The Revolution of 25 April 1974 marked the beginning of democratic life in Portugal. The uprising carried out by the Movimento das Forças Armadas (MFA - Armed Forces Movement), a group composed mainly of military officers, ended the authoritarian regime that had ruled Portugal since 1926, showing that it was possible to end the colonial war and make way for democratisation and the development of the country. The event has been the subject of postage stamps issued in Portugal on several occasions: 1974; 1975; 1984; 1994; 1999; 2004 and 2014.
In the year that marks the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution, CTT Correios de Portugal has decided to continue evoking this fundamental moment in modern Portugal in the Republic’s stamps.
In 2024, the memory of this pivotal moment for Portuguese democracy will be revisited through a joint issue of stamps with the Angolan and Cape Verdean Post Offices, which have decided to join in commemorating what was also a remarkable event for their countries, since one of the priorities of the forces that took control of Portugal during the revolution was the independence of the Portuguese colonies in Africa.
While for Portugal, this day meant the full restoration of democracy, for the former colonies it brought freedom. Independence would come, sooner or later, to all these territories, propelled by the one-way flow of the current of modern history. But it arrived first in the Portuguese- -speaking countries thanks to the Revolution of 25 April 1974.
The theme for the design of this joint issue had to be the red carnation, a symbol of peace in the midst of the revolution, the flower that was stuck in the barrels of the G3 rifles by the women of Lisbon. And so, instead of firing shots, the guns became flowerpots.
We have two stamps in this issue. On one of them, the carnation is red, like the original. On the other stamp, the carnation’s petals are given the colours of the flags of the Portuguese-speaking countries of Africa.
Philately Office
