Carnation Revolution

The Carnation Revolution was a largely peaceful military coup on April 25, 1974, that overthrew Portugal’s Estado Novo dictatorship and began the country’s transition to democracy.

Armed Forces Movement: A movement of Portuguese military officers that organized the 1974 coup against the Estado Novo regime. Its officers planned and led the operation that overthrew the dictatorship.
Estado Novo (Portugal): Portugal’s authoritarian regime, established in 1933 and overthrown in 1974. The revolution ended this dictatorship and its political institutions.
Portuguese transition to democracy: The political process that replaced Portugal’s dictatorship with a democratic constitutional system after 1974. The coup opened the transition that culminated in democratic institutions.
Carnation: A flowering plant whose blossoms became a widely recognized emblem of the Portuguese revolution of 1974. People placed carnations in soldiers’ rifle barrels, giving the revolt its enduring name.
Marcelo Caetano: Portugal’s prime minister from 1968 until his removal during the 1974 coup. His surrender at the Carmo Barracks ended the government’s resistance.
Portuguese Colonial War: A series of armed conflicts between Portugal and independence movements in its African colonies from 1961 to 1974. The costly, prolonged wars intensified opposition within the armed forces.
Portuguese decolonization: The end of Portuguese rule over its overseas territories, largely between 1974 and 1975. The new authorities rapidly dismantled the empire the dictatorship had fought to preserve.
Dissolution of the Portuguese Empire: The breakup of Portugal’s overseas empire, accelerated by the collapse of the Estado Novo in 1974. The revolution became inseparable from the end of colonial rule.
Salgueiro Maia: A Portuguese army captain who commanded key rebel forces during the Carnation Revolution. His troops confronted Caetano at Lisbon’s Carmo Barracks without opening fire.
Spinola's Portugal and the Future: A 1974 book by General António de Spínola criticizing Portugal’s colonial policy and proposing a political solution. Its publication helped expose divisions within the regime and military.

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