Brazilian Communist Party celebrates 104 years of struggle

PCB flag at a rally in 2020 -- Andreysantiago01, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped)

PCB: 104 Years of a History of Struggles

The Brazilian Communist Party (PCB) celebrated 104 years of existence on March 25, 2026. This is a historic date because it represents over a century of trajectory for the country's oldest political operator, which has been present in all the struggles of the Brazilian proletariat throughout this period. Even while operating underground for most of its existence, the PCB never ceased to influence Brazilian society, and for that very reason, it produced the greatest popular heroes of the 20th century.

The trajectory of the centenary Brazilian Communist Party (PCB) is a constitutive part of Brazil's history. The PCB was born as a consequence of the workers' struggles that had been developing since the end of the 19th century in Brazil and which expanded between 1917 and 1920 under the influence of the victorious Bolshevik revolution in Russia.

If, in its genesis, the libertarian ideals of the nascent proletariat converged, in its development and consolidation, the processes of maturation of a political organization were synthesized, an organization that sought (and still seeks to this day) to combine within its ranks the most prominent militants from the struggles of workers and representatives of the Brazilian intelligentsia and culture.

When it became a true party of national dimensions, after the Second World War, the PCB revealed itself as the instance of universalization of a political will that merged the world of labor with the cultural world. Our comrades have distinguished themselves in the fields of science, literature, visual arts, music, culture in general, television, and soccer. It is also noteworthy that the vast majority of the achievements of Brazilian workers bear the imprint of the PCB.

For all these reasons, it can be said with confidence that the PCB is part of the Brazilian civilizing process and, as the poet Ferreira Gullar said, anyone who writes the history of Brazil and the struggles of our people and does not mention the PCB would be lying.

Throughout our trajectory, we paid a high price for the audacity of acting unconditionally alongside workers in the struggle against imperialism, for the Brazilian revolution, and for socialism. The bourgeoisie never forgave us for this audacity, and for that very reason, it brutally persecuted us for several decades. Countless times, the dominant classes and their dictatorial regimes, the factionalists, and the enemies of the people tried to destroy the PCB, but they failed because the Party is part of the Brazilian working class, and with each attack, it manages to re-emerge more tempered, like a red phoenix.

WE WERE, WE ARE, AND WE WILL BE COMMUNISTS!

The PCB has experienced all forms of struggle: it organized the armed uprising of 1935, the peasant guerrillas of Trombas and Formoso and Porecatu; it participated in the founding of the UNE (National Union of Students), in the struggles of Brazilian youth, and in the "The Oil is Ours" campaign; it was the main organizer of urban and rural unions, as well as federations, confederations, and national trade union centers up until before the 1964 coup; it participated in institutional struggles in Parliament and within social and political entities; it resisted two dictatorships while operating underground and remains steadfast in the struggle for the construction of a socialist society in Brazil.

It has always been active in all struggles for the rights of the Brazilian people as a whole and remains steadfast in the battles of the working class; of Black people against racism; of women against sexism, misogyny, and feminicide; of LGBTQ+ people against oppression; of Indigenous peoples for the demarcation of their lands; in the anti-asylum and anti-ableist movements; in occupations, land reclamations, proletarian neighborhoods, and territories; for the right to land, housing, full access to health, education, culture, transportation, and a full life.

We, the militants of the PCB, of the Classist Unity (Unidade Classista), the Communist Youth Union (União da Juventude Comunista), the Ana Montenegro Classist Feminist Collective (Coletivo Feminista Classista Ana Montenegro), the Minervino de Oliveira Black Collective (Coletivo Negro Minervino de Oliveira), and the Communist LGBTQ+ Collective (Coletivo LGBT Comunista), take great pride in this history and strive to honor the struggles of comrades from all generations, who gave the best of their lives to keep our Party alive and active.

Therefore, we look to the future with optimism and will remain steadfast in combating the bourgeoisie and imperialism, organizing workers against the capitalist system, and holding high the banner of popular power, the Brazilian revolution, and socialism, towards a classless society, free from exploitation and oppression: communism.

LONG LIVE THE BRAZILIAN COMMUNIST PARTY! IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DESTROY THE BIG PARTY!

FOR POPULAR POWER, FOR SOCIALISM, TOWARDS COMMUNISM!