On the 50 th anniversary of the Portuguese Revolution of April 25 1974

Abstract

In 2024, the Portuguese people, and with them the entire democratic and progressive world, celebrate the 50th anniversary of the ‘Carnation Revolution’, the first and to date only social revolution in western Europe after the second world war. In its rising phase between 1974 and 1976, the Portuguese revolution implemented profound antimonopoly, anti-imperialist and even anti-capitalist transformations that radically changed the country’s economic structures and the living conditions of the Portuguese people. Its central goal was to achieve liberation from fascist rule and an end to colonial wars. This it achieved. But it was also an ‘unfinished revolution’ in terms of its wider goals of social transformation. The Portuguese revolution left deep imprints of achievements, experiences and values. These remain the basis of the Portuguese Communist Party’s current programme for an advanced democracy, a programme that the party proposes to the Portuguese people and that is an integral part of the socialist Portugal of the future.