Wars, politics & history

Portuguese Colonial War

from 4 February 1961 to 25 April 1974

The Portuguese Colonial War was a long conflict in which Portugal's armed forces fought nationalist movements in its African territories of Angola, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique. The Estado Novo regime, first under Salazar and then Caetano, refused to grant independence, unlike other European colonial powers, and sent hundreds of thousands of soldiers overseas. Movements such as the MPLA, FNLA and UNITA in Angola, PAIGC in Guinea-Bissau, led by Amilcar Cabral, and FRELIMO in Mozambique waged guerrilla war. The war drained Portugal's economy and caused widespread dissatisfaction in the army. The Carnation Revolution, a military coup in Lisbon, overthrew the regime and led to independence for the colonies.

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This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.