Resonances of Maoism in the Brazilian Left: The Meanings of Maiosm in the History of Ação Popular (AP)

ABSTRACT

The present article aims to analyze how the revolutionary organization Ação Popular (AP), one of the most representative groups of the Brazilian left in the 1960s and 1970s, incorporated Maoism into the formulation of its strategic project and the development of its identity. Founded at a congress held in 1963, AP initially characterized itself by proposing a humanist socialist project, open to different philosophical influences such as Marxism, Christianity, and existentialism. After the 1964 coup d´état, in the context of the military dictatorship’s implementation, the organization began a process to rectify its strategy and redefine its identity, with Marxism as the guiding axis. In 1968, AP adopted a strategy clearly inspired by the legacy of the Chinese Revolution and identified itself with Maoism, defined as the third stage of Marxism, the contemporary Marxism-Leninism. The analysis demonstrates that this was a pivotal decision in AP’s adherence to a Maoist strategic line, but it was not the beginning of the story of this reception. Similarly, it shows that the terms of the systematic formulation made at that time were confronted and modified in later contexts. Although the period of greatest Maoist influence occurred between 1968 and 1973, from the beginning to the end of AP’s history, the theme of the Chinese Revolution was part of its reference universe, subject to the scrutiny of internal debates and the successive redefinitions of the organization’s project. Therefore, it can be inferred that it is not possible to speak of a univocal relationship between AP and Maoism.

Keywords:
Ação Popular Marxista-Leninista; Maoism; Brazilian revolutionary left