PJSS Volume 9 Number 2
2010
Political tolerance in Portugal and Spain: The importance of circumstantial factors | José Manuel Leite Viegas (Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, ISCTE-IUL)
A survey carried out in various European countries (the Citizenship, Involvement, Democracy [2001–2003] research project) revealed, rather surprisingly, that Portugal registered significantly higher overall levels of political tolerance than Spain (tolerance being measured by the number of minority groups the respondents excluded from participation in public meetings). The explanation put forward for these results was based on the distinction between ‘structural tolerance’, based on established dispositions and attitudes, and the circumstantial component of tolerance, which is dependent on the level of conflict with the minority groups. The greater presence in Spain than in Portugal of ideological extremism (Basque terrorism by ETA) and Islamic fundamentalism would explain this difference. In 2006, the same battery of questions measuring political tolerance was applied in Portugal and, partly, in Spain. In this study I seek to analyse (1) how these tolerance levels have developed, (2) whether the difference in tolerance levels between the two countries has been maintained and (3) whether the explanation for this difference is still valid.
Family and social dynamics among European mixed couples | Sofia Gaspar (Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, ISCTE-IUL, CIES)
This article analyses some of the issues enabling us to understand European intra-marriage as a ocial phenomenon, by presenting some empirical findings resulting from 30 in-depth interviews carried out on couples in Lisbon. It begins by explaining how ‘free movers’ may be seen as an emerging group of citizens within the European matrimonial market, in order subsequently to clarify how the expression ‘European intra-marriage’ is useful for categorising this new type of mixed partnership. Some results relating to personal, social and marital aspects will then shed light on the dynamics of these European mixed unions. A final section suggests further lines of research that must be taken into consideration in future work in this field.
The democratisation of party leadership selection: The Portuguese experience | Marco Lisi (Instituto de Ciências Sociais-Universidade de Lisboa and Universidade Nova de Lisboa)
In recent years, members of established political parties have received increased powers to select candidates and leaders. Several explanations have been advanced to account for this trend, focusing on the evolution of the political system, the characteristics of party systems or intra-party dynamics. The aim of this article is to examine the introduction of democratising reforms for leadership selection in Portuguese parties. Despite the high degree of centralisation and the low levels of internal participation, all governing parties have expanded members’ rights during the last decade. The main findings suggest that party leaders have decided to change methods for leadership selection mainly for instrumental purposes in order to consolidate their internal power or gain electoral benefits. Moreover, this organisational transformation has had reduced effects on the internal party functioning. Regardless of these similarities, the data show that there are important differences between parties with regard to levels of participation and internal competition.
Fighting the Cold War in southern Africa? East German military support to FRELIMO | Klaus Storkmann (Military History Research Institute, Potsdam)
This article focuses on the military assistance provided by the German Democratic Republic (GDR) to the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO – Frente de Libertação de Moçambique), first during their struggle against the Portuguese colonial power and later during the war against the Mozambican National Resistance Movement (Resistência Nacional Moçambicana) rebels. To date, the GDR’s military commitment in southern Africa has been the topic of often unfounded speculation. The systemic secrecy of the GDR military made it easy for rumours to spread. This article seeks to contribute to an academic reappraisal of this secret part of the GDR’s history. It provides well-founded academic information based on original GDR documents that have been analysed for the first time. For 20 years the GDR’s military provided ‘solidarity assistance’. East Berlin supplied weapons and military equipment and also medical relief goods and food. Instead of sending troops or instructors to Mozambique, the GDR’s army trained Mozambican military personnel at schools in the GDR.
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