Eduardo Sarno Collection of Leftist Movements in Brazil

The re-energizing and sometimes the formation of leftist movements in Brazil stemmed from the military dictatorship that befell Brazil from 1964-1985. The repression and authoritarian nature of the military regime brought about the need for the many leftist movements that would go on to reshape Brazilian politics over the following decades.

Some of the larger groups included Partido Comunista Brasileiro, Partido Comunista do Brasil, Partido Revolucionário Comunista, Partido dos Trabalhadores, and the Movimento Revolucionário 8 de Outubro.

Partido Comunista Brasileiro (PCB) [the Brazilian Communist Party] was founded in 1922. One of the larger and oldest political parties in Brazil, the PCB had a splinter group called the Partido Comunista do Brasil (PCdoB), Communist Party of Brazil. These two groups provided strong resistance to the military regime and eventually both emerged as political parties with the restoration of civilian rule in 1985.

Partido Revolucionário Comunista [Revolutionary Communist Party] formed in 1984 and was made up primarily of dissidents from the PCdoB. A “Marxist-Leninist party,” after the fading of the Soviet Union, the PRC would come to an end in 1989 with some of its members shaping new Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT)-affiliated groups.

Partido do Trabalhadores (PT) [Worker’s Party] was founded in 1980 and is both great in size and importance within Brazil. Initially formed to participate in union politics, the PT soon began to morph into a national movement and more towards a mixture of democratic socialism and anti-Stalinist ideals.

Movimento Revolucionário 8 de Outubro (MR8) [The Revolutionary Movement 8th October] was founded in 1967 and was composed of mostly dissidents from the PCB. Initially, the MR8 was active in terrorism efforts, including the kidnapping of an American Ambassador in 1969. However, with the successful overthrow of the military regime, MR8 entered the political scene in 1985 with the return of civilian war.

Eduardo Sarno, the creator of the collection, was active as a participant in some of these leftist political movements. Additionally, he was an avid collector of materials from the different political groups—official publications, internal publications, newspaper and magazine coverage, and other documentation. The gathering of these documents occurred over a 15-year period, from 1967-1982 while as a member of the Population Action (AP), PC do B, and the PRC.

Works Referenced:

Roett, Riordan. "Brazil: Politics in a Patrimonial Society." 5th ed. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1999.