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]