational efficiency in certain areas such as air defense, naval patrols, and rapid-response capability in case of terrorist attack. Compulsory military service was ended in 2004. The Portuguese armed forces have been employed as United Nations peacekeepers in East Timor, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Lebanon.

    Historical dictionary of Portugal > Armed forces

  • 20 Catholic church

       The Catholic Church and the Catholic religion together represent the oldest and most enduring of all Portuguese institutions. Because its origins as an institution go back at least to the middle of the third century, if not earlier, the Christian and later the Catholic Church is much older than any other Portuguese institution or major cultural influence, including the monarchy (lasting 770 years) or Islam (540 years). Indeed, it is older than Portugal (869 years) itself. The Church, despite its changing doctrine and form, dates to the period when Roman Lusitania was Christianized.
       In its earlier period, the Church played an important role in the creation of an independent Portuguese monarchy, as well as in the colonization and settlement of various regions of the shifting Christian-Muslim frontier as it moved south. Until the rise of absolutist monarchy and central government, the Church dominated all public and private life and provided the only education available, along with the only hospitals and charity institutions. During the Middle Ages and the early stage of the overseas empire, the Church accumulated a great deal of wealth. One historian suggests that, by 1700, one-third of the land in Portugal was owned by the Church. Besides land, Catholic institutions possessed a large number of chapels, churches and cathedrals, capital, and other property.
       Extensive periods of Portuguese history witnessed either conflict or cooperation between the Church as the monarchy increasingly sought to gain direct control of the realm. The monarchy challenged the great power and wealth of the Church, especially after the acquisition of the first overseas empire (1415-1580). When King João III requested the pope to allow Portugal to establish the Inquisition (Holy Office) in the country and the request was finally granted in 1531, royal power, more than religion was the chief concern. The Inquisition acted as a judicial arm of the Catholic Church in order to root out heresies, primarily Judaism and Islam, and later Protestantism. But the Inquisition became an instrument used by the crown to strengthen its power and jurisdiction.
       The Church's power and prestige in governance came under direct attack for the first time under the Marquis of Pombal (1750-77) when, as the king's prime minister, he placed regalism above the Church's interests. In 1759, the Jesuits were expelled from Portugal, although they were allowed to return after Pombal left office. Pombal also harnessed the Inquisition and put in place other anticlerical measures. With the rise of liberalism and the efforts to secularize Portugal after 1820, considerable Church-state conflict occurred. The new liberal state weakened the power and position of the Church in various ways: in 1834, all religious orders were suppressed and their property confiscated both in Portugal and in the empire and, in the 1830s and 1840s, agrarian reform programs confiscated and sold large portions of Church lands. By the 1850s, Church-state relations had improved, various religious orders were allowed to return, and the Church's influence was largely restored. By the late 19th century, Church and state were closely allied again. Church roles in all levels of education were pervasive, and there was a popular Catholic revival under way.
       With the rise of republicanism and the early years of the First Republic, especially from 1910 to 1917, Church-state relations reached a new low. A major tenet of republicanism was anticlericalism and the belief that the Church was as much to blame as the monarchy for the backwardness of Portuguese society. The provisional republican government's 1911 Law of Separation decreed the secularization of public life on a scale unknown in Portugal. Among the new measures that Catholics and the Church opposed were legalization of divorce, appropriation of all Church property by the state, abolition of religious oaths for various posts, suppression of the theology school at Coimbra University, abolition of saints' days as public holidays, abolition of nunneries and expulsion of the Jesuits, closing of seminaries, secularization of all public education, and banning of religious courses in schools.
       After considerable civil strife over the religious question under the republic, President Sidónio Pais restored normal relations with the Holy See and made concessions to the Portuguese Church. Encouraged by the apparitions at Fátima between May and October 1917, which caused a great sensation among the rural people, a strong Catholic reaction to anticlericalism ensued. Backed by various new Catholic organizations such as the "Catholic Youth" and the Academic Center of Christian Democracy (CADC), the Catholic revival influenced government and politics under the Estado Novo. Prime Minister Antônio de Oliveira Salazar was not only a devout Catholic and member of the CADC, but his formative years included nine years in the Viseu Catholic Seminary preparing to be a priest. Under the Estado Novo, Church-state relations greatly improved, and Catholic interests were protected. On the other hand, Salazar's no-risk statism never went so far as to restore to the Church all that had been lost in the 1911 Law of Separation. Most Church property was never returned from state ownership and, while the Church played an important role in public education to 1974, it never recovered the influence in education it had enjoyed before 1911.
       Today, the majority of Portuguese proclaim themselves Catholic, and the enduring nature of the Church as an institution seems apparent everywhere in the country. But there is no longer a monolithic Catholic faith; there is growing diversity of religious choice in the population, which includes an increasing number of Protestant Portuguese as well as a small but growing number of Muslims from the former Portuguese empire. The Muslim community of greater Lisbon erected a Mosque which, ironically, is located near the Spanish Embassy. In the 1990s, Portugal's Catholic Church as an institution appeared to be experiencing a revival of influence. While Church attendance remained low, several Church institutions retained an importance in society that went beyond the walls of the thousands of churches: a popular, flourishing Catholic University; Radio Re-nascenca, the country's most listened to radio station; and a new private television channel owned by the Church. At an international conference in Lisbon in September 2000, the Cardinal Patriarch of Portugal, Dom José Policarpo, formally apologized to the Jewish community of Portugal for the actions of the Inquisition. At the deliberately selected location, the place where that religious institution once held its hearings and trials, Dom Policarpo read a declaration of Catholic guilt and repentance and symbolically embraced three rabbis, apologizing for acts of violence, pressures to convert, suspicions, and denunciation.

