University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 1977 Portugal and her islandy| A study in strategic location James Elliott Curry The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Curry, James Elliott, "Portugal and her islandy| A study in strategic location" (1977). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 3256. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/3256 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PORTUGAL AND HER ISLANDS: A STUDY IN STRATEGIC LOCATION by James E. Curry B.A., University of Montana, 1969 Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA 1977 Approved by: Chairman, Board of Examiners De-^k^, G^raduaxe Schoo n Date UMI Number: EP34446 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMT UMI EP34446 Published by ProQuest LLC (2012). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest' ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 ABSTRACT Curry, James E., M.A., Spring 1977 History Portugal and Her Islands: A Study in Strategic Location (177 pp.) Director: Paul Gordon Lauren f'cVL- Strategic location is a concept which deserves systematic examina­ tion. The history of Portugal and her Atlantic island possessions offers an opportunity for such analysis. Strategic location is de­ fined as the quality of being situated on the earth's surface in such a way that location, alone or in combination with other factors, is of significance in international relations. Portugal's early history was largely shaped by her location. Her position on the western coast of the Iberian peninsula aided the Portu­ guese to escape incorporation into the Spanish state and encouraged them to embark on a program of oceanic exploration that profoundly in­ fluenced the history not only of Portugal but of the entire world. Early in their ventures into the Atlantic Ocean the Portuguese dis­ covered the Madeira and the Azores island groups--the latter them­ selves of immense strategic importance, since they lie near the center of the North Atlantic. The strategic significance of continental Portugal and of the Azores has resulted in Portuguese involvement in most of the great European crises since the Hundred Years War. It has also led to the longest- lasting alliance in European history--the tie between Portugal and Britain. On many occasions British aid was crucial for the preserva­ tion of Portuguese independence. In return, Britain obtained great advantages—a useful entryway into the Iberian peninsula and a valuable naval base at Lisbon, as well as the assurance that the Azores would be in friendly hands. During the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries, the British intervened to protect Portugal against its foes. Portugal, in turn, was able to exploit her strategic location, and keep the powerful ally needed to preserve her independence. Portugal's strategic location has played a major role in the twen­ tieth century. The country was involved in the First World War on the Allied side. Under the leadership of Antonio Salazar, who became dic­ tator in 1932, Portugal rendered valuable aid to the Nationalist side in the Spanish Civil War. During the Second World War, Salazar's Portugal remained neutral throughout, but granted the Allies base rights to the Azores in 1943 under the terms of the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance. That importance was underlined most recently during the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, when the Azores base was indispensable to the American arms airlift to Israel. The Portuguese Revolution of 1974 aroused concern in other NATO capitals, proof that Portugal's location remains an important factor in world affairs. ii VQ.d^c.cittd to Vfi. Robert T. TuAmA, 1917-1972 tdtd ?A0{^2,i>i>0A 0(5 H^^tOAy Untv^Aitty 0 Montana AcholaA, tcacheA, and {)Altnd. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS v PREFACE vi MAPS viii Chapter I THE CONCEPT OF "STRATEGIC LOCATION" 1 Portugal--Origins and Expansion 6 The Atlantic Islands 13 II BRITAIN AND PORTUGAL: THE ANCIENT ALLIANCE . 2 0 Renewal of Alliance 39 In the Age of Canning and Palmerston ... 63 III PORTUGAL IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR 73 Portugal Before the Outbreak of War, 1890-1914 73 Portugal and The Great War 83 IV PORTUGAL AND WORLD WAR II 95 The Rise of Salazar and the Spanish Civil War 95 Portugal and the Allies .......... 107 Portugal and Germany 130 Strategic Location and Portuguese Neutrality 136 V PORTUGAL AND NATO 142 Portugal's Entry Into NATO 142 Strategic Asset, Political Liability-- Portugal in the 1960s 152 CONCLUSION 162 BIBLIOGRAPHY 167 iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS To Arlene Parks and Sue Rabold, who between them turned my left-handed scrawl into neat typescript; to Christa Carter, who drew my maps; to the faculty of the History Department of the University of Montana, who have taught me much and put up with my presence for an extraordinary length of time; and, above all, to Dr. Paul G. Lauren, without whose inspiration, guidance, and gentle prodding this project would never have been completed, I offer my gratitude and appreciation. V PREFACE There are nations which have been small in size and lacking in resources, but nevertheless have managed to play an important role in history. Despite her lack of many of the attributes of power, Portugal's contribution to the de­ velopment of the states bordering on the Atlantic Ocean has been significant. Many diverse forces have been responsible for this, but one fact dominates all others: there can be few better examples in history of the importance of strategic location. Portugal's position on the map, her situation on the fringe of Europe and on the threshold of the Atlantic, made it possible in centuries past for her to make a mark on the world far out of proportion to her size. When her greatness was gone, her location kept the powers of Europe interested in her fate, particularly the foremost Atlantic power of Great Britain. Today, as a quick examination of a good news­ paper will attest, her location still makes Portugal a matter of concern to American strategists and foreign policy planners. After years of obscurity, Portugal and her stra­ tegic- location have been highlighted by the 1974 revolution and its consequences which are still unfolding. vi Geographically, there are really two Portugals--conti- nental Portugal on the Iberian peninsula, and insular Portu­ gal, the archipelagoes that have been part o£ Portugal since their discovery. These are the Azores and Madeira. The islands contain only a fraction o£ the total Portuguese popu­ lation and land area, but their strategic significance has been far out of proportion to their size, matching if not ex­ ceeding that of the mainland. They play an imposing role in this study. In contrast, the other portions of Portugal's once-vast empire do not figure in any important way. Angola, Mozambique, and Guinea-Bissau have at last gone the way of the other European colonies in Africa, and Macao and Portuguese Timor-- Portugal's Asian remnants--lie outside the geographical limits which this study can comfortably include. Above all, the island groups ethnically and culturally are as Portuguese as Lisbon and their ties to the motherland appear permanent. For this reason it is reasonably safe to assume that their destinies will be linked in the future as in the past. Portugal's location has brought her both good and bad fortune. It has assured Portugal of powerful protectors-- yet it has also involved her in quarrels not truly her own. On the whole, however, location has given her advantages which have permitted her to keep some control over her own fate . vii 7®30 Flores Graciosa Terceira cOLajes Faial^ SQO Jorge Pi CO AZORES 1 Soo MiguaI I 1,250,000 Port 0 Santa Maria ^ OCEAN Lisbon GOLFO d6 r. A'D I Z PORTUGAL and HER ISLANDS 1 = 2,500,000 Sourci The Timtt Atlas of the World Chr I sta L. Corter 105 90 75 60 30 60 50° 50' AZORES Lisbon 30' ATLANT/C MADEIRAS 30® 20 OCEAN 10® 0° Equatorial Scale 10® 1:65,000,000 Source: The Timee Atlae of the World Christa L. Carter 75 45 ix 105 90 75 60 45 30 60 50 50" 40 AZORES Li tbon 30' ATLANTIC MADEIRAS 30® 20 OCEAN 10 10® 65,000,0 00 20® 30 Snurce Tht Ti meg Atlat of !ht World Chritto L Carter 75 45 30 i X CHAPTER I THE CONCEPT OF "STRATEGIC LOCATION" The attempt to apply an abstract concept to a historical situation cannot succeed unless clarity exists as to what the concept means. Seemingly simple abstractions have an annoy­ ing habit o£ revealing ambiguities and complexities when they are analyzed. V/hat then is meant by "strategic location"? It may be best to begin by making clear what it is not.