Fernando José Mendes Rosas (born 18 April 1946) is a Portuguese

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

, being one of the founders of the Left Bloc.

Biography

Early life and education

Rosas was born on 18 April 1946. He studied at Pedro Nunes

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

, and in 1961, he joined the school's

Portuguese Communist Party The Portuguese Communist Party (, , PCP) is a Communism, communist and Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist List of political parties in Portugal, political party in Portugal. It is one of the strongest List of communist parties, communist par ...

organization, a party for which he was later a militant. He entered

University of Lisbon The University of Lisbon (ULisboa; ) is a public university, public research university in Lisbon, and Portugal's largest university. It was founded in 1911, but the university's present structure dates to the 2013 merger of the former Universit ...

's Faculty of Law where he remained an active militant. He was arrested in the repressive wave of January, 1965, while he was directing the student association of his Faculty. The Estado Novo arrested dozens of activists from the main board of student resistance. He was tried and convicted in 1965. He served one year and three months at a correctional facility. As he left this facility he dedicated himself to supporting activities for arrested politicians.

Political career

The events of May 1968, and the

Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia On 20–21 August 1968, the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic was jointly invaded by four fellow Warsaw Pact countries: the Soviet Union, the Polish People's Republic, the People's Republic of Bulgaria, and the Hungarian People's Republic. The in ...

, in August of the same year, led him to opt for the abandonment of the Communist Party. He participated in Portugal's first public protest against the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

, supported by sectors that were linked to the Students' Democratic Left-Wing, organization which he helped found in late 1968. It was as a politician responsible for this party that he organized the 1969 protests in Lisbon. He also participated in the second protest (this time centred on

Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ), officially the City of Coimbra (), is a city and a concelho, municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2021 census was 140,796, in an area of . The fourth-largest agglomerated urban area in Po ...

). In August 1971, he was arrested for the second time and taken to the headquarters of the

PIDE The International and State Defense Police (; PIDE) was a Portuguese security agency that existed during the '' Estado Novo'' regime of António de Oliveira Salazar. Formally, the main roles of the PIDE were the border, immigration and emigrati ...

political police. He was submitted to sleep torture for several days and then the regime's courts convicted him to 14 months at a correctional facility. Upon his release, he returned to

anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were op ...

activism Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make Social change, changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from ...

. In March 1973, he actively supported the campaign for the accusation of the murder of African socialist politician

Amílcar Cabral Amílcar Lopes Cabral (; – ) was a Bissau-Guinean and Cape Verdean agricultural engineer, political organizer, and diplomat. He was one of Africa's foremost anti-colonial leaders. He was also a pan-Africanist and intellectual nationalist ...

. After a renewed attempt by the PIDE to imprison him, he escaped and went " underground" until the

Carnation Revolution The Carnation Revolution (), code-named Operation Historic Turn (), also known as the 25 April (), was a military coup by military officers that overthrew the Estado Novo government on 25 April 1974 in Portugal. The coup produced major socia ...

on 25 April 1974. Rosas took part in the foundation of the

maoist Maoism, officially Mao Zedong Thought, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed while trying to realize a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic o ...

Re-Organized Movement of the Party of the Proletariat (MRPP) in 1970, along with figures such as

Arnaldo Matos Arnaldo is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Arnaldo Abrantes (born 1986), Portuguese track and field sprinter * Arnaldo Alonso (born 1979), Paraguayan footballer * Arnaldo André (born 1943), soap-opera Paraguayan actor * A ...

