User:Avelludo/Sandbox/Communism in Brazil

Communism in Brazil [...]

History

Late 19th and early 20th century

Worker organizations in Brazil are known since the 19th century. The first known strike by salaried employees happened in 1858, though slave revolts relating to working conditions had been happening prior – slavery was only abolished in Brazil in 1888. Though information is sometimes lacking due to the societal treatment of slaves at the time, it is known that many such revolts ended with police repression.

On 8 January 1858, a total of 80 typographers from 3 daily publications (Jornal do Commercio, Correio Mercantil and Diário do Rio de Janeiro) refused to work simultaneously. The workers published a bulletin, titled Jornal dos Typographos, stating their demands for better pay in light of increasing food prices. They further explain that the strike was a last resort after being denied a raise on multiple occasions, as they hadn't seen an increase in pay since 1855. The result of the typographers' strike isn't known; it lasted at least until 12 March 1858, the date of the last issue of Jornal dos Typographos before it was sold.

In 1890, the first self-declared socialist political party of Brazil is established in Rio Grande do Sul, namely the Partido Operário do Rio Grande do Sul. It called for, among other things, women's rights and the end of inheritance rights.

The early 1900s were riddled with strikes, usually in the interest of better pay and shorter work days. For example, the 8-hour work day was among the First Brazilian Workers' Congress' proposals, in April 1906. Inspired by that proposal, in October that year, workers participating in the 21-day strike in Porto Alegre achieved a partial success, reducing their work day from 11 to 9 hours. However, strikes were more commonly met with police repression and, even when successfully leading to new agreements, company owners might simply not honor them, or revert any changes after some time.

Facing the abolition of slavery in Brazil a few years prior, in 1888, coffee farmers saw in immigration a source of cheap labor to meet production demands. But immigrants brought with them ideals of anarchism and socialism, which were undesirable to landowners. In 1907, federal deputy Adolfo Gordo authored Decree N.1,641, which became known as Adolfo Gordo Law or the first "Foreigner Expulsion Law", allowing for the immigrants' expulsion from the country for vagrancy or simply "compromising public tranquility". This and other laws authored by Gordo became yet another tool for capitalists to suppress strikes and workers' movements.

Ideologically, not every revolutionary worker self-identified as a communist or a socialist; many were deemed anarchists, who rejected the idea of political parties, and instead preferred direct action or organization though unions. Political theory and literature wasn't always accessible in Brazil, either because it wasn't translated into Portuguese, or because the Portuguese text wasn't accommodating to workers with little to no formal education. As such, many at the time were simply anti-capitalists, supporting a revolution without fully considering what would come after any revolutionary action.

World War I

Workers carrying black flags at a demonstration in São Paulo during the 1917 general strike in São Paulo

In July 1914, World War I begins. While Brazil did not see direct conflict, the effects of the war were quickly felt by its citizens. Brazil's economy was, and had been for decades, reliant on exporting coffee; by 1914, Brazil controlled around 80% of the world's coffee exports. With the advent of the war, demand for coffee fell drastically. Additionally, Britain's blockade, aimed at preventing aid to the Central Powers by neutral countries such as Brazil, successfully hindered trade with a big chunk of Europe, worsening Brazil's coffee exports. Between 1914 and 1918, Brazil saw prices spiking as much as 158%.

In contrast, certain industries, such as textiles, saw profits skyrocketing: with the war, products that would previously be imported now had to be produced in Brazil, and were even exported in some cases. But workers did not see those profits; on the contrary, as higher demand meant longer work days, of up to 16 hours, without increase in pay.

In this context, with worse working conditions, a higher cost of living and diminishing purchasing power, workers were at a historical low point. This culminated in the general strike of 1917, starting in São Paulo in July and spreading throughout Brazil afterwards. And, in this scenario, the first news of Russia's February Revolution started to disseminate in the country, after being held back by censorship.

Brazil during World War I (October 1917) – Brazil declares War on the Central Powers

Red October (7 November 1917)

Third All-Russian Congress of Workers', Soldiers' and Peasants Deputies' Soviets[?] (January 1918)

Communist International (March 1919)

Russian Revolution is thought by some to be an anarchist movement. First Brazilian Communist Party (1919), prohibited by the police[?]; was actually anarchist.

3rd World Congress of the Communist International (June 1921)

Conditions for parties to be a part of Communist International – among them, being called a "Communist Party"

Modern Art Week (February 1922)

1922 Brazilian presidential election (March 1922) – About 6% of the population could vote, approx. 3% (1M) voted in 1922 (big citation needed vibes). Only literate men over 21 (and not in the military) could vote.

Brazilian Communist Party (March 1922) – The first actually communist Communist Party of Brazil is established, thought of as a solution to the country's multiple crises. Hurried so it could catch the 4th World Congress of the Communist International (November 1922)

Copacabana Fort revolt (July 1922) – Related to the election

Intentona Comunista (November 1935)

1960 Brazilian presidential election → João Goulart

Modern times

In March 2021, protests calling for former president Jair Bolsonaro's impeachment for mishandling the pandemic break out in over 200 Brazilian cities as COVID-19 deaths surpass 460 thousand.

External links

• Lecture series by Escola Latino-Americana de História e Política (ELAHP): "100 anos de comunismo no Brasil" [100 years of communism in Brazil] (in Brazilian Portuguese), 2021.
  • Lecture 1: Introdução geral ao curso. A fundação do Partido Comunista (antecedentes, o congresso, as resoluções). Prof. Valter Pomar.
  • Lecture 2: Anos 1920. O Partido Comunista e a Internacional Comunista nos anos 1920. Profª Marly Viana.
  • Lecture 3: O Partido Comunista frente a Revolução de 1930 e a contrarrevolução de 1932. Prof. Breno Altman.
  • Lecture 4: O Partido Comunista durante a ditadura Vargas. Profª Moara Crivelente.
  • Lecture 5: Legalidade, participação nas eleições, na Constituinte e cassação do mandato. Profª Ana Prestes.
  • Lecture 6: Do manifesto de janeiro de 1947 à declaração de março de 1958. Prof. Breno Altman.
  • Lecture 7: Do V congresso à cisão de 1962. Prof. Valter Pomar.
  • Lecture 8: O PCB e o golpe de 1964. O VI Congresso do PCB e as cisões da luta armada. Profª Dulce Pandolfi.
  • Lecture 9: O PCdoB e o golpe de 1964. A sexta conferência, as cisões. Prof. José Reinaldo. Prof. José Reinaldo Carvalho.
  • Lectures 10 and 11: A luta armada urbana e o Araguaia. Parte 1. Prof. Valter Pomar; Parte 2. Prof. Wladimir Pomar.