This is a list of events relating to politics in 1975.
Events
January
January 1 - John N. Mitchell, H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman are found guilty of the Watergate cover-up January 4 - Khmer Rouge forces begin a siege of Phnom Penh as the North Vietnamese army sweeps through Laos, South Vietnam and Cambodia January 15 - The Alvor Agreement is signed, formally ending the Angolan War of Independence and establishing a timeline for Angolan independence January 16 - The IRA call off a 25-day ceasefire January 27 - Five IRA bombs go off in London and 19 are injured by a blast in Manchester Creation of the Church Committee by the US Senate, which goes on to expose federal intelligence abuses including Operation MKULTRA, COINTELPRO and Family Jewels
February
February 2 - Ethiopia attack rebel positions outside Asmara February 5 - Argentinian president Isabel Perón declares Operativo Independencia aiming to crush the People's Revolutionary Army, the first large-scale military operation of the Dirty War February 11 - In Britain, Margaret Thatcher is elected leader of the Conservative Party February 13 - Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash declares Northern Cyprus independent February 27 - Peter Lorenz, CDU candidate for mayor of West Berlin, is kidnapped by the 2 June Movement
March
March 6 - Iran and Iraq sign the Algiers Agreement March 10 - North Vietnamese troops attack Ban Mê Thuột in South Vietnam on their way to capturing Saigon March 11 - Failed right-wing coup attempt in Portugal by former president, António de Spínola March 31 - The Iraqi army launch a general assault on mountain positions held by Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq
April
April 15 - 1975 Beirut bus massacre, in which 27 Palestinians are killed by members of a Phalangist militia, sparks city-wide sectarian crashes between Phalangists and Palestinians, beginning the Lebanese Civil War April 17 - Khmer Rouge takeover of Cambodia, ending the civil war April 26 - Socialist victory in Portugal's first free elections in 50 years April 29 - Operation Frequent Wind begins, evacuating American civilians and "at-risk" Vietnamese from Saigon April 30 - North Vietnam capture Saigon, leading to the collapse of South Vietnam and the retreat of remaining American personnel
May
May 4 - Ulster victory in elections to the Ulster Convention in Northern Ireland May 21 - Beginning of the Stammheim trial of the Red Army Faction in Germany
June
June 6 - The United Kingdom vote to remain in the European Communities June 12 - Indira Gandhi is found guilty of electoral corruption by the Allahabad High Court June 16 - South Africa and the United Kingdom terminate the 1955 Simonstown agreement June 24 - Mozambique becomes independent from Portugal
July
July 15 - Launch of the Apollo-Soyuz, the first collaborative space mission conducted by the US and the USSR
August
August 15 - Coup in Bangladesh replaces one-party state with military junta
September
September 5 - Failed assassination attempt of American president Gerald Ford September 22 - Second unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Gerald Ford September 26 - The martial law administration of Bangladesh enact a law providing legal immunity to all involved in the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman September 28 - Protests across Europe against the execution of five Basque "urban guerrillas" by Spain; the Spanish embassy in the Netherlands is set on fire
October
October 9 - Andrei Sakharov wins Nobel Peace Prize October 23 - The first rounds are exchanged in the Battle of the Hotels in Lebanon
November
November 11 - Gough Whitlam is dismissed as prime minister of Australia by Sir John Kerr, Governor-General November 14 - Spain agrees to retreat from Spanish Sahara November 22 - Juan Carlos becomes King of Spain following the announcement of General Franco's death to the public
December
December 31 - In the UK, the Sex Discrimination Act is passed and the Equal Pay Act comes into force
Births
S'bu Zikode, president of the South African shack dwellers' movement, Abahlali baseMjondolo February 13 - Katie Hopkins, English far-right political commentator February 18 - Igor Dodon, Moldovan politician who served as the 5th president of Moldova from 2016 to 2020 May 3 - Robert Turcescu, Romanian journalist and founder of the former political talk show 100% August 6 - Andrei Năstase, Moldovan politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Affairs in 2019 November 13 - Diana Șoșoacă, Romanian far-right politician and anti-vaccine activist serving as an MEP since 2024 November 27 - Andrian Candu, Moldovan former politician serving as the presiding officer of parliament from 2015 to 2019 December 21 - Charles Michel, Belgian politician who served as the prime minister of Belgium from 2014 to 2019 and as the president of the European Council from 2019 to 2024
Deaths
January January 6 - United States senator for Montana between 1923-1947, Burton Wheeler
February February 11 - Head of State of Madagascar, Richard Ratsimandrava February 25 - Black separatist and second leader of the Nation of Islam, Elijah Muhammad
March March 18 - Zimbabwean politician and nationalist leader who led the Zimbabwe African National Union, Herbert Chitepo March 19 - Ethiopian military officer and civil rights activist, Tadesse Birru March 25 - King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, assassinated by his nephew, Faisal bin Musaid March 31 - Egyptian politician and officer, Youssef Seddik
April April 5 - Taiwanese President, General Chiang Kai-shek April 10 - US Democrat politician, John Bailey April 12 - French civil rights activist, dancer, singer and actress, Josephine Baker April 13 - First President of Chad, François Tombalbaye
May May 1 - Prominent military figure in Francoist Spain and Morocco, Mohammed Meziane May 6 - Hungarian Cardinal Jozef Mindszenty, in exile
June June 3 - Former Japanese prime minister, Eisaku Satō June 28 - Coke R. Stevenson, 35th governor of Texas
July July 5 - American civil rights activist, Lillie May Carroll Jackson July 19 - U.S. Marine who served in the Rhodesian Army, John Alan Coey
August August 15 - American neo-Nazi, Joseph Tommasi Founding president of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman August 27 - Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie August 29 - 3rd President of Ireland, Eamon de Valera
September September 2 - American suffragist, Mabel Vernon September 12 - Former prime minister of East Cameroon, Vincent de Paul Ahanda September 20 - Egyptian feminist, Doria Shafik
October October 2 - Indian independence activist and politician, K. Kamaraj
November November 5 - Former Republican mayor of Honolulu, Neal Blaisdell November 20 - Spanish dictator, Francisco Franco
December December 24 - Former prime minister of Comoros, Saïd Ibrahim Ben Ali December 26 - Mayor of Hiroshima, Setsuo Yamada
References