The Carnation Revolution , Revolução dos Cravos

The Carnation Revolution , Revolução dos Cravos) was an almost bloodless, left-leaning, military-led started on April 25 , 1974 , in Lisbon , Portugal , that effectively changed the Portuguese regime from an authoritarian dictatorship to a liberal democracy > after a two-year process of a Left-wing semi-military administration. Although government forces killed four people before surrendering, the revolution was unusual in that the revolutionaries did not use direct violence to achieve their goals. The population, holding red carnations , convinced the regime soldiers not to resist. The soldiers readily swapped their bullets for flowers. It was the end of the Estado Novo , the longest authoritarian regime in Western Europe (but not the last to fall; Francisco Franco ruled Spain until 1975).
Ricardo AGOSTINHO (Trainee)
Council of the European Union - General Secretariat