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Fernando Pessoa And The Portuguese Modernist Heritage: A Sociocultural Analysis, Fernando Magalhães Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

The early twentieth century was a tumultuous time for Portuguese society. Shortly before World War I began, the Portuguese monarchy fell and gave way to the First Republic on October 5, 1910. Collectively, the 1890 British ultimatum to Portugal—which forced Portugal to retreat from its claimed colonial African territories—the fall of the monarchy, and the country’s participation in the First World War set the framework for the post-romantic period. The cultural elite of the time initiated movements such as the Portuguese Renaissance in defense of a nation open to Europe yet still marked by a desire to return to its …