In Portugal, today, 25 April is a national holiday, known as Freedom Day (Portuguese: Dia da Liberdade), to celebrate the end of the dictatorship and war in the colonies.
After almost five decades of dictatorship (1937-1974), the Carnation Revolution, ended the Estado Novo regime (funded and led by António Oliveira Salazar that inspired the Salazar Slytherin name in the Harry Potter books), the longest dictatorship in Europe, changing the Portuguese political system from an authoritarian dictatorship to a democracy.
The Carnation Revolution (Portuguese: Revolução dos Cravos), also referred to as the 25th of April (Portuguese: vinte e cinco de Abril), was initially a military coup in Lisbon, Portugal, on 25 April 1974 which overthrew the regime of the Estado Novo. The revolution started as a military coup organized by the Armed Forces Movement (Portuguese: Movimento das Forças Armadas, MFA) composed of military officers who opposed the regime, but the movement was soon coupled with an unanticipated and popular campaign of civil resistance. This movement would lead to the fall of the Estado Novo and the withdrawal of Portugal from its African colonies.
This is, for me, one of the most amazing revolutions in the world. One of the best things about it is that it was a bloodless revolution. The name "Carnation Revolution" comes from the fact that almost no shots were fired and that when the population took to the streets to celebrate the end of the dictatorship and war in the colonies, carnations were put into the muzzles of rifles and on the uniforms of the army men.
Since it is such an important day for Portugal and since J. K. Rowling confirmed recently that the name Salazar Slytherin was inspired in António Salazar (we always knew that but it was nice to see it confirmed by her) I decided to talk a little bit about freedom in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
freedom and dictatorship is widely exploredVoldemort overtakes the Ministry of Magic. He controls most of the media, pushes propaganda through Hogwarts school, and tortures or murders dissenters
Voldemort and his followers obsess about “pure blood” in magical families. Witches and wizards born of Muggle parents they call “mud-bloods,” and those who ally with “mud-bloods” they call “blood traitors.” Voldemort’s forces thus share many similarities with the Nazis. As Harry and his friends break into the Ministry of Magic, they find a new statue erected by Voldemort’s supporters: a statue showing wizards sitting atop thrones built of hundreds of human bodies.
The Ministry sets up a “Muggle-Born Registration Commission.” Those who do not register are hunted down and arrested. Those who do register are subject to false accusations, kangaroo trials, torture and imprisonment. Harry and his allies fight for freedom against Voldemort’s bigoted oppression and they end up winning (without carnations but with the Deathly Hallows). I always loved the fact that the final battle between Harry and Voldemort composed the Portuguese National Flag colors.
