"You are a Kerensky": How the Portuguese Revolution influenced US response towards the Spanish democratic transition

Abstract

This thesis examines how the Portuguese Revolution influenced the response of the United States towards the democratic transition in Spain. With developments intensifying in Lisbon, the upcoming change in Spain became of particular interest for Washington. Fearing a domino effect that eventually would hit the US itself, it tried to exclude Portugal from NATO and tried to incorporate Spain in the Western political framework. Viewing the transitions from a Cold War perspective, Washington was confronted with a Western-Europe that maintained a more normative attitude towards the transitions. Washington therefore pursued a policy towards Spain that focused on a ‘controlled democratisation,’ maintaining political stability while at the same time showing enough progress to make Spain acceptable for Western-Europe. This research, therefore, contributes to a broader understanding of the reaction of Washington during the Spanish democratic transition. By interpreting the American reaction on the events in Spain with the Portuguese Revolution in mind, this research looks at Washington’s response on the Spanish transition from a new perspective. Hereby, this thesis also considers the importance, and interplay, between the Cold War, NATO- membership, the EEC and the effect these factors had on the US reaction on the developments on the Peninsula.