Unlocking the Democratic Legacy of the April 25, 1974 Carnation Revolution

November 14, 2024, from 6:00 to 7:30 (NOTE: The first session will not be held at Georgetown)

The first discussion will be held at the Embassy of Portugal and will cover “The Democratic Legacy of the April 25th Revolution”

The panelists will discuss the political, economic, and social transformations in Portugal since April 25, 1974. The revolution liberated Portugal from dictatorship, opened the path to decolonization and independence of five Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa (Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, and São Tomé and Príncipe), marked the beginning of the third wave of global democratization, and facilitated the adhesion process for Portugal to become a member of the European Union. The panelists will assess the legacy of the April revolution, with attention to the so-called “Three D’s” of April 25, which promised democracy, decolonization and development. How well has Portugal realized those promises, and what remains to be done?

November 15, 2024 from 10:30 to 12:00 (At Georgetown)

The second-day discussion will be held at Georgetown and will cover “The Captains of April”

The “April Captains” — those junior military officers responsible for the April 25 revolution — are the subject of the second panel. The April Captains held the fate of Portugal in their collective hands for two years. What did they do? What mistakes did they make? What did they get right? How did they avoid a civil war? The panelists will consider how the critical choices made by the April captains during the heady days following April 25, 1974, when anything appeared possible, finally resulted in the establishment of a democratic regime. Fifty years later, how do we make sense of what happened?

Speakers:

• His Excellency Francisco Duarte Lopes
  Ambassador of Portugal to the United States of America
• Nuno Morais Sarmento
  President, Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD)
• Professor Anthony Clark Arend, Ph.D.
  Chair, Department of Government, Georgetown University
• M. Inácia Rezola, Ph.D.
  Executive Director of the Portuguese Commission
  for the Commemorations of the 50th Anniversary of the April 25 Revolution
• António Costa Pinto, Ph.D.
  Universidade Lusófona
• Daniela F. Melo, Ph.D.
  Boston University
• Paul Christopher Manuel, Ph.D.
  Georgetown University

Sponsors:

• Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD)
• The Portuguese Commission for the Commemorations of the 50th Anniversary of the April 25 Revolution

Announcement: https://50anos25abril.pt/agenda/unlocking-the-democratic-legacy-of-the-april-25-1974-carnation-revolution-in-portugal-50-years-on/

Host or Publisher Georgetown University, Department of Government