António de Spínola
Encyclopedia : A : AN : ANT : António de Spínola
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| President of the National Salvation Junta
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| Order: | 1st
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| Term of Office | April 25, 1974 (with powers of head of state and government) - May 15, 1974 (just with powers of head of government) - May 16, 1974 (just president of the NSJ) - September 30, 1974
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| Predecessor: | Américo Thomaz (as head of state) Marcello Caetano (as head of government)
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| Successor: | Himself (as President of the Republic) Adelino da Palma Carlos (as Prime Minister) Francisco da Costa Gomes (as President of the NSJ)
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| President of Portugal
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| Order: | 15th (1st since the Carnation revolution)
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| Term of Office | May 15, 1974 - September 30, 1974
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| Predecessor: | Américo Thomaz (efective) Himself (interim, as President of the NSJ)
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| Successor: | Francisco da Costa Gomes
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| Date of Birth | Ápril 11, 1910 |
| Place of Birth: | Estremoz |
| Date of Death | August 13, 1996 |
| Place of Death: | Lisbon |
| Wife: | Maria Helena Monteiro de Barros |
| Occupation: | Military officer (Marshal) |
| Political Party: | Independent |
António Sebastião Ribeiro de Spínola (pron. IPA /ɐ̃'tɔniu dɨ 'spinulɐ/; April 11, 1910 - August 13, 1996) was a Portuguese soldier and politician. Having entered Colégio Militar in 1920, in this school he began what would be a very successful military career. By 1928 he joined Portugal's Military Academy where he stood out as a young and promising cavalry officer. Spinola served in several positions in Portugal's rebellious colonies in Africa. In 1961 Spínola was sent to Angola and in 1968 Spinola was appointed as the governor of Portuguese Guinea and Chief of the Army Forces there. In 1973 he was invited to be the Minister of the Colonies, but he refused. A year later Spínola became vice Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, but was dismissed after difficulties with the government. On April 25, 1974, the authoritarian regime in Portugal was overthrown by the Carnation Revolution in which General Spinola did not play an important role. However Prime-Minister Marcello Caetano insisted he would only surrender power to Spínola. The general negotiated the surrender and seized this opportunity to present himself as the leader of the revolution, subsequently becoming President of the Republic on May 15. As a conservative he disliked the leftist direction of the revolution and tried to avoid the independence of the colonies. He resigned on September 30, 1974, after just 4 months in power, when he realized he would not be able to block the application of the MFA program through "cabinet coups". Spínola became involved in a right-wing coup d'etát attempt in March 11, 1975, and fled the country after it's failure. Despite having subsequently oversaw the formation of a terrorist organization (ELP) directed against the leftist portuguese government, possibly planning to fight a civil war, he was eventually rehabilitated after the November 25, 1975 coup. In 1981, Spínola was promoted to the highest ranking in the Army, Field Marshall.
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