The Lusitanian Commonwealth is getting stacked.
The Lusitania Commonwealth turned out to be one of the Federation's greatest accomplishments and it almost did not come to be. British historian Arnold Joseph Toynbee book on the Portuguese Lusitania Commonwealth title “Lusitania Commonwealth: How the Portuguese Federation stumbled onto its greatest achievement” published in 1971 goes on to provide several interesting tidbits. I was able to get a copy of the book and here are a few quotes.
“In 1960 the Portuguese having just survived the first decade as a Federation but still with a huge task ahead of it and while still facing several major challenges were at a loss about what to do with the rag tag of dependencies they had accumulated over the last decade. The two East Asian countries of Lombok and Bali along with Galicia in the Iberian Peninsula was joined by Guinea Boke another breakaway region the Portuguese had somehow bungled into existence. These four countries were poor, utterly dependent on Portuguese handouts and protection.
The Portuguese triumvirate was split on what to do with these “colonies”. The options discussed was to annex them, cast them adrift or to continue supporting them. With Simões advocating their annexation with Rapazote was in favor of casting them out with a bit of declining support while president Semedo was looking at the larger picture. He argued that the ability of the Portuguese to annex any country was over and US and west Europe attitudes had changed much during the last decade when the Portuguese had absorbed several territories successfully. He also argued about about “abandoning these countries least they become springboards for attacks of the federation."
Toynbee went on in the chapter one and two in detail to show how Semedo over a period of several months he slowly put together his vision about greater federation political sphere in which these countries would become an extension of the federation. At first there was much resistance to his idea but the fact they were relatively small and connected to the federation won out in the end. Even so the announcement of the founding Lusitania Commonwealth was derided by many government officials in private.
In chapter 3 Toynbee goes to to state “the turning point in the importance of the Commonwealth was the inclusion of Katanga in 1965. For that country vast mineral deposits provided the Portuguese with immense wealth and power. The people of Katanga having just fought a bloody war of independence from Zaire were not about to be dominated by any other country even one they owed their independence to. President Moïse Kapend Tshombe was not interested in bribes or personal gains but in partners in the development of his newly independent country. The US, British and French courting him and during his visit to Europe after the signing of the peace treaty they promised him much aid. So when he stopped in Lisbon on his way back home the Portuguese asked him what he wanted and needed. President Tshombe being a shrewd business man asked for everything: military support, economic development, access to advisors and also subsidies while allowing Katanga to maintain control of its resources. To his surprises the Portuguese said yes they be willing to help Katanga standard of living reach the Portuguese and encourage Portuguese companies to invest in Katanga. Thus Katanga joined the Commonwealth and the Portuguese-Katanga came to dominate a large % of the copper mining. One of the first announcements was the building of huge copper processing plant in Katanga providing jobs to Katanganese and increasing the value of Katangan exports.” Before Tshombe left Lisbon he visited the Christ King monument across the Tejo Estuary and was rumored to say to his ambassador that he was shocked at the Portuguese acceptance and promises and wondered what would of been of his country had the Federation not existed."
In chapter 6 Toynbee talks about entry of Brazil into the commonwealth “when Brazil attempted to negotiate greater access to the federation market which by 1965 had overtaken the Brazilian and was growing at much greater rate the Portuguese balked at the idea of negotiating just with Brazil and instead demanded the Brazilians join the commonwealth to which the Brazilians refused since it would seem they were subordinate to the Portuguese which would of been completely unacceptable to them. Then a compromise was reached in which the Brazilians would join as 'Associate members' thus entering as equals. The compromise had an unexpected economic and political benefit as Argentina also joined thus providing the three countries an huge economic boost. Companies in either of the 3 countries had access to a much larger market and neither of the three countries dominated or towered over the other as was the case with dealing with the US. Investment in all three countries by European and even American companies grew and the whole commonwealth economies grew.” This is another example of what started as diplomatic struggle turned into another economic advantage that would see huge impacts in the next decades.
Lastly I wanted to quote Toynbee observations from chapter 12 “the inclusion of newly ‘liberated’ or ‘self proclaimed independent countries’ in Africa was not the biggest of achievement of the commonwealth in the 1960s since their inclusion was guaranteed by the fact the installation of Portuguese sponsored governments in these countries. But the telling sign of its importance and prestige was the admission of the Malacca Federation as a full member and more importantly the admission of both nationalist China and Kingdom of Baroda as associate members and the growing clout of the commonwealth.”
Ironically the book by Toynbee was not very well received by the Portuguese government and was placed on restricted list while in Britain it was viewed with disdain and seen by many on the left as Portuguese paid project. In end the book while very well written and insightful was a product of its political environment and not wanted by neither country.
