A Plebe
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A Plebe was an anarchist and anticlerical periodical published in Brazil by Fábio Lopes dos Santos Luz and Edgard Leuenroth, first released on January 9, 1917, until 1951, with some interruptions.[1] In the beginning, A Plebe was published weekly, bringing subjects about strikes and libertarian demonstrations that it supported.[2]
Founded on the strength of the libertarian currents that were emerging among the workers of the time, the newspaper A Plebe was created during a period of strong manifestations and political fights that took place in the streets of São Paulo. During the circulation period, the anarchist newspaper was interrupted a few times, as its directors were arrested a couple of times.[3]
A Plebe had two phases of distribution: from 1917 until the interruption in the 1930s, and then from 1947 until 1951, when it was effectively finalized. The second period was considered more emblematic than the first, since the country was going through a phase of redemocratization and reorganization of left-wing movements. During the period of the new revival, both of the country and of the newspaper, the editors were aware of the difficulty they would have in disseminating content that followed the newspaper's editorial, in support of movements with libertarian, anarchist and anticlerical causes.[4]
The newspaper also published news about several countries, focusing mainly on components from Latin America and Spain. A Plebe became known for its diverse content, whether drawings, cartoons or literature, which aimed to disseminate the causes defended and doctrinal ideologies. The pages highlighted the problems that the proletarians faced every day, criticizing, not always in a subtle way, the capitalist system in which they lived, the upper middle class and, of course, the Catholic Church, which in the newspaper's conception, instigated the attitudes of the elite.[5]
Despite its end in 1951, A Plebe carries a symbolic influence on a large part of society, since, through its printed publications, it represented a social group that needed a support to stimulate and strengthen workers in the struggle for their interests. Without this periodical and others that came before, such as A Lanterna, a portion of the community would never be heard and portrayed, strengthening the exclusion of the group in Brazilian society.[6][3]
Under the command of Edgar Leuenroth, A Peble was launched in the period of the First World War, when workers' wages and lives were unstable, destabilized. As a sequel to another anticlerical periodical of the time, the newspaper claimed, in its very first published material, to be an extension of A Lanterna. As a result, the newspaper intended to be the organization for the workers' struggle against the oppression and misery experienced by the lower class in Brazil.[3]
Created in the midst of the 1917 strike, the A Plebe was staffed by editors who had an involvement with libertarian movements. Editor-owner Edgar Leuenroth was directly involved in the protests and became one of the leaders of the '17 movement, both in person, offering support on the streets, and in the pages of the A Plebe. For getting so heavily involved in this strike, Leuenroth was arrested, accused of leading the looting that took place at Santista Mill. As a result, the police entered the newsroom and the newspaper had its doors closed. To avoid leaving the journal without publications, Florentino de Carvalho, one of the anarchists who collaborated for the A Plebe, carried on the flow period, but, of course, hiding by pseudonyms and subtle criticism of the State.[7]
After almost four years, in 1921, the owner reopened the newsroom and the flow of publications returned to normal, but in July 1924, when a state of siege was decreed in Brazil, the A Plebe ceased to be published again. Shortly before the newspaper ceased to circulate, full responsibility rested with Pedro A. Mota, a militant who held the post from 1923 to 1924. When the rioting settled down, in 1927, the journal returned to normal distribution, now with reports about the exile of activists and workers who were participating in the whole movement that occurred in 1924.[8]
With the implementation of the Celerada Law, which established repression in workers' newspapers and within the unions themselves, the A Plebe was also affected, leading to interruptions in its publication in 1932. Regardless of this instability, during the 1930s, the newspaper focused on the dissemination of anti-fascist content, mentioning names of governments, movements, churches and also reporting meetings held by the Center for Social Culture (CCS). In 1934, as proof of the allegations that occurred at the time, the A Plebe published a copy that directly accused the government of Getúlio Vargas, together with the Catholic Church, of being and applying Nazi-fascist concepts.[9]
With the approach of two major conservative forces - the integralist movement and the Catholic Church - several militants who considered themselves anarchists began to join the National Liberation Alliance (ANL), despite the fact that the political actions it recommended and followed were not 100% accepted by its members. Once again, because of government repression of the Alliance, the newspaper was closed in 1935, but would be relaunched twelve years later.[10]
In May 1947, A Plebe was reopened by Edgar Leuenroth. In a different political context, the newspaper's objective remained the same: to rekindle the libertarian movements and the militancy of each trade union.[4] To do this, the editor-owner needed the help of some collaborators, such as Liberto Lemos Reis and Lucca Gabriel, young people who were already involved in militancy and articulated to the CCS. During the last period in which it remained active, the newspaper was directed and edited by Rodolpho Felippe, and remained like this until 1951, when it stopped being published completely.[1]
