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The End of Dictatorships in Portugal and Spain :
Historical Contexts and Public Memories
Andrea Tappi and Javier Tébar Centre for International Historical Studies , University of Barcelona ( CEHI-UB )
In the 1970s , the collapse of the Estado Novo ( New State ) and the Francoist state took place , two of the longest-lasting dictatorships in the contemporary history of Western Europe . This year marks half a century since the military coup carried out by officers of the Armed Forces Movement ( MFA ) that overthrew Prime Minister Marcelo Caetano , leading to the Carnation Revolution on 25 April 1974 . Next year will mark 50 years since the death of the dictator Francisco Franco on 20 November 1975 , who became head of state during the Spanish Civil War ( 1936-1939 ) and the beginning of the political shift towards the transition to democracy in Spain .
The Iberian dictatorships emerged in the context of the rise of European fascism during the interwar period . Although differing in origin and development , both shared common elements in their forms of governance . Their downfall also occurred within a historical context where the international order of the Cold War was entering the phase of détente . However , this did not mean that the political confrontations maintained by the two superpowers , the United States and the Soviet Union , were removed from closely observing the events taking place on the Iberian Peninsula , seeking to influence the respective transition processes through their foreign policies in favour of their geopolitical interests .
Our aim is to first offer a brief historical contextualisation of these recent pasts . Secondly , we intend to comparatively examine the public memory in both countries , with the aim of analysing some of the characteristics of the memory policies surrounding the end of the respective dictatorial regimes and their management within the framework of the processes of transition to democracy : What meaning has been given to them ? What stories have been constructed around these pasts ? What have been their political uses and the debates derived from them ?
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Observing Memories Issue 8