Coup of 25 November 1975

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The Coup of 25 November 1975 (usually referred to as the 25 de Novembro in Portugal) was a military movement led by parts of the Portuguese Armed Forces, whose outcome would later lead to the end of the Ongoing Revolutionary Process (PREC) and to a stabilization process of the representative democracy in Portugal.

On November 12, 1975, there was a protest with tens of thousands of workers and that surrounded the São Bento Palace for two days. With the refusal of the Ministry of Labor to meet with them, the protests radicalized, and was mobilized against the VI Provisional Government, that suspended functions on the 20th. In the morning of the 25th, Vasco Lourenço is declared commander of the Lisbon Military Region (RML) by the Revolutionary Council (CR). There were movements of the paratroopers of the Paratroopers' Regiment, that quickly occupied various air bases, as well as the Air Force General Staff, of the Lisbon Artillery Regiment (RALIS), that, shortly after, set up a military apparel in many places, and the troops of the Practical School of Military Administration (EPAM), that occupied the studios of Rádio e Televisão de Portugal and took control of the tolls on the northern highway. At around 7 AM, the paratroopers occupied the 1st Air Region and arrested the commander. Here, the President is told that "the 'coup' is on the street". It's still not possible to outline with precision the profile of the different groups in the movement.

The Group of Nine went to Belém, and President Costa Gomes, that had an undisputed role in the following hours, took the lead. The precautionary measures lead to popular demobilization, in a time where the public was starting to surround various military points, what could lead to weapon distribution. Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho, previously missing, came back to Belém, where he also had a key role. Costa Gomes decreed the state of siege in the RML at 4:30 PM. During the day, there were attempts by the sublevados (insurgents) to reverse the situation, unfavorable to them, and offensives by the moderados (moderates). On the 26th, the CR decided to dissolve the COPCON, and demanded the presence of all its commanders in the Belém Palace. During the day, the sublevados continued to lose positions, and the situation started to normalize. Besides the dozen of officials already imprisoned in Custóias, COPCON officials were jailed there. In the following day, 'victory' was mentioned, even though the winner wasn't known.

According to the historian Maria Inácia Rezola, "[...] it's still one of the most controversial episodes e, in some aspects, hazy of Portuguese Revolutionary Process".^[1] There's a consensus in Portuguese historiography that the military movements were caused by the exit of the paratroopers, and that, according to its protagonists, the events aren't based in a simple corporate claim. However, there's isn't a consensus if there was or not a state coup, and who the perpetrators were.^[1] There's also a lack of consensus in many other matters, which are caused by the lack of response to the question of who ordered the paratroopers to leave: as an example, if it was a state coup or if it was an action done to clarify the political-military situation; how many military plans there were; how to explain the behavior of Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho and those part of the CR, the Portuguese Communist Party's (PCP) behavior, and that of the President Francisco Costa Gomes.^[2]