Lisbon, 25 April 1974. Over the course of a single day, Europe’s oldest fascist regime falls. On its fiftieth anniversary, this is the story of the revolution that changed Portugal’s fate.
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
'The Carnation Revolution reads like a political thriller. Fernandes, a Portuguese writer living in London, deftly conveys what a madcap enterprise it was. ... Fernandes has full command of the literature and historical archives on the revolution and his narrative deploys a level of detail few will find fault with.' The Times
'The book offers a lively account of a phenomenon rare by the standards of southern Europe at the time — a military coup that ended authoritarianism, and restored democracy and civil rights to the people… It is a gripping tale.' Financial Times
'I feel like I’ve been waiting three decades for precisely this book... In clear language, with a brilliantly detailed narrative, Alex Fernandes leaves us in no doubt why we should celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Carnation Revolution and never forget why it came about.'
Lara Pawson, author of This Is the Place to Be
'The Carnation Revolution is a detailed, highly readable synthesis of Portuguese-language histories, told in the narrative present, with an emphasis on "history from below".' TLS