. Up to 1979 he was editor of the ''Luta Popular'' newspaper ("People's struggle" in English). He represented this organization both times

Ramalho Eanes Ramalho is a Portuguese surname. Ramalho may refer to: People *João Ramalho (1493–1580), Portuguese explorer *Ramalho Ortigão (1836–1915), Portuguese writer *Rosa Ramalho (1888–1977), Portuguese ceramist *José Ramalho (rower) (1901–1967) ...

ran for the presidency. During his time as a member of MRPP, Rosas was a candidate for

Mayor of Lisbon This is a list of mayors of Lisbon (, literally: "President of the Municipal Chamber of Lisbon", and also , literally: "President of the Municipality of Lisbon"), the capital city of Portugal, and also the most populated. This office is considere ...

in the 1976 local elections, getting 4,087 votes and 0.92% of the votes. He was later expelled from the party in 1980.After being expelled from MRPP, Rosas grew closer to the Revolutionary Socialist Party (PSR), led by

Francisco Louçã Francisco Anacleto Louçã (; born 12 November 1956) is a Portuguese economist and politician. Biography He is the second son of António Seixas Louçã, a Portuguese Navy Officer, and his wife Noémia da Rocha Neves Anacleto, lawyer, grandda ...

, being a candidate from the party from 1985 onwards, as an independent. In the 1996 presidential election, Rosas belonged to the Political Committee for the presidential candidacy of

Jorge Sampaio Jorge Fernando Branco de Sampaio (; 18 September 1939 – 10 September 2021) was a Portuguese lawyer and politician who was the 18th President of Portugal from 1996 to 2006. Sampaio was a member of the Socialist Party, a party which he ...

. In 1999, with

from the PSR,

Luís Fazenda Luís Emídio Lopes Mateus Fazenda (born on 8 October 1957) is a Portuguese professor and politician. Family He is the son of Emídio Salvador Fazenda (born in Faro on December 19, 1929) and his wife Maria de Lourdes Ortigão Peres Lopes Mateus ...

from the UDP and

Miguel Portas Miguel de Sacadura Cabral Portas (1 May 1958 – 24 April 2012) was a Portuguese politician and a Member of the European Parliament for the Left Bloc, part of the European United Left–Nordic Green Left group. He was a member of the Committee ...

from

Politics XXI The Politics XXI () was a Portuguese left-wing political party. It was founded by former members of the Portuguese Communist Party The Portuguese Communist Party (, , PCP) is a Communism, communist and Marxism–Leninism, Marxist–Leninist Lis ...

, Rosas became one of the founders of the Left Bloc (BE), becoming the leader of its Permanent Commission. Following the same year's legislative election, in which the Left Bloc entered Parliament by winning 2 seats, Rosas became a Member of the Assembly of the Republic from

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

. Rosas was a candidate in the 2001 presidential election, being supported by the Left Bloc. He finished fourth, with 129,840 votes and 3.00% of the votes, being defeated by

, who was seeking reelection. In

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

he was the main candidate of the BE in

Setúbal Setúbal ( , , ; ), officially the City of Setúbal (), is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the entire municipality in 2014 was 118,166, occupying an area of . The city itself had 89,303 inhabitants in 2001. It lies withi ...

, failing to be elected. In

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

he was once again the main candidate in Setúbal, this time being elected as a member of the Assembly of the Republic. Rosas was reelected in

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, resigning to his seat in 2010 to dedicate himself to teaching and research as a historian. In 2025, along with other BE founders

and

, he was announced as the main candidate for the

Leiria District The District of Leiria ( ) is a district located between the Oeste e Vale do Tejo and Centro regions of Portugal, and divided between the traditional provinces of Beira Litoral and Estremadura. It borders on the north with district of Coimbra, ...

in that year's legislative election.

Academic and journalistic career

In 1981, Fernando Rosas returned to University and began dedicating himself to

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...

as a profession. He coordinated the history page of ''

Diário de Notícias () is a Portuguese weekly newspaper published in Lisbon, Portugal. Established since 1864, the paper is considered a newspaper of record for Portugal. History and profile ''Diário de Notícias'' was first published in Lisbon on 29 December 1 ...

'' and its cultural supplement. His collaboration with DN continued until 1992, a time when he integrated the fortnightly column of the pages of '' Público'', another newspaper. In 1986 he finished a

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Contemporary History Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from about 1945 to the present. In the social sciences, contemporary history is also continuous with, and related t ...

