Portuguese Colonial Wars End

Setting the scene

Portugal's colonial wars ended in 1975 following the Carnation Revolution on April 25, 1974, when left-wing military officers overthrew the Estado Novo dictatorship that had ruled since 1933. The revolution was sparked by exhaustion from 13 years of wars in Angola, Mozambique, and Guinea-Bissau—wars that consumed 40% of Portugal's budget and killed 9,000 Portuguese and 100,000 Africans. Soldiers placed carnations in their rifle barrels, giving the revolution its name.

What happened

The new government immediately began decolonization. Guinea-Bissau became independent September 10, 1974. Mozambique gained independence June 25, 1975, and Angola on November 11, 1975, after a brief civil war between rival liberation movements. Portugal also decolonized Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, and East Timor (which Indonesia invaded). The empire that began in 1415 ended in 18 months.

Why it still matters

The end of Portuguese colonialism was the final collapse of European empires in Africa, completing decolonization. It triggered civil wars in Angola and Mozambique that lasted decades and were Cold War proxy conflicts. Over 1 million Portuguese settlers, retornados, fled to Portugal, transforming Portuguese society. The Carnation Revolution showed how colonial wars could destroy the metropole's regime and demonstrated the power of nonviolent military coups. It ended Europe's oldest colonial empire.

Background

Refugee crises and civil wars followed.