The Treaty of Versailles, the League of Nations and Portuguese overseas policy (1910–26)

Abstract

The main goal of this article is to present the challenges for Portuguese colonial policy during the First Republic (1910–26), focusing on the international pressures against the survival of the Portuguese Empire. The article is divided into three parts: in the first we outline the state of the art regarding the questions to be raised. This is followed by an analysis of Portuguese colonial policy in the post-Versailles international context, particularly Afonso Costa’s negotiations for war reparations. In the third part, we examine particular aspects of the relationship between Portugal and the League of Nations in relation to colonial questions: namely, forced labour and the illicit trafficking of opium.