Nobody could have thought when on Thursday, April 25, 1974 in Lisbon, shortly after midnight the catholic Rádio Renascença played the song Grandola Vila Morena, it would lead to such consequences. The song was the signal for the young military officers of the Movimento das Forcas Armadas (MFA) to carry out the plans for a coup d’état. Only minor resistance from the security police occurred, so that by late morning the crowds were flooding the streets, cheering the soldiers, and putting carnations in the barrels of the rifles. The coup was efficiently and successfully and still on the same day, the deposed dictator Marcello Caetano surrendered to the new military leaders and already the next day flew into exile. This coup d’état marked the death of the oldest, over 40 years old dictatorship in Europe, lead by António de Oliveira Salazar (Ferreira, 1986).
On the one hand marked April 25 the beginning of transition to democracy in Portugal and later even lead to a consolidated democracy. On the other hand this day marked the beginning of the third wave of democratization. The fall of communist regimes in Eastern Europe, the breakdown of the Latin American authoritarian regimes followed after Portugal brought the ball rolling. And the snowball effect influenced many other authoritarian regimes in the world to democratize as well. States like Spain, Brazil and Hungary were to follow the example of Portugal.
It is the aim of this paper to analyze what the causes were, that lead to the revolution, how the process of the transition occurred and what the consequences of April 25 were.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Prehistory of the Carnation Revolution
2.1 Estado Novo and António de Oliveira Salazar
2.2 Economical and social minus development
2.3 Colonial Wars
2.4 The summarized causes for the revolution
3. The transition to democracy
3.1 The ongoing revolutionary process
3.2 The political development after 1975
3.3 The final consolidation of democracy
4. Conclusion
5. Bibliography
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This paper examines the origins, the progression, and the ultimate outcomes of the Carnation Revolution in Portugal, tracing the country's difficult transformation from a long-standing authoritarian dictatorship to a consolidated, stable democracy.
- The historical context of the Estado Novo and the Salazar regime.
- Economic stagnation and the socio-political impact of colonial wars.
- The role of the Movimento das Forcas Armadas (MFA) in the 1974 military coup.
- The transition period (PREC) and the struggle for democratic political structures.
- Institutional reforms leading to the final consolidation of democracy by 1982.
Excerpt from the Book
2.1 Estado Novo and António de Oliveira Salazar:
In 1910 the First Republic of Portugal was proclaimed. But the following years were more characterized by politically instability than by a good working democracy. Hence, in 1926 became General Òscar Caromona through a military coup President. It was him, who two years later appointed the young professor for economics António de Oliveira Salazar to be minister of finance. The striking economically success Salazar had, brought Carmona to name Salazar in 1932 Prime Minister. In 1933 a new constitution by Salazar was established, this date could be seen as the real beginning of the Salazar dictatorship and the Estado Novo (Schell, 2007).
With the constitution from April 11, 1933 Salazar managed it as Prime Minister to install an authoritarian-corporate regime that should last more than 40 years. The people directly voted the President for a seven-year term and he appointed the Prime Minister, a one-party-system with the only party União Nacional (UN) was installed. That way, Salazar created an authoritarian-regime with the role model of the fascist state of Italy. Apart from that, strikes and workers´ trade unions were forbidden, as well as a brutal political police, the Polícia Internacional e de Defesa do Estado (PIDE) was created, that is to say a strict censorship characterized the Estado Novo. The striking fact about the Estado Novo is, that Salazar governed the state the whole time only as Prime Minister and not as President. Nevertheless, at no time Salazar managed to install mass movements in Portugal. All attempts, via UN or through Legião Portuguesa as well as through youth and women organizations never led to the desired result of mobilized masses. Hence, the ideologically mainstay of the regime was the Catholic Church, who paid its part to strengthen the stability of the regime (Costa Pinto, 1991).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Provides an overview of the April 25, 1974 revolution and outlines the paper's intent to analyze the causes, process, and consequences of the downfall of the Portuguese dictatorship.
2. The Prehistory of the Carnation Revolution: Explores the socio-economic and political conditions of the Estado Novo regime, the impact of the colonial wars, and the factors that alienated the military from the government.
3. The transition to democracy: Details the revolutionary process following the coup, the political disputes during the PREC period, the establishment of the 1976 constitution, and the eventual consolidation of democracy after 1982.
4. Conclusion: Summarizes how the conflict between the government and the military, particularly over colonial policy, initiated the regime's collapse and eventually led to a stable, consolidated democracy.
5. Bibliography: Lists the academic sources and historical texts used to support the analysis of the Portuguese revolution.
Keywords
Carnation Revolution, Portugal, Estado Novo, António de Oliveira Salazar, MFA, Democratization, Colonial Wars, Transition, PREC, 1976 Constitution, Consolidation, Mário Soares, PIDE, Political Pluralism, Civilian Control.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this research paper?
The paper focuses on the Carnation Revolution of 1974 in Portugal, exploring why the long-standing Estado Novo dictatorship collapsed and how the country transitioned to a consolidated democracy.
What are the primary themes discussed?
The text covers the historical rise of Salazar's regime, the economic and colonial crises of the 1960s, the role of the military (MFA), and the complex political developments between 1974 and 1982.
What is the primary research question?
The aim is to analyze the causes that led to the revolution, identify how the transitional process occurred, and examine the political consequences of the events of April 25, 1974.
Which scientific methods are applied?
The paper employs a historical and political analysis, drawing upon existing academic literature (such as Huntington and Linz/Stepan) to evaluate the democratization process in a comparative perspective.
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main section investigates the pre-revolutionary conditions, the chaotic transition period (PREC), the shift from military to civilian rule, and the constitutional changes that finalized the democratic consolidation.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Carnation Revolution, Estado Novo, democratization, military coup, decolonization, and consolidated democracy.
Why did the Salazar regime eventually collapse?
The regime's collapse was primarily driven by the long-standing tensions between the government and the military, which reached a breaking point due to the exhausting and hopeless colonial wars.
How was the role of the military changed after 1975?
The military's political influence was significantly reduced through the disempowerment of radical factions, the suppression of attempted putsches, and the ultimate transition toward a depoliticized armed force under civilian government control.
- Quote paper
- Anonym (Author), 2013, The Carnation Revolution. Causes, Process and Consequences, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/301940
