Portugal · 50th anniversary of the Revolution of 25.04.1974

Issue date22 Apr 2024

Total mintage515,000

EU maximum515,000

Editions3

Edge lettering5 Wappenschilde + 7 castles, evenly distributed

InscriptionEsta é a madrugada que eu esperava / Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen / Portugal / 25. April 1974_2024 / Casa da Moeda

DesignerHenrique Cayatte

mintImprensa Nacional Casa da Moeda S.A., Lisboa

Issue occasion

The coin commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Revolution of 25 April 1974, which initiated Portugal’s transition to democracy and profound economic, social and cultural change. At the centre is a carnation as a symbol of the peaceful revolution, surrounded by eccentric circles. The design is complemented by the Portuguese coat of arms, the inscription “Portugal”, the date “25 April 1974_2024” and the line “Esta é a madrugada que eu esperava” and the name of the poet Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen.

The design

25 April 1974 is the date of the revolution that initiated the transition to democracy in Portugal. The day also marks the beginning of a profound economic, social and cultural transformation that Europeanized the country.

At the centre of the design is a carnation, regarded as the symbol of the peaceful revolution and surrounded by several eccentric circles; these represent the fact that people’s actions and convictions may change, but essentially remain true to the principles of the revolution. On the right-hand outer edge is the verse “Esta é a madrugada que eu esperava” [This is the dawn I was waiting for] and the name of the poet “Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen”; on the left is the national coat of arms, alongside the inscriptions “Portugal” and “25 April 1974_2024”, followed by the designer’s name and the mint mark “Casa da Moeda”, the name of the Portuguese mint.

The outer ring of the coin features the twelve stars of the European flag.

Background on the topic

Portugal was governed by the authoritarian “Estado Novo” from the early 1930s onward. The regime established under António de Oliveira Salazar restricted political parties, freedom of the press and trade unions; opponents were persecuted by the secret police. After Salazar was replaced in 1968, Marcelo Caetano continued the system with limited reforms. At the same time, the colonial wars fought in Angola, Mozambique and Portuguese Guinea since 1961 placed a burden on the state, society and armed forces.

The coup was organised by the “Armed Forces Movement” (Movimento das Forças Armadas, MFA), which was made up mainly of younger officers. Songs broadcast on the radio, including “Grândola, Vila Morena” by José Afonso, served as secret signals for the start of the operation. Military units occupied strategic points in Lisbon. Caetano barricaded himself in a barracks and eventually handed over governmental power. Although the population had been called upon to stay at home, many people took to the streets and supported the soldiers. Carnations were placed in rifle barrels, giving the coup its commonly used name. The largely bloodless course of events did not rule out individual fatalities: members of the political police opened fire on demonstrators.

The coup was followed by a politically turbulent transitional period, during which conservative, socialist and communist forces fought over the future order. Free elections for a constituent assembly were held in 1975; the new constitution came into force in 1976. At the same time, the Portuguese colonial empire in Africa ended within a short period. Hundreds of thousands of Portuguese returned from the former colonies.

Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen was a Portuguese poet and opponent of the dictatorship. The line quoted on the coin comes from her poem “25 de Abril”, which conveys the political new beginning through the image of an awaited morning.

The anniversary is commemorated in Portugal as “Dia da Liberdade”, Freedom Day. As a central reference point of the present state order and because of the round anniversary, it was suitable as the motif for a state commemorative coin.