(19th and 20th century), getting his Ph.D. in 1990. Rosas served as the president of the Institute of Contemporary History (IHC) between 1994 and 2013, historical consultant for the

Mário Soares Mário Alberto Nobre Lopes Soares (; 7 December 1924 – 7 January 2017) was a Portugal, Portuguese politician, who served as prime minister of Portugal from 1976 to 1978 and from 1983 to 1985, and subsequently as the List of Presidents of P ...

Foundation and the director of ''

História Canal História, currently branded as História, is a Portuguese basic cable and satellite television channel that features history documentaries most of which are produced by History USA and Portuguese and Spanish historic productions, owned b ...

'' magazine between 1994 and 2007. He was invited to be

assistant professor Assistant professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doct ...

by the

Faculty of Social and Human Sciences The Portuguese Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas (Faculty of Social and Human Sciences - FCSH) is an organic unit of the Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (NOVA). According to its statutes, ''“the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences of NOVA Un ...

of NOVA University of Lisbon, becoming a cathedratic professor in 2003. After teaching his last lesson in April 2016, Rosas was invited as a guest to keep teaching History of Fascism. In 2019, Rosas became

professor emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". ...

of the NOVA FCSH, the first person to receive that honour. Rosas is a member of the Executive Commission of the Resistance and Freedom National Museum at the

Peniche Fortress The Peniche Fortress is located in the municipality of Peniche, Portugal, Peniche in Oeste (intermunicipal community), Oeste region of Portugal. Built on the site of the former Castle of Atouguia da Baleia, of which only a few vestiges remain, ini ...

, where he was arrested during the Estado Novo regime.

Honours

Commander of the

Order of Liberty The Order of Liberty, or the Order of Freedom (), is a Portuguese honorific civil order that distinguishes relevant services to the cause of democracy and freedom, in the defense of the values of civilization and human dignity. The order was cr ...

(30 January 2006)

Selected works

* ''As primeiras eleições legislativas sob o Estado Novo : as eleições de 16 de Dezembro de 1934'', Cadernos O Jornal, 1985 * ''O Estado Novo nos Anos 30'', Lisbon, Estampa, 1986 * ''O salazarismo e a Aliança Luso-Britânica : estudos sobre a política externa do Estado Novo nos anos 30 a 40'', Lisbon, Fragmentos 1988 * ''Salazar e o Salazarismo'' (with JM Brandão de Brito), Publicacoes Dom Quixote, 1989, * ''Portugal Entre a Paz e a Guerra (1939/45)'', Lisbon, Estampa, 1990 * ''Portugal e o Estado Novo (1930/60)'', Vol. XII (ed), Nova História de Portugal, (gen. ed. A. H. de Oliveira Marques e Joel Serra), Lisbon, Editorial Presença, 1992 * ''O Estado Novo'' (1926/74), vol. VII, História Portugal (ed. J. Mattoso), 1994 * ''Dicionário de História do Estado Novo'' (with JM Brandão de Brito, ed.), Lisbon, Bertrand Editora, 1996 * ''Portugal e a Guerra Civil de Espanha'' (ed), Colibri, 1996, * ''Armindo Monteiro e Oliveira Salazar : correspondência política, 1926-1955'' (ed.), Lisbon, Estampa, 1996, * ''Salazarismo e Fomento Económico'', Lisbon, Noticias, 2000 * ''Portugal Século XX : Pensamento e Acção Política'', Lisbon, Noticias, 2004 * ''Lisboa Revolucionária'', Lisbon, Tinta da China, 2007, * ''História da Primeira República Portuguesa'' (with Maria Fernanda Rollo), Lisbon, Tinta da China, 2009, * ''Salazar e o Poder - A Arte de Saber Durar'', Lisbon, Tinta da China, 2013, * ''Salazar e os Fascismos'', Lisbon, Tinta da China, 2019,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosas, Fernando 1946 births Living people 20th-century Portuguese historians 21st-century Portuguese historians Candidates for President of Portugal Left Bloc politicians Portuguese Workers' Communist Party politicians Portuguese Communist Party politicians Portuguese political party founders