    Historical dictionary of Portugal > Catholic church

См. также в других словарях:

  • Spanish Navy — Active 13th century present Country …   Wikipedia

  • Spanish wine — Spanish wines emphasize their flavour for the sake of tasting …   Wikipedia

  • Spanish dialects and varieties — Spanish language …   Wikipedia

  • Major League Soccer — Countries  United States (16 teams) …   Wikipedia

  • Major League Baseball on Fox — Format Baseball Starring Joe Buck Tim McCarver Ken Rosenthal Eric Karros …   Wikipedia

  • Spanish Harlem — Spanish Harlem, also known as El Barrio and East Harlem, is a low income neighborhood in Harlem area of New York City, in the north eastern part of the borough of Manhattan. Spanish Harlem is one of the largest predominantly Latino communities in …   Wikipedia

  • Spanish Town — is the former Spanish and English capital of Jamaica.It held the status of capital city from the 16th to the 19th century. The city is home to certain memorials, the national archives, a small population, and one of the oldest Anglican churches… …   Wikipedia

  • Spanish architecture — refers to architecture carried out in any area in what is now modern day Spain, and by Spanish architects worldwide. The term includes buildings within the current geographical limits of Spain before this name was given to those territories… …   Wikipedia

  • Major explorations after the Age of Discovery — Major explorations continued after the Age of Discovery. By the early seventeenth century, vessels were sufficiently well built and their navigators competent enough to travel to virtually anywhere on the planet by sea. In the 17th century Dutch… …   Wikipedia

  • Spanish Netherlands — Spanish held provinces in the southern Low Countries (roughly corresponding to modern Belgium and Luxembourg). In 1578 the diplomat Alessandro Farnese was sent to represent Spain in the Netherlands, and by 1585 he had reestablished Spanish… …   Universalium

  • Spanish warship Destructor (1886) — The Spanish Navy s Destructor (1886) Career …   Wikipedia

Поделиться ссылкой на выделенное

Прямая ссылка:
Нажмите правой клавишей мыши и выберите «Копировать ссылку»