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The coup unleashed long-repressed frustrations. "We fell asleep a half-century ago and have just now woken up," said an old woman in Lisbon. Across the country, hundreds of mini-coups erupted: bakers, lawyers, engineers, journalists and architects ousted the leaders of their unions. Workers took over factories or else demanded huge wage increases—often up to 200%. An alphabet soup of initials covered walls, posters and newspapers, as scores of political parties were formed, ranging from monarchist to Maoist. More ominously, the much persecuted Communist Party (see box page 28) emerged from the underground as the nation's most dedicated and cohesive political organization.
Spinola seemed to get the new regime off to a good start, appointing a Cabinet containing Socialists, Communists, left-centrists, independents and only one military officer. A centrist law professor, Adelino da Palma Carlos, was chosen Premier, Socialist Soares became Foreign Minister, while Communist Boss Cunhal was named Minister Without Portfolio. The Cabinet's ability to act, however, was severely restricted by ideological differences. On one side stood those committed to democratic processes, such as the Socialists; on the other side were those, like the Communists, who were willing to employ authoritarian means to carry out the revolution. While the Cabinet became bogged down in lengthy discussions, a rash of strikes and demonstrations seemed to be bringing the country close to anarchy.
Leftist Gains. The disorder offended Spinola's sense of discipline. Moreover, his plan for dealing with Portugal's African territories was being resisted by his junta colleagues. He had envisioned Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau and Angola forming a loose federation with Portugal. Leftists within the M.F.A. sided with revolutionaries in the territories and demanded complete independence. In June 1974, Spinola barnstormed across Portugal, visiting army bases and addressing enthusiastic crowds. His message: Portugal's revolution must not be exploited by extremists.
The President became more worried as the Communists and extreme leftists gained influence within the M.F.A. and captured key posts in government bureaucracies. He suffered a major setback when Vasco Gonçalves (then only a colonel) replaced Premier Palma Carlos. Exercising what in retrospect was very poor judgment, Spinola made a desperate attempt to go over the heads of the M.F.A., calling for his country's maioria silenciosa (silent majority) to back him. A mammoth rally in support of the President, scheduled for late September, soon became a test of the moderates v. extremists. Under pressure from the M.F.A., Spinola canceled the rally. Three days later, on Sept. 30, he resigned and was succeeded by his close friend General Costa Gomes.
Spinola's fall hastened the revolution's leftward momentum. It removed the archenemy of the Communist Party and its fellow-traveling Democratic Movement. Together they soon obtained viselike control over scores of local administrations, trade unions, newspapers and radio stations. At the same time, Cunhal carefully courted the military, supporting the leftists within the M.F.A. on every issue.