Alex Fernandes

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...

On the night of 24 April 1974, at five minutes to eleven, a Lisbon radio station broadcasts Portugal’s Eurovision entry. By 3 p.m. the next day, the government surrenders and a fifty-year fascist regime is overthrown. Hardly a shot has been fired. Carnations decorate the barrels of the revolutionary soldiers’ guns. Portugal is free. The Carnation Revolution winds through the...