Description:
<jats:p>At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, Portugal was occupied with the question of Africa. Theintention of buildinga multiracial and multicultural society, the acceptance and integration of other cultures and cultural institutions all seemed incompatible with the absolute superiority of European civilization. If it could not distance itself from the Atlantic, Portugal never ceased being European. Neither did it have to abandon the Atlantic in order to enter into Europe. A number of other European countries, after all, have maintained non-European commitments. The end of the imperial cycle, after a thirteen-year war that prevented the country's economic growth, has only rarely been considered as a shock for the nation. Numerous are those that continue to emphasize Portugal's links with Brazil, the western hemisphere and, most importantly, with Africa. The revolution of 25 April 1974 and the consolidated democracy that followed have created the conditions for Portugal's integration into a democratic and pluralist Europe. Tolèrent of ideological diversity, this new Europe ensures the preservation of national identities. </jats:p>