Marcelo Caetano facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marcelo Caetano
GCTE GCC
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister of Portugal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 27 September 1968 – 25 April 1974 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President | Américo Tomás | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | António de Oliveira Salazar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | National Salvation Junta | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rector of the University of Lisbon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 20 January 1959 – 12 April 1962 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Victor Hugo Duarte de Lemos | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Paulo Cunha | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister of the Presidency | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 7 July 1955 – 14 August 1958 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | António de Oliveira Salazar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | João Lumbrales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Pedro Teotónio Pereira | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President of the Corporative Chamber | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 25 November 1949 – 7 July 1955 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | José Gabriel Pinto Coelho | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | João Pinto da Costa Leite | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minister of the Colonies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 6 September 1944 – 4 February 1947 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | António de Oliveira Salazar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Francisco Vieira Machado | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Teófilo Duarte | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National Commissioner of the Portuguese Youth | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 16 August 1940 – 6 September 1944 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appointed by | António Carneiro Pacheco | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Francisco José Nobre Guedes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | José Porto Soares Franco | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
Marcello José das Neves Alves Caetano
17 August 1906 Graça, Lisbon, Portugal |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 26 October 1980 (aged 74) Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Resting place | São João Batista Cemetery, Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | National Union | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse |
Teresa Teixeira de Queirós de Barros
(m. 1930; died 1971) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Camões Secondary School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Lisbon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Marcelo Caetano was an important Portuguese politician and a smart scholar. He was born on August 17, 1906, and passed away on October 26, 1980. He became the second and last leader of a government system called the Estado Novo. This happened after António Salazar became too ill to lead. Marcelo Caetano served as the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1968 until 1974. His time as leader ended when a peaceful revolution, known as the Carnation Revolution, took place.
Contents
Early Life and Political Beginnings
Marcelo Caetano was the son of José Maria de Almeida Alves Caetano and Josefa Maria das Neves. He studied law at the University of Lisbon and later became a professor there. When he was young, Caetano was a conservative politician. This means he believed in traditional ways of governing.
He started his political career in the 1930s, when the Estado Novo government, led by António de Oliveira Salazar, was just beginning. Caetano quickly became an important person in this government. In 1940, he was put in charge of the Portuguese Youth Organisation. He also continued his work at the university, writing books and teaching law.
Between 1944 and 1947, Caetano was the Minister of the Colonies. This role involved managing Portugal's overseas territories. After that, he led the executive board of the National Union, which was the official political party. He also served as the president of the Corporative Chamber from 1949 to 1955.
From 1955 to 1958, he worked closely with the Prime Minister, Salazar. Many saw him as the second most powerful person in the government. However, their relationship was sometimes difficult, which made it unclear if Caetano would be the next leader. He later went back to his academic work. From 1959, he was the head of the University of Lisbon. But he resigned in 1962 after students protested and clashed with police. Some students supported the government, while others wanted change.
Becoming Prime Minister
In August 1968, Salazar, who had been in power for 36 years, became very ill. President Américo Tomás decided to remove him from office. On September 27, 1968, Tomás chose Marcelo Caetano to take Salazar's place as Prime Minister. Salazar was never told that he had been replaced. Some say he believed he was still Prime Minister until he died in July 1970.
Many people hoped that Caetano would make the government less strict and improve the economy. Caetano worked to help the economy grow and made some social improvements. For example, he started giving a monthly pension to rural workers who had never paid into social security. This was meant to help people and improve the economy. Large projects, like building an oil processing center in Sines, were also started.
The economy did well at first. But in the 1970s, new problems appeared. Prices started to rise quickly, and there was a global oil crisis in 1973. Portugal had oil reserves in its overseas territories, but they were still being developed.
President Tomás kept a close eye on Caetano's power. Tomás had been mostly a symbolic leader under Salazar. But he did not give Caetano as much freedom. This meant Caetano had limited power to make big changes.
Reforms and Challenges
Even though Caetano had helped create the Estado Novo, he tried to make some parts of the government less harsh. This period was called the "political spring" or "Marcelist Spring." He called his government a "social state." He also changed the name of the official party to the "People's National Action." The secret police, known as the PIDE, was renamed the DGS.
Caetano also made it easier for the press to publish news. He allowed the first independent labor unions since the 1920s. The opposition parties were allowed to run in the 1969 and 1973 elections. However, these elections were still very controlled. Opposition candidates faced difficulties, and the People's National Action party won every seat. In the only presidential election during Caetano's time, in 1972, Tomás was re-elected without anyone running against him.
These changes were not enough for many people who wanted more freedom. They did not remember the unstable times before Salazar's rule. Also, Caetano had to work hard to get these small reforms approved by the more traditional members of the government, especially President Tomás. Caetano himself was still an authoritarian leader and did not fully understand democracy. He was disappointed when the opposition wanted even more changes. After the 1973 elections, the hardliners in the government pressured Caetano to stop his reforms. He had little choice but to agree.
Since the early 1960s, Portugal's overseas territories in Africa were fighting for independence. This was known as the Portuguese Colonial War. The government in Lisbon did not want to give up these territories. Salazar had sent troops to fight the independence movements. By 1970, this war was using up a lot of Portugal's money, about 40% of the national budget. There was no clear end in sight for the war. Portugal also faced increasing criticism and sanctions from other countries.
In 1973, a British priest named Adrian Hastings wrote an article in The Times newspaper. He reported on the "Wiriyamu Massacre" in Mozambique. He said that the Portuguese Army had killed 400 villagers in December 1972. This report came out just before Caetano was supposed to visit Britain. Portugal's growing isolation after these claims is often seen as a reason for the Carnation Revolution in 1974.
By the early 1970s, the war was going better in Angola, but it was still difficult in Mozambique and Portuguese Guinea. The Portuguese government tried to find ways to keep funding the war. In 1972, a special fund was created to help pay for the war effort. New laws were also put in place to reduce military costs and increase the number of officers.
Overthrow of the Government
By early 1974, signs of rebellion were growing. A group within the army, called the Armed Forces Movement, began planning a coup. In March, there was an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the government. By this time, Caetano had tried to resign several times, but President Tomás refused. It was becoming very hard to control the opposition.
On April 25, 1974, the military successfully overthrew the government in the Carnation Revolution. Caetano resigned and was taken into military custody. The independence movements in Angola, Portuguese Guinea, and Mozambique had fought for a long time. Their continued fighting led parts of the Portuguese Armed Forces to carry out the coup in Lisbon.
The Armed Forces Movement overthrew the government because they were against the ongoing war in Portuguese Guinea. They also rebelled against new military laws that would have changed how officers were ranked.
Later Life and Exile
After Caetano resigned, he was flown to the Madeira Islands for a few days. Then, he went into exile in Brazil. Brazil was also ruled by a military government at that time. Marcelo Caetano died in Rio de Janeiro from a heart attack in 1980.
Personal Life
On October 27, 1930, Marcelo Caetano married Maria Teresa Teixeira de Queirós de Barros. She passed away in 1971. They had four children together.
See also
In Spanish: Marcelo Caetano para niños
