Portugal, once the second super-colonial empire in the world. Portugal at its peak was one of the first great powers in EuropeHowever, in later history, the two earliest colonial empires, Portugal and Spain, gradually declined。Unlike Spain, however, Portugal had a relatively stronger grip on its colonies.
Ironically, Portugal also became the world's last and longest-running European colonizer. Perhaps it is precisely because Portugal has always clinged to an outdated colonial policyIt was the Portuguese colonial empire that ushered in the most violent dismemberment of the twentieth century.
In 1947, India successfully gained independence from British colonial rule, but India's independence did not mean the end of the colonial era in the South Asian subcontinent. Because at this time, the South Asian subcontinent still had colonies such as French local governanceThere was also the port of Goa colony that Portugal had controlled for hundreds of years.
In 1946, the Indian anti-colonial fighter Lohia openly stated during his visit to Goa:"Goa is like a little pus, this little pustule grows on the face of India, and although it is not fatal, it is very detrimental to the image. ”Lohia's speech is a reflection of the attitude of the Indian authorities and the Congress Party towards Goa and the colony of local governance.
India's independence) Nehru also thought so, believing that India's independence would only be truly complete after France, Portugal, and Britain had completely withdrawn from the South Asian subcontinent. It was not until 1944 that the French finally agreed to the peaceful transfer of the colonies to India in 1947 and 1954.
In 1956, the two sides formally signed a transfer agreement, and the French colonial issue was finally resolved peacefully. Faced with the port of Goa, the last colony on the South Asian subcontinent, India** also adopted a policy of peace negotiations at the beginning. However, India's attempt at peace talks ended in failure, India also eventually had to use force to reclaim Goa.
The main reason for this situation is that Portugal is actually a **country, and if the ** person refuses to nod, then no one can return Goa to India. And at that time, the ** person in Portugal was Salazar,Salazar was a "colonialist" through and through.
Like Churchill, in the Portuguese ** Sarah, the Portuguese colonies were more important than his old life. In August 1950, Portugal made an official statement to India:"The Port of Goa was acquired by Portugal in a legal form, and it has nothing to do with India in the legal sense of the word, and is part of the territorial integrity of Portugal. ”
In order to show his determination to India, Salazar even amended the Portuguese constitution in 1951, changing the port of Goa from an "overseas colony" to a Portuguese "overseas province". Salazar's actions also made relations between India and Portugal even more hostile.
In fact, it was wishful thinking to confront India based on the Portuguese military strength at the time. After all, India has completely inherited the colonial army of the Anglo-Indian period, and its military strength should not be underestimated. But Portugal has existed for nearly a century as a "small transparent Europe", and the country has been peaceful for a long time, and it will not fight for a long time.
But Salazar, as the longest-ruling man in Europe, is certainly not a fool. The reason why he is so "brave" must also have his own confidence. And Salazar's confidence is the United StatesPortugal was one of the first 30 States parties to NATO in 1949.
NATO, on the other hand, clearly stipulates that if the territory of any one of the signatories is attacked by other countries, it is equivalent to attacking all of them. That's why Salazar wanted to change Goa to Portugal's overseas provinceBecause overseas provinces are actually equivalent to local provinces.
However, Salazar overestimated his own position in the United States and underestimated India's position in the United States.
In 1954, Indian nationalist rebels liberated the Portuguese colonies of Dadra and Nagar (yes, Portuguese India was made up of three parts). The "self-liberation" of these two colonies also greatly encouraged the nationalists in GoaAnd India** also blocked the port of Goa at this time.
Portugal could not enter Goa by land and could not resupply Goa by land access. At the port, Goa's dock workers also launched a general strike, which also made it impossible for the Portuguese authorities to even resupply Goa by sea. If the port of Goa cannot be used normally,For Portugal, the port loses its meaning.
Army).In this case, Portugal has only the option of "resorting to the legal route". Portugal sued India before the International Court of Justice, and the verdict was also very interesting, the Court recognized Portugal's sovereignty over Goa, and at the same time stated that India had the right to deny Portugal the right to pass through its territory and airspace, even if no one was offended.
