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The values of the revolution are still alive in our people
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

What was the role of national independence struggles in Portugal’s African colonies in bringing about the Carnation Revolution on April 25 1974?

The struggle of the African peoples was a very important part of the struggle against fascism and colonialism in Portugal. The struggle of the Portuguese people against the fascist regime and the anti-colonial struggles converged. 

During the 1950s and ’60s Portugal’s fascist Estado Novo (New State) selected students from African colonies for specialist education in Portugal. Their residency in Lisbon was called “The House of Students of the Empire.”

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