Pateira

In August 1968 at 79, the dictador António Salazar suddenly suffered a stroke after falling from a chair, and after 36 years as prime minister he was removed from power. President Admiral Américo Tomás, after weighing a number of choices, appointed Marcelo Caetano to replace Salazar on September, 27, 1968.

Most of the people hoped that the new prime minister would soften the authoritarian regime and modernize the economy. Caetano moved on to foster economic growth and some social improvement. The economy reacted very well at first, but into the 70's some serious problems began to show, due in part to two-digit inflation and to the effects of the 1973 oil crisis.  But the war in Africa was consuming as much as 40% of the Portuguese budget and there was no sign of a solution in sight. At a military level, most of Guinea-Bissau was de facto independent since 1973. In Angola and Mozambique, independence movements controlled at most some remote areas.

On April 25, 1974, the military overthrew the regime in the "Carnation Revolution". There was almost no resistance. Caetano resigned, and was flown under custody to the Madeira Islands where he stayed for a few days. He then flew to exile in Brazil, where he died in Rio de Janeiro of a heart attack in 1980.