This book, organized by André Freire, provides the reader with an insightful and comprehensive analysis of the political systems that existed in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Portugal. Condensing the Portuguese political history of the last two centuries, the book is written both by historians and political scientists and divided into four different sections, with a total of ten chapters. Each section of the book provides a refreshing overview of recent research in the fields of History and Political Science and brings in new data and new interpretations. The final result is a coherent piece of scholarship spanning two centuries and four different political regimes. Above all, this is not a mere collection of essays conceived separately. Although written by different authors, they share a common research grid as they try to find answers for the same set of questions in different periods and under different political regimes, combining concepts and methodology from History and from Political Science.