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Fifty years since the Carnation Revolution
In part one of two articles, JOHN GREEN recounts his experience covering the fall of Portugal’s 41-year-old dictatorship in 24 hours, a remarkable moment of unity and hope, as the masses embraced freedom
11 - May Day 1974 Lisbon
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ON APRIL 25, 50 years ago, Portugal was hit by an earthquake. It wasn’t like the geological one of 1755 which razed the capital Lisbon to the ground and killed around 50,000 people; this one was a political earthquake and there were only four victims, shot by the fascist secret police.
It sent shock waves around the world: Portugal’s 41-year-old dictatorship, the oldest in Europe, had been overthrown in just 24 hours. Working for GDR television at the time, I was sent to cover events as they unfolded.
We touched down at Lisbon airport on the morning of the 27th, immediately unpacked our camera and started filming. We hardly put the camera down from then on. Already at the airport, the atmosphere was charged: large groups of people waited for their loved ones to arrive, exiled for years by the dictatorship. There were ecstatic embraces, laughter and tears of joy.
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ANGELO ALVES is a member of the political committee of the Portuguese Communist Party. He spoke to Alex Gordon on the 50th anniversary of Portugal’s Carnation Revolution of April 25 1974 about the legacy and the struggle of young workers and trade unionists today against Portugal’s latest right-wing government
Covering the revolt for East German television 50 years ago, JOHN GREEN witnessed first-hand how the revolution blossomed and withered, as anti-worker and reformist forces aligned to keep the Communist Party from power