Alentejo and Algarve

Alentejo and Algarve, officially the Syndicated Communes of Alentejo and Algarve (Portuguese: Comunas Sindicalizadas do Alentejo e Algarve), is a communist collective state located in the south of Portugal. As the name implies, it consists of a collection of communes administered by local labour unions; though heavily descentralized, a national government based in Cuba, with both regional and partisan representatives, mediates conflicts amongst communes, allocates collected production funds and decides upon foreign policy.

The country is one of the successors to the Portuguese Republic, having splintered from Portugal following a period of civil unrest in the South, supported by communist parties, which saw the rise of independent communes quickly absorved into the sphere of the Portuguese Communist Party.

Geography
The Communes are bordered by Ofiussia to the north, across the Tagus river, Castile and Andalusia the east, across the Guadiana, and the Atlantic Ocean on both south and west.

History
After the Carnation Revolution of 1974 which saw the end of a 41 years old fascist regime, Portugal experienced period known as Anos Quentes (Hot Years) marked by heavy social and political polarization. In 1977, after a reactionary revolt in Porto, Partido Comunista Português, financed by the USSR, lead farmer and worker strikes in its main supporting hubs, leading to a paralyzation of the Portuguese economy. Tensions escallated when an incident in Évora ended with the death of a female farmer at the hands of police, prompting workers in the south to take control of their workplaces by force. The first free commune was established in Cuba, followed by dozens more all across the Alentejan countryside. Sensing an opportunity, PCP rushed to support the defectors moving its operations to Alentejo and taking formal control of the disorganized communes.

While haphazard at first, under PCP rule, having access to their external funding and weaponry, the Communes began forming armed militias and occuping neighbouring cities. Évora, Faro and Setúbal would soon fall - most times with little bloodshed - but the PCP's Central Comittee had bigger ambitions: Lisbon. An army of eager volunteers and experienced soldiers from the Colonial War was quickly dispatched with the intention of occupying the capital. A violent clash of forces was expected as the Portuguese Army had been ordered to assure the fight wouldn't reach the city by any means.

When communist forces arrived to Almada, General Ramalho Eanes of the Portuguese Army, conscious of the toll two front civil war would take on an already distraught country, ordered the destruction of the 25 de Abril Bridge, the only access to Lisbon from the south, stalling the communist advance. After the General's proclamation of the state of Ofiussia the following day, Álvaro Cunhal, secretary-general of the PCP, ordered its troops to drop arms and return southwards, oficially proclaiming the foundation of the Syndicated Communes of Alentejo and Algarve.