| |
| 1837, Aug. 19 |
| |
| Charter restored. | 1 |
| |
| 1838, April |
| |
| A new constitution was promulgated, with a government divided into legislative, judicial, and executive branches. The Chamber of Deputies became directly elected by limited male suffrage. | 2 |
| Social impact. Until midcentury, Portugal remained overwhelmingly agrarian. Seventy percent of the population lived in the countryside, and the population of Lisbon, the capital, remained virtually unchanged. Farmers produced wheat and rice. A few industries, such as cork and textiles, began to grow during this period, but most labor not employed in the countryside continued to practice family-based, artisan crafts. Tariff protection enabled Portugal to develop industries protected from the more advanced British factory system. The rise of the proletariat in Portugal occurred after 1850, as did the accompanying decline in the standard of living and growth of urban centers. However, the bourgeoisie made significant gains during the early 19th century, and those gains led to their ascendancy. | 3 |
| Educational reforms also developed under the liberal governments, although they were often curtailed by absolutist forces when the latter came to power. The constitution of 1826 established the principle of free primary education and, especially after 1834, state schools developed throughout Portugal. Educational reform, however, was plagued by the political instability in Portugal. Just as liberal governments expanded the number of state schools, the absolutists closed down schools and persecuted schoolteachers because of their sympathies with liberalism. (See Portugal) | 4 |
| |
| |
