The origins of the welfare state in Portugal: the new frontiers between public and private*

The period chosen for our study - the first two decades of the twentieth century - is especially relevant for the history of the welfare state in Portugal. It is a period in which we can analyse, at a crucial moment in its history, the change which was then taking place in terms of attitude of the state and of society towards the welfare state. Before 1910 state social policy had a very limited scope. Even accidents at work were still regulated in accordance with the Civil Code. From 1919 onwards a fully-fledged system of social security began to be set up. Portuguese social legislation, which up to then had not accompanied the progress made in this area by other European countries, came to the forefront of the movement in a relatively short time, by the side of Germany, the Scandinavian countries, the United Kingdom and Spain, and ahead of France. This progress was not easy and had to face resistance from several quarters.