Today marks 50 years since 25 April, 1974, the date of Portugal’s “Carnation Revolution”, which led to the overthrow of the authoritarian Estado Novo regime, the introduction of democracy in the country, and the withdrawal of Portugal from its African colonies. For more detailed information about 25 April, you can read our earlier post commemorating its 40th anniversary here.

Unsurprisingly, given this momentous anniversary, much more material related to the Revolution has been published recently in Portugal and elsewhere, so we have acquired many new relevant titles. The significance of 25 April in international terms is shown by the fact that, as well as the expected titles in Portuguese, in recent years we have also bought books on the topic in French, Spanish and English:

• Revolução Portuguesa, 1974-1975 / coord. Fernando Rosas ; Maria Inácia Rezola [and seven others] (C207.d.2431)
• Antologia : o 25 de abril de 1974 : testemunhos da luta pela democracia e pela liberdade / Carlos de Almada Contreiras e Fernando Mão de Ferro, coordenação (C217.c.487)
• Ensaios de abril / Fernando Rosas (C207.d.5471)
• C’est le peuple qui commande : la révolution des Œillets, 1974-1976 / Victor Pereira (C220.c.3106)
• La Izquierda Revolucionaria en el Laberinto de la Revolución de Los Claveles / Ernesto M. Díaz Macías, Julio Pérez Serrano, Ana Sofía Ferreira (Ebook)
• The politics and rhetoric of commemoration : how the Portuguese parliament celebrates the 1974 revolution / Michael Billig and Cristina Marinho (Ebook)

The roots of 25 April can be found in the Portuguese Colonial War (1961-1974) and the fight for liberation in Portugal’s former African colonies, as well as student and underground political movements of the 1960s and 1970s. Material related to these areas forms a significant part of the Robert Howes donation, which includes pamphlets, flyers, posters and publications from the underground press. Some other recent acquisitions covering the background of the Revolution include:

• O 25 de abril começou em África / António Simões do Paço [and 4 others] (coord.) (C216.c.9274)
• Revoluções : Guiné-Bissau, Angola e Portugal (1969-1974) / fotografias de Uliano Lucas ; organização, Elisa Alberani, Miguel Cardina e Vincenzo Russo (2023.8.840)
• Primaveras estudantis : da crise de 1962 ao 25 de abril / comissária, Maria Inácia Rezola [and others] ; textos, Álvaro Garrido [and 7 others] (C202.b.8583)
• Salgueiro Maia : das guerras em África à revolução dos cravos / Moisés Cayetano Rosado ; prefácio de Sua Excelência o Presidente da República Portuguesa, Professor Doutor Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa ; pósfacios de Coronel Vasco Lourenço e do Coronel João Andrade da Silva ; tradução de Carlos de Almada Contreiras (C217.c.4571)
• The Revolution before the Revolution : Late Authoritarianism and Student Protest in Portugal / Guya Accornero (Ebook)
• Casa dos Estudantes do Império : dinâmicas coloniais, conexões transnacionais / Cláudia Castelo, Miguel Bandeira Jerónimo (Org.) (C214.c.9129)

Following Portugal’s recent election, which was extremely tight and divided, the significance and relevance of 25 April only becomes greater. We expect more material on the topic to be published and will continue to collect relevant titles.

Christopher Greenberg