The Carnation Revolution: The Day Portugal’s Dictatorship Fell

A new history of the Portugal’s Carnation Revolution on its fiftieth anniversary

25 April 1974, Lisbon. Over the course of a single day, Europe’s oldest fascist regime falls. On its 50th anniversary, this is the story of the revolution that changed Portugal forever.

’The Carnation Revolution reads like a political thriller.’ The Times

On the night of 24 April 1974, at five minutes to eleven, a Lisbon radio station broadcasts Portugal’s Eurovision entry. By 6.20 p.m. the next day, Europe’s oldest fascist regime has fallen. Hardly a shot has been fired. As citizens pour into the streets, they offer carnations to the revolutionary soldiers. For the first time in forty-eight years, Portugal is free.

The Carnation Revolution winds through the streets of Lisbon as the revolution unfolds, revealing the myriad acts of ordinary and extraordinary resistance that made 25 April possible. It’s the story of daring escapes from five-storey prisons, soldiers disobeying their officers’ orders and simple acts of courage by thousands of citizens. It’s the story of how a group of young captains felled a globe-spanning empire.

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’I feel like I’ve been waiting three decades for precisely this book.’ Lara Pawson, author of This Is the Place to Be

’A brilliantly detailed and evocative account of a revolution unlike any other.’ Helder Macedo, Emeritus Professor of Portuguese, King’s College London

’A gripping account of an episode in European history that should be better known.’ Catherine Fletcher, author of The Beauty and the Terror

’A thrilling and inspiring page-turner.’ Richard Zimler, author of The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon

Alex Fernandes has been researching the Portuguese Revolution for five years. In 2021, he led a walking tour through Lisbon across the key sites of the revolution, giving him the inspiration for this book. He lives in London and works as a lighting designer and production manager in contemporary performance.