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annexed Lithuania in 1944, and until 1990 Lithuania was one of the 15
Soviet republics. The current borders of Lithuania were defined after bor-
der changes decided at the Potsdam conference in 1945. During the years
of Soviet rule, there was renewed repression of the local population –
thousands of people were deported to Siberia for holding inappropriate
political views, being disloyal to the authorities, having too high social
status, or similar reasons. After the restoration of independence in 1990,
a parliamentary democracy was established and a new constitution
adopted. Following a transitional phase from a planned economy to a
free market, Lithuania joined the European Union in 2004.
Even though each country followed a specific pathway to the present,
there is a sharp contrast between the more stable political and economic
conditions of Switzerland and the more tumultuous recent history of
both Portugal and Lithuania. In fact, both countries were under long-
term right-wing and left-wing regimes until late in the twentieth century.
In the following sections, we look at how recent historical paths shaped
welfare and family life within each country.
Portugal
A long-lasting mark was left on the Portuguese society by the Estado Novo
regime, which lasted for almost five decades (1926–1974). This regime
was inspired by an authoritarian, conservative, Catholic and anti-liberal
ideology which permeated every institutional realm of everyday life (fam-
ily, school, work, culture, etc.). Fearful of economic and social moderni-
sation, which supposedly fostered urbanisation, industrialism, disorder,
and class struggle, the government curtailed civil liberties and imposed an
order based on three pillars: traditionalist family values; nationalistic
school; and employer paternalism, under strict state supervision (Rosas
2001 ).
When Portugal joined the European Free Trade Association in 1959,
new job opportunities began to arise in the emerging industrial sector.
These new opportunities prompted entire families to move to the fast-
developing urban areas in search of a better life. Internal migrations, from
rural areas to cities, were a major trend during the 1950s and 1960s. This
V. Ramos et al.