In 2025, we mark the 50th anniversary of what came to be known as the “Hot Summer” of 1975. While most summers are hot, that summer in Portugal felt even hotter — not because of the weather, but because of the intense and, in some aspects, extreme consequences of the April 25, 1974 coup d’état that brought down the dictatorial regime (Operation End of Regime). At the time, Portugal was a poor, culturally conservative, predominantly rural country — not merely in geography, but in infrastructure, access to education, and patterns of life shaped by agriculture and isolation. It was also colonialist, fascist, and closed in on itself. Much had to be done. In fact, everything had to be done. A revolution followed. And a revolution is far more complex and far-reaching than a military coup, whose primary goal is simply to topple a regime. The long-awaited agrarian reform in the South — where a small number of landowners held vast estates — ignited conflicts between landowners and agricultural workers. These erupted in a country where, for half a century, social injustice and labor exploitation had been normalized. In 1975, there were both legitimate acts of justice and outbreaks of violence. The world is a complex place — and today, even more so. Today’s extremisms differ from those of the past. They are no longer grounded in struggles for survival or social justice, but in demagoguery and disinformation. They are fueled by the slow death of Humanistic Studies and of culture itself. And the fruit they bear is rotten. Culture remains one of the most powerful tools for cultivating tolerance, intelligence, personal growth, and empathy. Let us fight for it. Let us fight for ourselves — we are still human.