The “flower revolutions" are basically based on a non-violent, peaceful alienation of the country's leadership from power. They are held through public mass protests of the society. These revolutions are a phenomenon of post-Soviet reality.
general information
History knows several such alienations of rulers from power. In 2003, as a result of street protests, E. Shevardnadze was ousted, now replaced by the now infamous M. Saakashvili. This peaceful coup was called the "Rose Revolution."
In February and March 2005, after the regular parliamentary elections, an explosion of popular discontent occurred in the former Soviet Kyrgyzstan. The situation in the country sharply worsened, which led to a shift in the ruling regime. This revolution was called "tulip." In the same 2005, mass actions took place in Lebanon. The public demanded the withdrawal of Syrian troops from the territory of their country. By analogy with the flower revolutions that took place in the post-Soviet countries , these actions went down in history as the “Cedar Revolution”.
However, the very first country in which there was a bloodless coup, named after a flower, was Portugal. In April 1974, a change of regime took place in Lisbon from the fascist dictatorship to a liberal-democratic rule. This two-day political upheaval was named after the carnation. The symbol of the revolution - there is a flower in Egypt (lotus), and in Tunisia (jasmine), and in Mexico (cactus), and in Belarus (cornflower). The appearance of such floristic images is due to several reasons. Firstly, any country has its own symbolism - a flower or a plant characteristic of it, and secondly, thanks to this, the revolution receives a certain ideology. In this article, we will focus on cloves, because it was precisely on it that the choice of the oppositionists who undertook a bloodless coup fell.
Name explanation
According to legend, when soldiers were walking along the streets of Lisbon on April 25, 1974, an ordinary saleswoman of a nearby department store named Celeste Seirush ran up to one of them and dropped a red carnation into the barrel of his rifle. This unexpected gesture was noticed by the townspeople. They also began to present flowers to the soldiers of the officer corps “Captains Movement”. That is how the process of overthrowing the regime of the new state was called the "Carnation Revolution."
Reasons for the coup
The "carnations revolution" in Portugal (1974) was not carried out from scratch. At the beginning of the seventies of the last century, this country was perhaps the poorest in all of Europe. It was almost the worst standard of living of the population throughout the Old World. The regime in power of the new state turned Portugal into a completely agricultural country, which, despite its vast natural resources, nevertheless continued to be poor. Politics Marcel Caetan and Antonio Salazar for five decades has completely turned it into one of the most backward states. In agriculture, the level of mechanization was minimized; in fact, the production of products did not increase. The village population itself was not only terribly poor, but also illiterate.
Background
The Carnations Revolution was the last coup in Western Europe. As a colonial power, Portugal, literally "sitting" on Angolan oil, did not process it. Therefore, when the Arab countries in Europe declared an oil embargo, it, like all the states of the Old World, was also left without gasoline. But even the export of raw materials, which helped the country to barely make ends meet, was soon threatened: most African colonies began to fight for their independence. At that time, enormous funds were being spent on the war. In addition, from Portugal began a real "flight" of capital. To prevent the residents of the country from worrying, Prime Minister Marcelu Caetanu decided to simply ban the publication of disappointing data. Desertion began to flourish in the country, protests and strikes were everywhere organized. To top it all, emigration from Portugal has grown to enormous proportions.
However, the invariable political system of this country did not at all reflect the moods and views of society. Moreover, she carefully isolated the population from any control levers. Under such conditions, radical ideas of Hitler Nazism and theories of Mao Dzedong began to spread secretly or semi-legally in Portugal. At the same time, Marxism began to penetrate into the traditional support of the ruling regime - the state officer corps. Most of these military men were humiliated by the personnel and social policies of the government.
The Captains Movement
The "Red Carnations Revolution" was carried out under the leadership of this organization. The Captains Movement included the middle link of the officer corps, dissatisfied with the current regime in the country. As early as March 15, 1974, riots began to take place in Lisbon, which almost turned into repressions. However, the Captains Movement managed to pacify the flaming junior officers in order to more carefully prepare the uprising, which later went down in history as the "Carnation Revolution."
Start of operation
The organizers of the coup d'etat were at the disposal of the school of military administrators, the engineer, infantry and light artillery regiment, the Kazadorish battalion, the personnel of the shooting range, the artillery training center, the 10th commando group, three militarized schools of various profiles located in the vicinity of Lisbon, as well as cavalry unit (armored vehicles) in Santarem and the center of "special operations". By April twenty-second, all units loyal to the revolution were fully prepared for action. At the head of the opposition was the “Captains Movement”. The start of the operation had to be confirmed by two signals.
When the central radio station broadcast on April 24 at 22:50 that the Lisbon time was 22 hours 55 minutes, and then Paulo di Carvalho followed the song “After Farewell,” the opposition received “number one preparedness.” And between midnight and one in the morning of April twenty-fifth, the announcer of the Renascence radio station, who read the first stanza from the single “Grandula, Vila Morena,” and then the piece itself, performed by Jose Afonso, its author, marked the beginning of the military operation. From that moment on, the revolution became irreversible.
Two Day Carnations Revolution
From Tomar, Santarem, Vendas Novas, Figueira da Foch, Mafra, Viseu, as well as from the naval base to Lisbon, columns of armored vehicles entered the capital around four in the morning. The country’s largest radio station, the Portuguese Radio Club, which had the most powerful transmitter, was immediately captured. From early morning on the air began to be transmitted messages from the revolutionaries and songs that the government forbade Caetan. The enthusiastic inhabitants of Lisbon, who poured out onto the streets, treated the soldiers, sang, shouted slogans. It was then, according to legend, that the first red carnations appeared, which the townspeople handed out to revolutionary soldiers. At four in the afternoon, Captain Maya went to the barracks to negotiate with the ousted regime. During the meeting, the Prime Minister asked for decent treatment. He expressed a desire to transfer power to di Spinole. After some time, the barracks capitulated. However, supporters of Marcel Caetan, including two ministers - the Interior and Foreign Affairs - remained with him until the final transfer of power to di Spinole and the issuance of a decree. The disgraced prime minister, who fled to Madeira, received political asylum in Brazil a month later.
The last revolution in Western Europe
The coup in Portugal in 1974 claimed the lives of four people. Several dozen people were injured. However, in the annals of history, "The Carnation Revolution" entered as bloodless. As a result, freedom of speech was proclaimed in the country, an amnesty was issued to all political prisoners, and the independence of the judiciary was declared. Society has completely embraced revolutionary enthusiasm. University students refused to pass exams, workers made attempts to seize enterprises, they began strikes, demanding an increase in wages. On May 15, 1974, an interim government was formed. And as a result of the elections held soon, the majority-voted socialists granted independence to all the African colonies of Portugal.
Interesting Facts
The announcer of the radio station "Renascence" read out with a little delay the first stanza from the single "Grandula, Vila Morena". This song became the anthem of the "Carnation Revolution." In honor of this event, the largest bridge in Lisbon, bearing the name of Salazar, was renamed in honor of April 25. The day on which the 1974 Carnations Revolution took place in Portugal was the main holiday, accompanied by celebrations and fun.