West Germany and the Portuguese Dictatorship, 1968–1974: Between Cold War and Colonialism (Security, Conflict and Cooperation in the Contemporary World)

West Germany and the Portuguese Dictatorship 1968-1974 examines West Germany's ambiguous policy towards the Portuguese dictatorship of Marcelo Caetano. Lopes sheds new light on the social, economic, military, and diplomatic dimensions of the awkward relationship between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Caetano regime. West Germany and the Portuguese Dictatorship, 1968-1974 examines West Germany's ambiguous policy towards the Portuguese dictatorship of Marcelo Caetano (1968-1974). It tells the Cold War story of how the emblematic governments led by social democrat chancellor Willy Brandt came to deal with Western Europe's oldest authoritarian regime and most persistent colonial empire. Drawing on extensive primary research, Rui Lopes sheds new light on the social, economic, military, and diplomatic dimensions of the awkward relationship between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Caetano regime. His work contributes to a more informed and nuanced discussion of both countries' recent history and international politics. He also analyses, for the first time, the complex interaction between Cold War detente, Ostpolitik, and Portugal's colonial wars against the liberation movements of Angola, Mozambique, and Guinea-Bissau Cover 1 Half-Title 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 Acknowledgements 8 List of Abbreviations 9 Glossary 12 Introduction 13 Background: the dynamics of transformation 13 Rationale and structure 21 1 The International Front: An ‘Insult to Africa’ and other offences 27 The African world 27 The Northern world 42 Conclusions 61 2 The Domestic Front: Facing the ‘Tribunal’ 78 The rise of the solidarity movement 78 The economic sector’s counter-attack 85 The involvement of the German churches 89 The Estado Novo in the FRG’s public sphere 92 Conclusions 100 3 The Economic Front: From Außenwirtschaft to Außenpolitik 114 Reciprocity in West German–Portuguese economic relations 114 The controversy over Cahora Bassa 120 The theory of Portugal’s rapprochement with Europe 126 The debate over development aid 130 Conclusions 137 4 The Military Front: The Price of ‘Germanic Greatness’ 135 West German–Portuguese military relations from Adenauer to Brandt 147 In the shadow of the ‘Beja affair’ 151 The inescapable issue of military supplies 157 The more ambiguous areas of co-operation 164 Conclusions 170 5 The Diplomatic Front: Trapped by the ‘Typical Dilemma’ 182 First impressions 182 The rise and fall of interventionism 186 The reinforcement of co-operation 193 The SPD offensive 203 Coping with multilateralism 209 Conclusions 213 6 The Parallel Front: Either Weapons or Coffins 224 Cautious solidarity with the Portuguese opposition 224 Reaching out to the liberation movements 231 Conclusions 239 Conclusion 249 The dilemmas of Bonn’s policy towards the Caetano regime 249 The implications of Bonn’s ambiguous policy 254 Bibliography 261 Index 273 West Germany and the Portuguese Dictatorship, 1968-1974 examines West Germany's ambiguous policy towards the Portuguese dictatorship of Marcelo Caetano (1968-1974). It tells the Cold War story of how the emblematic governments led by social democrat chancellor Willy Brandt came to deal with Western Europe's oldest authoritarian regime and most persistent colonial empire. Drawing on extensive primary research, Rui Lopes sheds new light on the social, economic, military, and diplomatic dimensions of the awkward relationship between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Caetano regime. His work contributes to a more informed and nuanced discussion of both countries' recent history and international politics. He also analyses, for the first time, the complex interaction between Cold War ďtente, Ostpolitik, and Portugal's colonial wars against the liberation movements of Angola, Mozambique, and Guinea-Bissau Front Matter....Pages i-xi Introduction....Pages 1-14 The International Front: An ‘Insult to Africa’ and Other Offences....Pages 15-65 The Domestic Front: Facing the ‘Tribunal’....Pages 66-101 The Economic Front: From Außenwirtschaft to Außenpolitik....Pages 102-134 The Military Front: The Price of ‘Germanic Greatness’....Pages 135-169 The Diplomatic Front: Trapped by the ‘Typical Dilemma’....Pages 170-211 The Parallel Front: Either Weapons or Coffins....Pages 212-236 Conclusion....Pages 237-248 Back Matter....Pages 249-269