After the Carnations: Social Movements in Portugal Since the 25 April Revolution

The Portuguese revolution of April 25, 1974, has drawn much well-deserved scholarly attention: it offers an innovative example of a leftist military-led revolutionary process that unexpectedly resulted in the transition to a West European-style social democracy. Although much of the existing scholarship has logically focused on the emerging political elites and institutions of the period, there is much more to consider about the revolution’s ramifications to the Portuguese social-movement sector. This volume asks two main questions. First, what are the key characteristics of the differing social movements in Portugal since April 25. Second, how have these various social movements been able to contribute to the articulation of a robust civil society in Portugal post April 25. The chapters in this volume seek to explore the practical consequences of these social movements to Portuguese civil society. Which post April 25 social movements have survived? How did those movements adapt to the new institutional context? How have they remained relevant? Which issues/impacts did these organizations have that are still resonant today? Which repertoires of contention remain in the toolkit of tactics that current social movements use? What has been their impact on the quality of Portuguese democracy?