Armed Forces Movement

Armed Forces Movement
Movimento das Forças Armadas
LeaderOtelo Saraiva de Carvalho
Dates of operation1974
Active regionsPortugal
IdeologyAnti-fascism
Communism
Socialism
Political positionLeft-wing to far-left
AlliesSocialist Party
Communist Party
OpponentsEstado Novo
Battles and warsCarnation Revolution
A mural dedicated to the MFA, it reads: "Towards freedom. Long live the 25th of April!"

The Armed Forces Movement (Portuguese: Movimento das Forças Armadas; MFA) was an organization of lower-ranking officers in the Portuguese Armed Forces. It was responsible for instigating the Carnation Revolution of 1974, a military coup in Lisbon that ended Portugal's corporatist New State regime (Estado Novo) and the Portuguese Colonial War, which led to the independence of Portugal's overseas territories in Africa. The MFA instituted the National Salvation Junta (Junta de Salvação Nacional) as the provisional national government 1974 to 1976, following a communiqué of its president, António de Spínola, at 1:30 a.m. on 26 April 1974.