On the evening of April 24, 1974, a Lisbon radio station aired Portugal’s Eurovision entry. By 6:20 pm the next day, Europe’s oldest fascist regime had collapsed without much violence. As people flooded the streets, they handed over carnations to the revolutionary soldiers. Portugal had regained its freedom for the first time in 48 years.
The Carnation Revolution took place in Lisbon’s streets, unveiling the numerous acts of both ordinary and extraordinary resistance that led to the events of April 25. It is a story of brave prison escapes from tall buildings, soldiers refusing to obey their superiors’ orders and simple acts of bravery from thousands of civilians. It is also a tale of how a group of young captains brought down a vast empire that spanned the globe.
The cover shows an MFA (Movimento das Forças Armadas) soldier taking a position in the streets of Lisbon, two days after the April 25 coup d’etat which overthrew the Salazar dictatorship, in Lisbon, Portugal. (Photo by Henri Bureau Getty Images)
We hand-tinted the carnation to stand out, which symbolised the revolution.
