Latest news and stories about portuguese history in Portugal for expats and residents.
He designed the covers for the two songs used as signals for the 25th of April revolution: 'E Depois do Adeus' and 'Grândola, Vila Morena'. A communist militant and anti-fascist, his paintings and public art can be found on the streets and in the underground.
The 25th of April 1974 paved the way for profound social changes that shaped the country – including in science and technology.
The fundamental law that remained in force the longest in Portugal owes its success to the flexibility of a text that proved capable of adapting to the changing political will of the country over 72 years.
Mafalda Anjos, a commentator for CNN Portugal, analyses the importance of António José Seguro's speech at the solemn session commemorating the 25th of April.
At the solemn session in Parliament to mark the 52nd anniversary of April 25th, the President of the Republic warned that “freedom does not disappear all at once, it disappears little by little.” We are following the main moments of the day here.
An analysis of how the 1974 Carnation Revolution is portrayed and covered by media outlets in Portugal.
In the second part of the conversation, lawyer António Garcia Pereira recalls the cases he is most proud of having won in court and then takes a journey back in time to some of the moments that marked him, such as when he saw a colleague murdered in front of him by a Pide agent at the university, or how he experienced the 25th of April and escaped a burst of machine-gun fire from a window, which hit a young girl he tried to save by dragging her under a vehicle.
The Portuguese dictatorship, initially military between 1926 and 1932, and later civilian under the name Estado Novo, focused on repression and a process of political justice against its opponents. Opinion by Irene Flunser Pimentel.
The song “Grândola, vila morena” played a pivotal role in the Carnation Revolution that transformed Portugal 52 years ago.
I did not live through the 25th of April 1974. But I live what it accomplished. Perhaps that is always another form of memory.
An exploration of the societal and political shifts in Portugal following the 1974 Carnation Revolution, told through the perspectives of individuals who experienced life under the Estado Novo regime.
A reflection on the historical significance of the 1974 Carnation Revolution in Portugal.
The film “Projeto Global” is now on the big screen. A work of fiction inspired by real facts about the armed movement FP 25 Abril.
The Constitution of the Portuguese Republic turns 50! But what exactly is this supreme law of our country and what is it for? Discover everything and celebrate freedom with the best plans for this weekend and always. Read on!
In the new film by Ivo Ferreira, Jani Zhao joins the revolutionary group that would form the FP 25, responsible for bank robberies and bombings in Portugal during the 1980s.
“Projecto Global”, by Ivo M. Ferreira, does not attempt to show the chronology of a hope turning into bewilderment and evolving into an abscess, excised with pain and violence from the Portuguese social body. What it reveals is the perplexity of the Portuguese left in the 70s and 80s, people in a process of violent and ungoverned radicalisation, seen here without illusions.
Director Ivo M. Ferreira discusses his film 'Projecto Global', which explores the history of the FP25 militant group in post-1974 Portugal. Moving beyond simple heroics or political binaries, the film serves as a dramatic investigation into collective memory, trauma, and the complexities of a generation, while reflecting on the filmmaker's broader commitment to cinema as a space for critical thought rather than simplistic media narratives.
From Saramago to the museums of the 25th of April and the Discoveries, the Portuguese, or rather, the authorities do not come out of this story well. Opinion by António Barreto
The city evidently has a historical relationship with the Atlantic slave trade and the Portuguese Empire. However, it cannot be reduced to that, nor treated as the sanctuary of a cult of shame.
After reading over 400 chronicles written by Mário Soares for the Diário de Notícias between 2008 and 2015, former archive director Jorge Morais has compiled 100 of these texts into a new book titled 'O Tempo e a Memória'. The collection highlights a mature Soares at 90, reflecting his wisdom and serene observation. The book, which avoids chronological order in favour of thematic grouping, serves as a testament to his experience and intellectual depth. During the launch, Isabel Soares emphasised the importance of preserving these memories against modern attempts to rewrite history.
An opinion piece reflecting on the historical context of the Portuguese dictatorship versus the democratic era, refuting claims that there were more political prisoners after the 1974 revolution than before. The author shares personal family experiences of political persecution under both the Estado Novo regime and the post-revolutionary period, while highlighting the significant improvements in literacy, healthcare, freedom of speech, and civil rights achieved under democracy.
The death of Maria Emília Brederode dos Santos represents more than the passing of an extraordinary woman; it marks the end of an era. A key figure in the Portuguese democratic revolution, she was a dedicated pedagogue who believed that social and economic progress depended on universal access to knowledge. Her influence helped democratise education, providing millions with opportunities their ancestors never had. Her passing signifies the loss of a generation of elite thinkers who believed that power should be exercised by those with culture, empathy, and a commitment to human progress.
More than just narrating the past, he questioned the conditions of its writing and its uses in the present. He leaves behind a demanding body of work, built against simplifications and easy consensus.
António Ferro, a figure inextricably linked to Salazar as the chief propagandist of the Estado Novo for nearly two decades, is the subject of a new six-part narrative podcast from Diário de Notícias. Through the perspectives of historians, political scientists, and his granddaughter, novelist Rita Ferro, the series explores his complex legacy—from his modernist roots and involvement with the Orpheu magazine to his role in shaping Portuguese cultural identity, including the popularization of the Barcelos rooster. The podcast, narrated by Nuno Braga, examines the life of a man who was a journalist, diplomat, and cultural architect, leaving an indelible mark on 20th-century Portugal.
The film “Pai Nosso - Os Últimos Dias de Salazar” premieres on May 28th. The date was chosen as it marks the centenary of the 1926 Revolution, which, through the military dictatorship, led Salazar to power.
As far as is known, the author of 'Amor de Perdição' did not drink like Fernando Pessoa, except in his youth, nor did he have the same knowledge, or the same refined and cosmopolitan taste as Eça de Queirós. A chronicle by Pedro Garcias.
A memory of people who witnessed the Second World War, Humberto Delgado, friends dying in the overseas territories, the man on the Moon, the 25th of April and the 25th of November, the EEC and the mobile phone, the bankruptcy and the pandemic, and who did everything for the Fatherland.
Camões (1524-1580) was a poet who could not have been anything else. He lacks being truly read by the Portuguese people.
1926: the year that buried the First Portuguese Republic and inaugurated 48 years of dictatorship. Four presidents in rapid rotation, political chaos, and coup after coup. Rui Tavares presents José Mendes Cabeçadas Júnior (1883–1965), the paradoxical Algarvian who was an agent in the implementation of two regimes: a republican hero of the 5th of October 1910, a plotter of the 28th of May 1926, president for 17 days, and, later, a regretful remnant.
Political power is not interested in the proper functioning of the courts, in an attitude that is not only negligent, but one of connivance with impunity.
