Böcker av Jose Augusto Matos

A detailed account of the intertwining political and military events of March and April 1974 in and around Lisbon.In March 1974, a climate of conspiracy reigned in Portugal. Premier Marcello Caetano, insisted on the continuation of the Portuguese presence in Africa and the wars being waged against the liberation movements in Angola, Mozambique and Guinea. Costa Gomes and Spínola, Portugal's two most senior generals, did not share this view. Spínola, with Costa Gomes's permission, had published Portugal e o Futuro (Portugal and the Future), a book that questioned the policy that had been followed until then, and caused a major political earthquake throughout Portugal and its colonies.At the same time, a movement of young captains prepared the overthrow of the regime. Tired of the war in Africa and the government's inability to solve the overseas problem, the conspirators drew up plans to end the dictatorship and establish a democratic regime in Portugal. A first coup attempt on 16 March 1974 was neutralized by government forces, but the second attempt on 25 April was an overwhelming success. In under 24 hours, the insurgents controlled the streets of the capital and Marcello Caetano was surrounded by rebel forces. With no options remaining, Caetano would hand power to General Spínola, who would become the new leader of the emerging regime. The people took to the streets of Lisbon to give red flowers to the soldiers, earning these events the name of 'The Carnation Revolution.'Carnation Revolution Volume 2: Coup in Portugal, April 1974 offers a detailed account of the intertwining political and military events of March and April 1974 in and around Lisbon as power swung irretrievably from a dictatorial government to a military intent on ending the colonial wars in Africa and restoring democracy to Portugal. This volume is illustrated throughout with original photographs and includes specially commissioned color artworks.

The first in a two-volume illustrated history of the coup that brought down the dictatorial regime that had been in power for over 40 years in Portugal.On 25 April 1974, a movement of young captains brought down, with practically no resistance, the dictatorial regime that had been in power for over 40 years in Portugal. In the early hours of that day, a military movement unleashed a series of operations that, in less than 24 hours, defeated the forces loyal to the regime, neutralizing any possibility of reaction. Few forces resisted the insurgents, and the only resistance worthy of note came from the political police, who in the heat of the revolution opened fire on the surrounding crowd causing four deaths.In the streets of Lisbon, the people enthusiastically joined the military revolt and started offering food, drinks, and red carnations to the soldiers, who decided to stick them in the barrels of their rifles, leading to the revolt being known as the Carnation Revolution. Although it began with a military coup d'état, 25 April paved the way for democracy, and there is no comparison to other similar revolutions. It was also a unique event in the European context of the time that broke Portugal's isolation and brought it closer to other Western democracies.This book is the first in a two-volume history. It describes the background to the revolution, the causes that led to the revolt of the captains and the situation in the Portuguese colonies in Africa, where guerrilla wars for their independence had been going on for more than a decade. Carnation Revolution Volume 1: The Road to the Coup that Changed Portugal is richly illustrated with photographs and specially commissioned artworks.