Portugal's Carnation Revolution April 25, 1974

Description:

April 25, 1974 was at once an ending and a beginning. First and foremost it was the end of the Estado Novo dictatorial regime and the beginning of Portugal’s democratic process. The Estado Novo (New State) was one of the 1st in the wave of European fascist governments and it was also one of the longer lasting by remaining in power for more than four decades. In April of 1974, Portugal stood at the threshold of the last quarter of the twentieth century, developmentally 35 years behind most European nations. Its population was uneducated, unskilled, and impoverished while its ruling class was minuscule and monopolistic, tightly holding on to a dysfunctional and unsustainable colonial system. Once the hope that Marcelo Caetano would diverge from Salazar’s policies and lead Portugal towards democratization was shattered, it became clear that only a regime change could bring democracy to Portuguese citizens as well as providing the means for a peaceful resolution to the 13-year Colonial War and for the initiation of the decolonization process. Those were precisely the objectives that inspired the Armed Forces Movement (Movimento das Forças Armadas or MFA) to rise up against the oppressive state and overthrow the regime.

Attribution:

Claude Potts, Deolinda Adão

Date:

2014