Afterword by Tariq Ali<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Edited by Daniela Melo and Timothy Walker<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first English edition of a legendary journalist\u2019s eyewitness account of the near-bloodless coup and the Carnation Revolution that ended fascism in Portugal<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Wilfred Burchett went to Lisbon in 1974 to cover the military overthrow of the fascist dictatorship that had ruled the country for nearly five decades. Burchett\u2019s on-the-ground reporting details the immediate aftermath of the coup and the civilian uprising that followed, which took its name, the Carnation Revolution, from the flowers demonstrators handed out to soldiers and placed in their rifle muzzles. The people\u2019s victory began a transition to democracy. It prompted the withdrawal of troops from Portugal\u2019s colonies, bringing independence to Guinea Bissau and soon to Angola, Mozambique and other colonial territories.
On the fiftieth anniversary of the revolution\u2019s end, The Captains\u2019 Coup<\/em> offers an insightful, poignant narrative never before available in English from a journalist of international repute. The text is based on the author\u2019s original typescripts, discovered recently in the National Library of Australia.
Included are a foreword and introductory essay that explore the political and journalistic significance of Burchett\u2019s work. Illustrated by contemporary photographs and political posters, the volume is complemented by the editors\u2019 annotations, providing essential historical context.
Also included is an afterword by historian and filmmaker Tariq Ali.<\/p>\n\n\n\n