25th April

50 years after the 25th of April 1974 - A proletarian perspective on the Carnation Revolution

The video by the Portuguese ‘Coletivo Ruptura’ analyses the 50th anniversary of the military coup of the 25th of April 1974 in Portugal from a class perspective. It sheds light on the 18 months of the revolutionary process ‘Processo Revolucionário Em Curso’ (PREC) that followed the 25th of April, a period of intense class struggle in which the proletariat in Portugal fought for its emancipation through strikes, factory, land and house occupations and the formation of workers', residents', soldiers' and sailors' committees.

The ‘Coletivo Ruptura’ draws parallels with the situation in Portugal today - stagnating wages, rising living costs, poverty, the exploitation of migrants and the rise of the extreme right. In view of this situation, the comrades insist that it is necessary to learn from the defeats of the past. The video calls for combating the ‘myth of April’, which emphasises a conciliatory message over the necessity of class struggle and the fight for power.

The central message is the need to draw clear dividing lines with class enemies and wavering middle layers and to continue the struggle for a proletarian revolution. This is the most fitting tribute to those who fought during the ‘18 red months’.