1974

World History 1974ָ

Willy Brandt Resigns, Military Government of Greece Resigns, Coup in Portugal , Revolt in Cyprus, Turkey Invades, Helinski Accords, Suez Canal, King Faisel Assassinated, India Explodes Nuclear Device, Guinea- Bissau Granted Independent, South Africa forced to turn over Prtectorate of Namibia, Civil War In Lebanon, Emperor Haile Selassie Deposed, Disengagement Agreement, Nixon Resigns,Soyuz- Apollo Mission,

1974 Willy Brandt of West Germany Forced to Resign Willy Brandt resigned, after one of his top aides, Gunter Guillaume, was arrested on charges of spying for East Germany.

1974 Military Government of Greece Resigns The military junta in Greece resigned, turning control of the government over to Constantine Karamanlis. Martial law was lifted, and elections were held.

1974 Military Coup in Portugal A leftist military coup took place in Portugal. It unseated the right-wing dictatorship that held power for 40 years. The military immediately reversed the Portuguse policy of holding its African colonies, and began to grant the colonies independence quickly. In addition, the Portugese military leaders began the transition to civil democratic rule.

1974 Revolt in Cyprus, Turkey Invades Greek officers of the National Guard led a revolt that ousted Cypriot leader Archbishop Makarios III. Turkish troops invaded the island and captured over half of it. A cease-fire was arranged, and Makarios returned. Cyprus, however, was virtually partitioned into Greek and Turkish territories.

1974 India Explodes Nuclear Device On May 18, the Indians detonated a nuclear bomb in an underground explosion. The bomb was small-- approximately 15 megatons. India thus became the sixth member of the "nuclear club."

1974 Guinea- Bissau Granted Independence by Portugal After a military revolt in Portugal that brought a Left-leaning government to power, the Portuguese government agreed to grant independence to Portuguese Guinea. The new country was renamed Guinea-Bissau, and its first President was Luis de Almeida Cabral.

1974 UN orders South Africa to turn over Prtectorate of Namibia The U.N. Security Council voted to give South Africa until May 30, 1975 to begin transferring power in Namibia to the Namibians. Ten days before the deadline, South African Premier Balthazar Vorster rejected the U.N. demand, saying that South Africa would not negotiate the transfer of power with the South West African People's Organization (the major Black nationalist group).

1974 Emperor Haile Selassie Deposed in Ethiopia The 44-year reign of Haile Selassie came to an end when he was deposed by the army. Selassie had begun his reign as an absolute monarch. However, during the last decades of his rule, he was a constitutional monarch whose powers were limited by a constitution and a legislature. The new government suspended the constitution and the legislature, and executed 60 former government officials. The new head of government was Aman Andom, but he was soon replaced by Teferi Benti who executed Andom.

1974 Disengagement Agreement Between Israel, Egypt and Syria In January, Israel agreed to a disengagement agreement under which its forces would withdraw from the west bank of the Suez Canal, as well as from an area on the east side of the Canal. In May, Israel and Syria also agreed to a disengagement plan. Under its terms, Israel withdrew from territory seized during the 1973 war as well as from the town of Kuneitra, seized in 1967.

1974 President Nixon Resigns On August 8, 1974, President Nixon became the first President in US history to resign. Nixon resigned as the House of Representatives was poised to vote on the articles of impeachment against him.

1974 Soyuz- Apollo Mission The meeting of the American Apollo and the Soviet Soyuz on July 19, 1975, marked the first cooperative space mission between the United States and the Soviet Union.