Blog post 1: The national self

 

The national self

 

National identity is belonging to the collective of the state or nation.  It is embedded in a set of aspects related to the culture, language, ethnicity, religion, or traditions of the memorial community. As such, it is based on the concept of the nation, which is a community of people who share a series of historical and cultural ties and who live in a territory or state.  National identity is essential for the use of the area and the unity of the state. National identity is an idea that stems from the national constructions carried out by 19th-century nationalisms, mainly in European and American nation-states, although it has since spread throughout the world. National identity can manifest itself in different ways and to different degrees through patriotism, nationalism, and chauvinism.  It can be expressed in feelings ranging from selfishness and pride to xenophobia and bigotry.

The first inhabitants of Portugal were Neanderthals and Homo sapiens.  After the invasion of the Celts, they mixed with the local population, forming a large number of tribes.  In 219 BC.  the Romans conquered the peninsula.  Many cities have survived from their time, some of which are inhabited and still exist today.  Between the 5th and 7th centuries, the Western Roman Empire disintegrated and Germanic tribes invaded the peninsula, and later came the Visigoths, whose kingdom covered the entire peninsula.  In 711, the Moors came to Portugal and it took more than 500 years to get rid of these new rulers.  During their rule, the country's economy developed well.  Meanwhile, the Iberians began to prepare for the return of the peninsula under their control - the so-called Reconquista. In 1139, Afonso Enriquez crowned himself Afonso I, the first king of Portugal.  The Holy See recognized Portugal as an independent state in 1143, but the royal title was recognized by the Pope in 1179. The first capital was Guimaraes, later Coimbra became the capital of Portugal.  In 1250, Portugal annexed the southernmost region of the Algarve, after defeating the Moors, who still ruled the region.  The Reconquista was then completed, and in 1255 the capital was moved to Lisbon. Portuguese was created as the main language, thus culture and poetry flourished.  In addition, in 1308 a trade pact was concluded with England, which laid the foundations for a long-term and profitable union.  Portugal entered into an alliance with England cemented by the Treaty of Windsor, which is still in force today and is the longest in history. In 1415 the Moroccan fortress and rich port of Ceuta were conquered, which was the first overseas Portuguese possession.  A spot was established on the island of Argin near present-day Mauritania, through which the first African slaves and gold were imported from West Africa. In 1498, Vasco de Gama discovered another sea route to India via Mozambique, another African jewel added to the Portuguese crown.  In 1508  Afonso de Albuquerque conquered the port of Goa in the West Indies, and the establishment of control of Malacca in Malaysia made Portugal a trading center for the East Indies.  By 1514, the Portuguese Empire stretched from the coasts of South America to China.  Established ties with distant peoples provide great wealth and change the face of Portugal.  The Portuguese Fernando Magellan, as the leader of a Spanish expedition, reached unknown areas and proved that the Earth was round.  This is another pride for Portugal. But overconfidence in the abundance of wealth leads to underdevelopment of the various spheres in Portugal.  There are also many cases of abuse.  In addition, the population of Portugal is declining as emigration to the new colonies is high.  After the death of King Sebastiu in a battle in Morocco in 1580, King Felipe II of Spain took advantage of the situation to occupy Portugal and capture Lisbon.  Thus, Spanish rule lasted 60 years.  In 1640  an uprising broke out by the Portuguese and with the moral support of France, the Spanish occupiers were expelled from Lisbon and the House of Joao IV was built as king.  But Spain did not recognize Portugal's independence until 1668, with the Treaty of Lisbon. Between 1750 and 1777, Portugal made significant economic and social progress, thanks to Prime Minister Sebastian Jose de Carval and Melou-Marquis de Pombal during the reign of King Jose I. This period remains in Portuguese history as the Pombalin era.  With the support of the king, Pombal made significant changes in many institutions in the country, large-scale tax reforms provide laws equal to the poor and rich.  A test for him was the earthquake of 1755, which shook Lisbon and its surroundings.  Under Pombal's leadership, the capital was rebuilt in record time, with the first buildings in the world designed to withstand earthquakes after the quake.  But his enemies are multiplying as he becomes more despotic, cunning, and more powerful.  Coming to power, Queen Maria I put an end to Pombal's time by suing him. After the French Revolution in 1789, Napoleon Bonaparte rose to the political stage.  In 1801, France threatened to invade Portugal if it did not join Bonaparte's Continental blockade against Britain.  And because Portugal refused to support it, the French attacked it and took Lisbon.  In 1812, Portugal's independence was restored.  After many upheavals in the history of Portugal, in 1910 a military coup overthrew King Dom Manuel II, who fled to England.  The Portuguese Republic is born.  This republic was unstable and by the end of the First World War, it was becoming a dictatorship.  The military coup of 1926 appointed General Oscar Carmona as president and Antonio de Oliveira Salazar as his finance minister.  Salazar's government opposes liberalism, communism, and anti-colonialism, and has been criticized by the international community.  Salazar died, but his regime was later overthrown by the so-called "Carnation Revolution" - a bloodless coup carried out by a group of frustrated officers.  Since then, Portugal has been the Parliamentary Republic.  It is on the path to modern democracy and secures independence for the last African colonies. The most predominant religion in Portugal is Christianity, mainly Roman Catholicism.  Portugal has no official religion, although in the past the Catholic Church was the state religion.  Although the church and the state were officially separated during the First Portuguese Republic, the division was repeated in the 1976 constitution, and Roman Catholic precepts continue to play a significant role in Portuguese society and culture.  The Church's education and health systems have long been preserved, and in many cases when a building, bridge, or highway was opened, it received blessings from the clergy. Portugal does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over the territory of Olivenza based on a difference of interpretation of the 1815 Congress of Vienna and the 1801 Treaty of Badajoz.