Translated "Avante!" article by Pedro Guerreiro, Member of the Secretariat of the CC
The Portuguese Revolution will celebrate its 40th anniversary, in 2014. An historical achievement of workers, the people and the progressive military forces - united by the People-MFA Alliance, which deeply changed the Portuguese reality and had important international repercussions.
Culminating almost 50 years of heroic resistance and anti-Fascist struggle, the Portuguese Revolution liquidated Fascism, ended the colonial war and recognized the peoples’ in struggle, their right to independence, carried out deep democratic changes - through which many political, economic, social and cultural achievements were reached, based on the total national sovereignty and independence affirmation -, opening the path towards a socialist society.
With the full conscience that the Portuguese people’s struggle against the Fascist dictatorship and the peoples’ struggle against Portuguese colonialism were, after all , a common struggle, the April Revolution, by freeing the Portuguese people, represented an important contribution for the African peoples’ national liberation struggle and the independence conquest, which represented a decisive alteration amid the Austral African force correlation, and isolated even more the South-African apartheid regime, leading towards the appearance of conditions which ought to have imposed their final defeat.
The April Revolution, inserted amid the international context, where the force correlation was in favour for peace, progress and socialism, put an end to Portugal’s international isolation, established extensive diplomatic relations, along with an external peace, cooperation and friendship policy, with all the peoples’ worldwide, and held a deep internationalist and solidarity character.
Not only the April Revolution ( such as the former anti-Fascist struggle) received an active solidarity - highlighting the USSR and the socialist countries - , but was side-by-side with the people of Chile, Vietnam, Spain, Palestine, Angola, South- Africa, Nicaragua, among many others, at the time of their sovereignty and independence struggles, for self-determination , freedom, for the achievement and progress in their revolutionary processes.
Upon 40 years, Portugal’s and the world’s situation suffered a deep change. Upon 37 years of a counter-revolutionary process, many of the major Portuguese Revolution achievements were destroyed. Others, although weakened and threatened, carry on their existence. Following the USSR and the socialist field defeat, the force correlation in the international plan, is currently unfavourable to peace, progress and socialism forces. Capitalism and its crisis respond with a violent offensive which aims to retrocede rights and historical achievements, conquered by workers and peoples and therefore, impose the imperialist order, under the USA’s hegemony.
However, out there, reality is showing and highlighting the April Revolution, its values and ideals, its deep changes, its originality, showing that even the more exploiter and oppressor power, might seem invincible, a people determined to struggle, sooner or later, will achieve its path towards victory.
The April Revolution’s great values, created deep roots among the Portuguese people. The PCP, from the reality it is inserted, its long history and struggle experience, always foreseeing the present and future, reinforcing its liaison with workers and the Portuguese people, struggles towards a rupture with the right-wing , towards a patriotic and left-wing policy, for an advanced democracy which , based on the April values for Portugal’s future, pointing out the path towards socialism.
A struggle which is inserted amid the workers and peoples emancipation cause, throughout the world.
