Portugal Timeline

The FLEC (Frente para a Libertação do Enclave de Cabinda; Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda) is founded.

Amílcar Cabral and PAIGC declare full scale war against the Portuguese in Portuguese Guinea.

Independence of Guinea-Bissau (Portuguese Guinea) is unilaterally declared.

Independence is granted to all Portuguese colonies in Africa and independence is promised to Portuguese Timor.

Growing upset in the military (and society) at Portugal’s colonial struggles led to a disgruntled military organisation called the Armed Forces movement causing a bloodless coup on April 25 1794. The following president, General Spínola, then saw a power struggle between the AFM, communists and left wing groups which led him to resign. Elections were held, contested by new political parties, and the Third Republic Constitution was drawn up, aiming to balance president and parliament. Democracy returned, and independence was granted to African colonies.

Prime minister Francisco Sá Carneiro and the Minister of Defence Amaro da Costa died in a plane crash, in strange circumstances.

Carlos Lopes wins the first Olympic Gold Medal for Portugal in the Los Angeles '84 marathon

Portugal becomes a member of the European Economic Community, today's European Union'

in the regionalisation referendum, a proposal to establish, in mainland Portugal, 8 administrative regions and to disestablish the 18 districts, is rejected in the polls: in the first question, the simple institution of the administrative regions is rejected by 60,67% of the voters; in the second question, the proposal to create 8 regions is rejected by 60,62% of the voters. This is the first referendum in the History of Portugal to have more than 1 question.

Macau, the last overseas Portuguese colony, is returned to China