The Carnation Revolution: The Power of the People by María Navarro García

Portugal’s history has been overlooked in comparison to other European countries. Nevertheless, the 20^th century presents one of its most significant episodes, which not only influenced the country but also had a profound impact on Europe: the Carnation Revolution. This peaceful coup d’état made Western Europe witness Portugal’s first revolution since 1848 (Hatton 171), which overturned the history of a country that appeared to be “partially frozen under a regime that was a relic of times gone by” (Accornero 24).

The causes of the revolution began with Portugal’s First Republic and the resulting instability in the country. In 1910, the monarchy was overthrown, and a Parliamentary Republic was established. However, this produced political instability rather than a stable government, with 45 failed attempts to form a reliable cabinet. This disconformity amongst the population led to the 1926 coup d’état, which introduced Portugal’s dictatorship and the Estado Novo. This New State was going to be ruled by António de Oliveira Salazar, a name who would go down in Portugal’s history as both a savior and a dictator. Due to the ineffectual government that the First Republic demonstrated, the population fell under ‘Salazar’s spell,’ which centered on ‘returning to rural and traditional principles’ (Accornero 54), opposing modernism. Therefore, the early 20th century in Portugal enhanced a regression towards conservatism, paternalism, and isolation from the rest of Europe. As Hatton notes, “[Salazar] would rather his country be poor than dependent on others, faithful to its traditions rather than tainted by modernity” (Hatton 147). This complex historical context is explored in Billie August’s Night Train to Lisbon (2013) through the fictional character of Amadeu de Prado, a doctor who was against Salazar’s dictatorial forces, as he argued in his graduation speech: “There is another world I do not wish to live in. A world in which independent thinking is disparaged […] A world in which our love is demanded by tyrants, oppressors and assassins” (Night Train to Lisbon 00:34:55). The movie promotes the Carnation revolution, through Amadeu’s character and his need for “freedom to rebel against everything that is in this cruel world” (Night Train to Lisbon Hence 00:36:59) the increased repression of this authoritarian regime where “the individual rights were submerged under these greater interests of the state” (Hatton 144) promoted the military radicalization and mobilization which led to the revolution of April 1974, because “When dictatorship is a fact, revolution is a duty” (Night Train to Lisbon 00:16:11).

On the dawn of the 25^th of April 1974, the radio station Renascença played “Grândola, Vila Morena” by José Afonso, the cue song for the army’s perfectly synchronized assault to overthrow the Estado Novo: The Carnation Revolution. The key figures in this revolt were the April Captains and Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho, the military plotters behind the plan who initiated the revolution, aiming for the establishment of freedom. James McTeigue’s V for Vendetta (2006) was inspired by the revolution’s sentiment of “It’s the people who lead” as Afonso’s song argues, because “people shouldn’t be afraid of the government. Governments should be afraid of their people” (V for Vendetta 00:31:03). Although the movie centers on a dystopian future, the ideas of revolution it presents might be traced back to the 1970s revolutionary period which characterized Europe against the “cruelty, injustice, intolerance and oppression […] with systems of censorship coercing your conformity and security” (V for Vendetta 00:19:12). Moreover, the movie echoes Portugal’s revolution using a flower –a Scarlet Carson– as a symbol of freedom and resistance, “symbols are given power by people, alone the symbol is meaningless, but with enough people […] it can change the world.” (V for Vendetta 00:31:15). In the Carnation this symbol was introduced by Celeste Caeiro. The revolution was named after her because she was the one who gave away carnations to the soldiers, who put the flowers in their weapons to demonstrate how the insurrection was a peaceful movement: “The Carnation Revolution was the glorious, romantic moment when Portugal cast off its shackles and joined the European mainstream” (Hatton 169). Hence, in less than 24 hours, Portugal slammed the door on almost half a century of authoritarian rule. Nevertheless, despite the revolution that happened in a day, the change in Portugal’s social and political structure would be a process of arguing, trying, and failing to finally reach a democratic government.

The post-coup period was a transitional era full of fragility and uncertainty, as discussed by Hannah Arendt in On Revolution (1990): “No revolution has ever solved the ‘social question’ and liberated men from the predicament of want” (112). On the morning of April 26, a New Portugal emerged, and the revolutionary process began under the leadership of General António Spínola. That same day, the creation of the Junta de Salvação Nacional was announced, which dissolved the remaining organs of repression and censorship established under Marcelo Caetano’s dictatorship, such as the National Union and the International Police for the Defense of the State (PIDE). General Spínola presented a “democratizing program that included the establishment of a civilian government and free elections” (Accornero 139). Therefore, as Scorpion’s song argues this revolutionary process introduced a “Wind of change”, a hopeful future for Portugal’s population: “Take me to the magic of the moment / On a glory night / Where the children of tomorrow dream away (dream away) / In the wind of change” (1:40). However, the democratization of the country would not come easily, the year 1975 was characterized by the fragility of Portugal, with a lot of provisional governments and even an unsuccessful coup d’état by the extreme left. As Hannah Arendt argues, “the councils, born of revolution” (Arendt 265) turned “against the party or parties whose sole aim had always been the revolution” (ibid. 259). As Hatton points out, this transition period “was fraught with crisis that threatened to drag Portugal into civil war and bankruptcy” (177). Luckily, the country moved past its differences, and on April 25, 1976 — commemorating the first year of the revolution — the first democratic elections with universal suffrage were held. In these elections, the Socialist Party gained the most votes, marking the shift from autocracy to democracy.

Therefore, Portugal stands as another example of the “revolutionary wave” that swept through Europe during the 1960s and 1970s, promoting new visions of the world and contributing to social change. The Carnation Revolution was one of the major social mobilizations in Europe and Portugal, promoting the third wave of democratization in the country and the establishment of the Third Republic. 

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Works Cited

Accornero, Guya. The Revolution Before the Revolution: Late Authoritarianism and Student Protest in Portugal. Berghan Books, 2016.

Arendt, Hannah. On Revolution. Penguin Books, 1990.

August, Billie (director). Night Train to Lisbon, Studio Hamburg, 2011.

Hatto, Barry. The Portuguese: A Modern History. Signal Oxford Book, 2011.

McTeigue, James (director). V for Vendetta, DC Films, 2006.

Scorpions. “Wind of Change.” Crazy World, Vertigo Record, 1990.

This article was published in: https://webs.uab.cat/g4roc/activities/war-in-the-news/the-carnation-revolution-the-power-of-the-people-by-maria-navarro-garcia/