April in Portugal Trivia Quiz

Answer: Estado Novo

On May 28th, 1926, a military coup of nationalist origin overthrew Portugal's First Republic, which initially meant a transition from a monarchy to a republican form of government, but was marked by instability and lack of a coherent governance.

The new government was dubbed "Ditadura Nacional" ("National Dictatorship"), but it was renamed to "Estado Novo" ("New State") around 1933.

Answer: Antonio de Oliveira Salazar

Salazar was an economist and academic that rose to power after the 1926 coup that established the dictatorial Estado Novo. At first, he was appointed minister of finance, but in 1932 he took office as prime minister, a post he would hold until 1968, when he suffered a stroke that left him in a coma, dying two years later.

Answer: All of these reasons

While the Estado Novo enjoyed periods of economic expansion and political stability (particularly during WWII, when Portugal remained neutral), the regime was also known for using censorship and repressive methods against the opposition, notably through the PIDE (a secret internal police force), which persecuted those who opposed to the regime, often imprisoning, torturing or killing them.

The PIDE also restricted the right to strike and to join a trade union, among other civil rights.

The harsh measures taking by the dictatorship, eventually, were also met with concern and condemned by the international community.

Answer: 13 years

After the end of World War II, European powers started facing nationalist movements in their colonies in Africa and Asia, and most of them chose to withdraw from their former possessions and grant them their independence. Portugal, however, chose to hold on to the idea of a Portuguese Empire.

So, when guerrilla movements in Angola, Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau (known as Portuguese Guinea at the time) started mobilizing for their independence, Portugal responded by diverting a larger portion of their budget to military expenditure to fight off these movements. This decision led to Portugal becoming increasingly isolated by the international community, with several sanctions being imposed to the country.

The start of the war is said to be on February 4th, 1961, when a group of insurgents in Angola attacked the police headquarters in Luanda, as well as the Sao Paulo fortress prison. The war continued up to 1974, when the Estado Novo regime was finally deposed.

Answer: Dadra

After India's independence in 1947, pressure was put on Portugal to allow its enclaves to merge into the new nation, as France had already granted permission for their own to do so. However, Salazar, determined to not let go of what he considered integral parts of the Portuguese Empire, refused many requests by Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

However, Nehru had ample popular support regarding that matter, even from people who inhabited those territories. A local uprising in 1954 led to the overthrowing of Portuguese authorities from Dadra and Nagar Haveli, further exacerbating the situation.

When the Colonial Wars started in 1961, Nehru took advantage of the Portuguese policy of increasing its military presence in Africa resisting the revolts, and so ordered the Indian army to move into Goa, Diu and Daman, quickly seizing control of them and formally annexing them the following year. Some scholars also consider this invasion as part of the Colonial Wars.

Answer: Guinea-Bissau

The current territory of Guinea-Bissau was known as Portuguese Guinea prior to the decolonisation of Africa. The country declared its independence from Portugal on 24th September 1973. However, it was not recognized by Portugal until almost a year later, on 10th September 1974, after the fall of the Estado Novo.

Both Mozambique and Angola became independent during 1975, along with the other two remaining Portuguese possessions in Africa - Cape Verde and Sao Tome and Principe.

Answer: Marcelo Caetano

In the early years of the 1970s, a group of captains who were part of the Colonial War campaign, who had grown tired of the seemingly pointless conflict, decide to group together and plan a coup against the Estado Novo and to end the armed movement in the African colonies. The coalition was called the MFA - Movimento das Forcas Armadas (Armed Forces Movement).

The chief of operations, and main figure of the MFA, was Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho. General Vasco Goncalves was another key figure in the revolution, who would later become prime minister. Other notables include Vitor Alves and Salguero Maia. Marcelo Caetano, on the other hand, was the incumbent prime minister at the time of the revolution, having replaced Salazar after his retirement in 1968.

Answer: Carnation Revolution

The name "Carnation Revolution" ("Revolucao dos Cravos", in Portuguese) was chosen to represent the relatively peaceful of the campaign, with almost no armed conflicts. Plus, a restaurant worker, Celeste Caeiro, offered carnations to the soldiers on the streets as the population were celebrating the end of the dictatorship. The flower remains as a symbol of revolution in Portugal.

Answer: Dia da Liberdade

The Estado Novo regime took power through a military coup, and was overthrown by another, very peaceful one, led by the MFA.

During the early hours of April 25th, there were some secret signs for the revolutionaries to begin their plan: after two songs were played by the radio (one being "E Depois Do Adeus", Portugal's entry for that year's Eurovision contest, the other being "Grandola, Vila Morena" by Zeca Alfonso, a folk singer whose songs had been banned by the regime), the generals started mobilizing towards strategic points of Lisbon. They soon cornered Caetano, who surrendered peacefully.

While the whole process is known as the Carnation Revolution, the date on which the coup took place is now commemorated as Dia da Liberdade, meaning "Freedom Day" in Portuguese. Plus, a suspension bridge connecting Lisbon with the municipality of Almada, bears the name "Ponte 25 de Abril" ("April 25 bridge").

Answer: Retornados

The exact figures are uncertain, but it is estimated that over 500,000 people left the colonies and returned to Portugal (hence the name "retornados", from Portuguese "retornar", "to return"). The mass of people included military troops that were enlisted for the Colonial Wars, but also, and mainly, the former settlers of the African colonies (and even some people born there), as they were against the newly founded local governments, as well as feared the violent turmoil that was taking over the new states.

Portuguese authorities created the legal category of "retornados" to help these migrants re-integrate into Portuguese society. However, many migrants considered the label offensive, preferring to be considered refugees instead. They considered their departure from the colonies to be forced, did not feel well received in Portugal, and hoped to go back to their former lands in the future.