But Fat Tiger beats Nobita, as long as you don't help Nobita, you are helping Fat Tiger. The decision of the International Court of Justice was even more inspiring to the Indian authorities, who in 1955 organized 5,000 "volunteers" to enter Goa, only to be stopped by the Portuguese military and police, and violent clashes ensuedHundreds of people were wounded by the Portuguese military police, 25 people***
Hundreds of Goans were arrested and exiled by Portugal in Africa. The Indian authorities were thoroughly enraged, and the authorities announced a ** blockade of Goa and the severance of diplomatic relations with Portugal! In 1960, at India's unsparing demands, the General Assembly declared Portugal's definition of Goa's "overseas province" null and voidThe Portuguese authorities, however, refused to endorse the UN General Assembly's decision
Goa incident) Portugal has reached this point and it looks like it has run out of cards to play, and it is.
In 1954, Portugal was already asking the United States for assistance, but the United States refused to condemn the Indian authorities on the Goa issue. Because Britain, which was more appropriate, had already refused to help Portugal before that, US-Portuguese relations declined.
In 1955, Portugal** López was invited to visit the United States, but López declined the invitation, which also shows that relations between the two countries are gradually declining. In 1955, in the face of the Goa incident, the United States** still chose to remain silent. Eisenhower, who was a soldier, was more directHe suggested that Portugal follow the "Anglo-Indian model" to solve the Goa problem.
Eisenhower bluntly said that Portugal, with a population of only 2 million, did not have the qualifications and ability to maintain such a huge colonial empire, and the independence of the colonies was a foregone conclusion. Portugal might as well give all the colonies twenty years to decide their own fate, and twenty years would be enough to help Portugal and the colonies establish close ties, which can also help Portugal to make profits more easily.
Eisenhower).
In fact, the country that best practices this model today is actually France. However, Portugal rejected the establishment of Eisenhower** and gave up this last chance.
After Kennedy** came to power, the United States changed its attitude towards the Goa issue to a certain extent, and it began to give limited support to Portugal**.
The reason for this situation has not much to do with Goa itself, but the movement in Angola stimulated Kennedy**As a result, Kennedy had to make concessions on the Goa issue.
Kennedy).However, at this time, the United States ** still refused to fully support PortugalBecause they are equally unwilling to offend neutral India. The discussion on the Goa issue in the United States is also intense, and many people think that it is meaningless to support Portugal, and Portugal, the former colonizer, is actually a "troublemaker".
Supporting Portugal will not win the United States a long-term ally, but will spur a wave of anti-American everywhere, and more importantly, a Portuguese ally will not do much to help the United States, which in itself is meaningless. As a result, Kennedy never made a clear statement on Goa, saying only that he "will continue to pay attention."
However, India did not leave much time for discussion in the United States, and in the early morning of December 18, 1961, the Indian authorities, who had had no patience, decided to send troops to Goa. There was nothing to say about the course of the battle, and the Portuguese army was powerless in the face of the Indian armyIn just a few hours, the Indian army completely occupied the port of Goa, driving the Portuguese colonists out of the subcontinent.
According to NATO's regulations, the United States and other NATO allies should also react at this time. However, in the minds of the United States, Portugal is more important than India. Not only did the United States not launch a military operation against India, and did not even launch ** sanctions against India.
The United States merely expressed its "regret" and demanded that India return to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) of December 17, 1961. However, Kennedy did not indicate what countermeasures the United States would take if India did not comply with the U.S. demands. In fact, the United States itself will not make any countermeasures, and Portugal is just sold.
And Portugal is also bitter in the face of this situation. The Portuguese Foreign Minister thanked the United States and stated:"The United States has done its best within its mandate. ”In fact, as Eisenhower said, Portugal simply did not have enough national strength to hold its colonial empire on its own.
After NATO lost Goa, Portugal realized that it would not be able to hold even Mozambique and Angola without relying on the United States. Based on this reality, Portugal cannot force the United States to make more "concessions".。Because Portugal** is not the "only option" of the United States in Africa**, not even the "first choice".
The United States** can also choose to support the natives, and it is more morally justified. So what exactly can the Portuguese give to the United States? Maybe the Portuguese won't be able to give anything, which also means that even if Portugal joins NATO, it will not in fact receive the protection it deserves.
And the story of Portugal also tells us a truth: whether the national strength is strong is the fundamental point of whether a country can stand on it.
NATO)
Yao Mengrui. A Study of the Goa Question and U.S.-India Relations (1947-1962).[j].2021.06.20.You construction. The Decolonization Process in Goa and the U.S. Reaction [J].Historical Monthly, 2020(7):8
Song Ting. A Study of Temporal and U.S.-India Relations in Goa. [j].2022.05.