The Portuguese Revolution, known as the “Carnation Revolution,” ended on April 25, exactly fifty years ago. This historical event, sometimes described as “joyous,” is remembered for its unique peculiarity: the overthrow of a dictatorship with almost no bloodshed.
An economist by training, António de Oliveira Salazar began his political career as Minister of Finance in Portugal, in the regime of General Carmona, who had just seized power through a coup in 1926. From 1932, Salazar was appointed head of the Portuguese Communist Party. Board. He then began to build an extreme right-wing authoritarian regime, although it differed little from the totalitarian regimes that emerged in the same period, in Germany or Italy.
Thus, on April 25, 1974, this “Carnation Revolution” put an end to the regime he had established, which was in the process of decay. Salazar had already been dead since 1970.
In this video, we trace through maps and archival photos the history of the Salazar regime and what led to its overthrow on April 25, 1974.
If you want to delve deeper into this historical moment, we refer you to this portfolio of the French-Haitian communist activist Gerald Bloncourt, who was on site at the time of the revolution.
“Understand in three minutes”
The explanatory videos that make up the “Understand in Three Minutes” series are produced by the Institute’s Vertical Videos Department. worldThey are primarily broadcast on platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook, and aim to put major events into context in a short format and make news accessible to everyone.
