Clueless about the Carnations Revolution? Join us on a free tour of Quartel do Carmo

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Have you been spoting the red carnations everywhere in Lisbon these days? In magazines, newspapers, advertisements, posters, murals and more… That’s not spring. Well, not ony. That’s because of the Carnation Revolution, you know, the one that took place 50 years ago, on the 25th of April.

In 1974, Portugal was living under a dictatorship, a regime known as Estado Novo, ruled by Salazar, and then Marcelo Caetano. You know the drill: censorship, political prisoners and politica police, torture, no free elections, no freedom of speech, a war in Africa…. Guerra Colonial, or Guerra do Ultramar, where the Portuguese were fighting to keep the colonies they had in Africa – Angola, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique – was where everyting started.

Mostly fed up with the war, the Portuguese armed forces saw no other way for it to end than with the end of the Regime. So, they planned this revolution in a clandestine group called Movimento das Forças Armadas (Armed Forces Movement).

At the dawn of the 25th of April, forces led by Capitão Salgueiro Maia left Santarém in tanks towards Lisbon. They took over the Terreiro do Paço square, the Government Headquarters. But Marcelo Caetano had already escaped from his office and found refugee, alongside other ministers, in Quartel do Carmo, the headquarters of the GNR, the republican Police. The troops led by Salgueiro Maia cornered Quartel do Carmo and from there demanded Marcelo Caetano’s surrender.

In contrast to numerous military coups, there was minimal gunfire, as jubilant crowds handed red carnations which were to be sold in Rossio, to soldiers. The soldiers placed these flowers inside their gun barrels and adorned their uniforms with them. Carnations swiftly emerged as a powerful symbol of the revolution and its triumph in ushering democracy into Portugal.

Since then, every year, people have taken the streets and marched down Avenida da Liberdade in the afternoon of the 25th of April to celebrate the Revolution. This year, we celebrate the 50th anniversary.

“In 1974, by toppling a dictatorship that had been in place for nearly half a century in Portugal, the Captains presented a Program whose pillars were Decolonization, Democratization, and Development. This gesture had an impact that transcended national borders. After more than a decade fighting on the African fronts, the military initiated a process that would lead to the granting of independence to former colonial peoples and begin the democratization of Portugal. A Third Wave of transitions to democracy would also begin: Greece, Spain, and several countries in Latin America, such as Chile, Argentina, or Brazil, and, already in the 1980s, Eastern Europe. Also for this reason, April 25th is a date celebrated beyond Portugal and everyone is welcome to embrace the celebrations”, says Maria Inácia Rezola, Executive Commissioner of the Commemorative Commission for the 50th Anniversary of April 25th.

What you read here is only a brief summary, there’s a lot more to know about this Revolution.

Join us on a free guided tour in English of the Museum of Guarda Nacional Republicana and Quartel do Carmo. The visit is free, but you need to sign up here.

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