The discipline of Contemporary History II is divided into two major parts. The first part of the program explores international issues related to post-World War II, the Cold War, the expansion of communism, China, decolonization and the emergence of the Third World, Islamism and geopolitics in the Middle East, Zionism and the Israeli-Palestinian question, the birth and development of the EEC / EU and, finally, the end of the Cold War and the present world, emerging from the 1990s and the terrorist attacks of 2001.

The second part, focussing on the history of Portugal, begins with the toppling of the First Republic and the establishment of the Military Dictatorship. It then covers Salazar’s regime, characterizing the dominant doctrine and ideology, questioning its nature of the regime (authoritarian or fascist), in a broader European comparison, and highlighting two crucial moments, the Spanish Civil War and World War II. The Salazarist apogee of the 1950s is analyzed, alongside those contrasting phenomena that led to the downfall of the Portuguese dictatorship: Humberto Delgado's campaign, the colonial war and Marcelism. In the final part, the study focuses on the Revolution of the 25th of April 1974, the ensuing PREC («Ongoing Revolutionary Process»), the democratic normalization and the accession, from 1986 onwards, to EEC/EU, concluding with a reflection on the challenges and deadlocks of present-day Portugal.