A people's history of the Portuguese revolution / Raquel Varela ; edited by Peter Robinson ; translated by Sean Purdy.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

López Varela, Raquel, author.

Contributor:

Robinson, Peter, editor.

Purdy, Sean, translator.

Series:

People's history.

People's History

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Portugal--History--Revolution, 1974.

Portugal.

Politics and government.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (353 pages)

Place of Publication:

London : Pluto Press, 2019.

Language Note:

Translated from the Portuguese.

Summary:

On the 25th April 1974, a coup destroyed the ranks of Portugal's fascist Estado Novo government as the Portuguese people flooded the streets of Lisbon, placing red carnations in the barrels of guns and demanding a 'land for those who work in it'. This became the Carnation Revolution - an international coalition of working class and social movements, which also incited struggles for independence in Portugal's African colonies, the rebellion of the young military captains in the national armed forces and the uprising of Portugal's long-oppressed working classes. It was through the organising power of these diverse movements that a popular-front government was instituted and Portugal withdrew from its overseas colonies. Cutting against the grain of mainstream accounts, Raquel Cardeira Varela explores the role of trade unions, artists and women in the revolution, providing a rich account of the challenges faced and the victories gained through revolutionary means.

Contents:

The seeds of change

25 April 1974 : "The people are no longer afraid"

Who governs?

The anti-colonial movements and the myth of a "bloodless revolution"

Strikes and their reverberations

Self-management and the struggle against redundancies

Women in a democracy are not mere decoration : social reproduction and private life in the revolution

Artists and the revolution

Workers' commissions and unions

"Here is the nursery" - urban struggles and residents' commissions

Workers' control, 11 March and nationalisations

The birth of the welfare state

Scheming for power

The land for its workers : agrarian reform

The 'hot summer' of 1975 and the fifth government's frail governance

Spain and other 'links in the chain'

The crisis

Democracy and revolution : the meaning of the Carnation Revolution

In celebration.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781786803580

1786803585

9781786803573

1786803577