April: 25 years that changed Portugal (1961–1986)

The watershed moment of 25 April 1974 was both the culmination and the starting point of Portugal’s recent history. The day had its architects, but cannot and must not have its owners. We cannot allow any one group to claim ownership of 25 April, given it was a moment as deeply rooted in the various signals, energies and voices that galvanised the revolutionary rupture during the final days of the Estado Novo, as it was in the forces that propelled the country beyond 1976 and paved the way for a consolidated and Europeanised democracy.

This book offers a concise historical overview of Portugal during the 25 years between the outbreak of the Colonial Wars in 1961 and its accession to the EEC in 1986, offering a multifaceted analysis of this period covering politics, society, economics, culture, media, mentalities and the country’s position in the world. Understanding the April Revolution in all its complexity demands this nuanced contextualisation, without which it is impossible to make sense of either the country’s 50 years of democracy or its current situation.