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P Carnation Revolution

History

Dated history of Carnation Revolution (25 April 1974 (coup day; PREC to 1976 constitution)) in Lisbon and Portuguese armed forces; aftershocks in Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau.

Educational history. Casualty figures are documented ranges. This is not operational advice, a ranking of nations, or a how-to for weapons or coups.

At a glance
Timeline

Milestones in order. This is history, not a weekly activity grid.

1961-74 African wars1974-02 Spinola's book1974-04-25-am Radio signal / units move1974-04-25 Carmo surrender1974-04-25 Four dead1974-05+ Spinola vs MFA left1974-09 / 1975-03 Spinola crises1975 Independences1975-11-25 25 November1976 Constitution
  1. African wars
  2. Spinola's book
  3. Radio signal / units move
  4. Carmo surrender
  5. Four dead
  6. Spinola vs MFA left
  7. Spinola crises
  8. Independences
  9. 25 November
  10. Constitution
Score intensity

Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.

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Quick answers

Are the scores a ranking of nations or armies?

No. Scores are browsing aids inside an era-bounded atlas — not live league tables of countries.

How many died on the day?

Four people, killed by regime police fire. The colonial wars before and the Angolan war after have much larger ledgers.

Why did officers move?

They could not win or end the African wars inside the Estado Novo's politics. The MFA was a captains' revolt against a war and a closed regime.

Who led it?

The MFA was collective; Otelo planned operations; Spinola received the surrender and briefly headed the junta -- then fell out with the leftward process.

What happened to the colonies?

Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and Angola became independent in 1974-75. Angola collapsed into a long internationalised war. Hundreds of thousands of retornados came to Portugal.

Was it a left-wing coup?

It opened a left-revolutionary period (PREC) and then a pluralist constitution. Reducing 25 April to one ideology misses the captains' war-weariness.

Start with this section - History

Start with Guinea and Angola, not with a flower stall. The war is the preface.

Salazar's death (1970) did not open the regime; the captains did.

Timeline

  1. African wars

    The officers' wound.

  2. Spinola's book

    Portugal and the Future -- public crack.

  3. Radio signal / units move

    Grandola; Lisbon secured.

  4. Carmo surrender

    Caetano yields to Spinola.

  5. Four dead

    PIDE/DGS fire on a crowd.

  6. Spinola vs MFA left

    The junta argues.

  7. Spinola crises

    He exits; PREC deepens.

  8. Independences

    Angola, Mozambique -- and Angola's war.

  9. 25 November

    A later military day that halted a slide toward civil conflict.

  10. Constitution

    A democratic lock-in.

Eras

Late empire war

Three African fronts.

The day

MFA, carnations, Carmo.

PREC / decolonisation

Revolution at home; independences abroad.

Stabilising day

A second military intervention that Portuguese memory still argues.

Democracy

Constitution; later EU Portugal.

Milestones

Dictatorship ended with four dead in Lisbon

The intensity fact.

Colonial wars closed

Europe's last large ones.

1976 constitution

Democracy locked after a noisy year.

25 November 1975 is part of the story English flower-copy omits.

EU Portugal is a sequel, not a denial of PREC's chaos.

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