The Carnation Revolution was a bloodless coup in Portugal in 1974, overthrowing a dictatorship that had lasted for almost 50 years. Left-leaning military officers engineered the coup, and it was sparked by the sacking of a general who spoke out against Portuguese colonial policy. The revolution began in Lisbon and was relatively peaceful, with civilians mingling with soldiers and placing carnations in their canes. The government managed to kill four people before surrendering. Portugal experienced instability after the revolution but emerged as a democratic country, divesting itself of its colonies and stabilizing its economy. Today, Portugal celebrates Freedom Day on April 25 every year.
The Carnation Revolution or Revolução dos Cravos was a largely bloodless coup that took place in the nation of Portugal in 1974. The result of the Carnation Revolution was the overthrow of a dictatorship that had prevailed for nearly 50 years. After a short period of turmoil, Portugal has emerged as a democratic country, much to the delight of many of its citizens and the world at large.
The story of this event began in 1926, when a military coup established the Estado Novo, overthrowing the nascent First Republic of Portugal, a democratic government that had replaced the Portuguese monarchy in 1910. Portuguese citizens chafed under the Estado Novo, but the end of this regime was ultimately brought about by the actions of the military rather than the citizens. Left-leaning military officers engineered their coup in response to the sacking of a Portuguese general who spoke out against Portuguese colonial policy.
In the early hours of April 25, 1974, the Carnation Revolution began in the Portuguese city of Lisbon. Military forces quickly overwhelmed the government, sparking spontaneous street demonstrations, where civilians ran to mingle with soldiers, despite orders to stay inside. At that time, carnations flooded Lisbon’s famous central flower market and many citizens placed them in the soldiers’ canes of soldiers, inspiring the name “Carnation Revolution” to describe this event in Portuguese history.
Government forces managed to kill four people before it was clear they were not going to win the Carnation Revolution. The coup’s relative tranquility has also been attributed to a determined desire to avoid violence on the part of revolutionary soldiers. Individual citizens also encouraged members of the regime to surrender rather than fight, making it easier for the coup to remain free from violence.
As often happens when a government is overthrown, even with the support of the population, Portugal experienced a period of instability after the Carnation Revolution. It took several years to create a strong democratic government, and during this time Portugal divested itself of almost all of its foreign colonies and suffered severe economic turmoil, as the dictatorship had controlled the Portuguese economy with such a stranglehold that it took some time to stabilize. For the Portuguese and their former colonies, this has been a very difficult time, but many feel the short-term effects of the Carnation Revolution are well worth it. Today the Portuguese celebrate Freedom Day on April 25 every year.
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