Entre el 8 y el 9 de octubre se celebrará en Lisboa el Congreso Internacional Spain-Portugal. 50th Anniversary of the Carnation Revolution. The transition processes in 20th century Europe. Achieving and sustaining democracy.
In the moments just after midnight on April 25, 1974, Rádio Renascença played “Grândola, Vila Morena”, a song banned by Salazar’s regime. This was the signal for the Armed Forces Movement to end Portugal’s long dictatorship. What was initially planned as a coup d’état turned into a military uprising due to the minimal resistance from the regime’s supporters. A few months later, in July 1974, the Greek military Junta relinquished power, and following General Francisco Franco’s death in November 1975, Spain began its transition to democracy. Thus marked the decline of three southern European dictatorships, closing a lengthy chapter of fascist remnants and leading to a substantial increase in democracies worldwide.
Meanwhile, the revolutions that swept across Central and Eastern Europe culminated in the fall of 1989, rapidly toppling the Soviet-aligned totalitarian states within months. The upheaval began in Poland and was followed by peaceful uprisings in Czechoslovakia, Hungary, East Germany, and Bulgaria, while Romania violently overthrew its dictator. In the years that followed, these revolutions led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia.
The International Conference will examine, among other aspects, the mechanisms by which these regimes were dismantled and transitioned to democracy, the crucial role of civil society in these achievements, the creation of new identities and political landscapes, the accountability for human rights violations, and the strategies learned and applicable in combating current totalitarian
trends in Europe.