RULE OF ONE
In the era in which we felt it essential to be in opposition to Dictatorship rule by Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin and others there were actually eighteen nations ruled by one person. Dictatorships were in power on every continent and we managed to ignore the dangers involved for us and our form of government among so many of such a questionable nature.
The oldest of them, and the one which endured the longest, was that of Antonio Oliveira Salazar in Portugal. His one-man rule began in 1929.
He wa succeeded in 1968 by Marsella Caetano and his government continued with a slightly more liberal view which resulted in it's being overthrown in 1974. Salazar succeeded decade after decade in keeping his people unaware of developments in the nations of the world - “protected” he argued but his replacement allowed such access to economic and social advancements. By 1974 the Portuguese were again a free people.
1988 marked the 500th year since Bartholomeu Dias sailed found a way out of a severe, obscuring storm and put into a harbor called Mossel Bay. That meant that he was the first explorer to round the southern tip of the continent of Africa at the Cape of Good Hope. That act opened up a whole new world of commerce for the western world and we see now as a high point in the government-sponsored Portuguese discoveries which followed. This continued through the 15th and 16thc centuries and it had a profound influence on all phases of national and international life of those times. Starting in 1988, the government of Portugal began a twelve- year celebration as a plan enabling them to achieve unity and a sense of purpose which had been lost during the long dictatorships of Salazar and Caetano. The year 2000 saw great improvement in the nature of Portugal's place among the nations of the world. The far-flung colonial empire had been lost, of course, many years ago, but the new Century became a landmark for those who foresaw newness and a bright future for their nation.
In the past it could be said the Portuguese had been “first” Patagonia – now called “Argentina”; “first” in Brazil where their language endures to this day, as well, “first” in Japan, India and even the Arabic emirates. Wherever the Portuguese went they set up far more stable forms of government for local peoples than did other nationalities. The did their explorations with purposeful intent and did not depend so much on happenstance, chance or fortuity as did Columbus and others. They established trade with their foreign connections which was mutually advantageous and worthwhile for all concerned.
The Portugal which was a united, highly responsible, during the 15th and 16th centuries established a good example of what a nation might become. Such a time can never be again. But it does appear that the people appreciate the good work their forebears accomplished in discovery exploration, establishment and principles of management.
It applies to nations as well as individuals: appreciation of others depend on what you think of yourself. The Portugal of the future will prosper because they, at last, understand and what they have been at their best.
A. L.M. October 26, 2004 [c545wds]
