Socialist Democracy (Brazil)
Encyclopedia
Socialist Democracy is a Trotskyist
group in Brazil
. Formed in 1979, DS was affiliated to the United Secretariat of the Fourth International. DS was one of the first groups to affiliate with the Workers' Party
(PT) when the PT formed in 1980. The activists in Socialist Democracy hoped to transform the PT into a revolutionary socialist party. As the PT grew, DS grew to become one of the largest Trotskyist organizations in the world.
DS has been most prominent in the municipal government of Porto Alegre
, where DS member Raul Pont was vice-mayor from 1992 to 1996 and mayor from 1996 to 2000, and the state government of Rio Grande do Sul
. DS members played a significant role in the elaboration of the Participatory Budget (though they had initially opposed its introduction) and also in the arrangements for the three World Social Forum
s held in Porto Alegre.
In recent years, the PT has become more moderate, especially after party leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
became President of Brazil
in 2003. This caused tension in the entire left wing of the PT, including in Socialist Democracy. In 2004, Heloísa Helena (politician)
(a member of DS and a Brazilian Senator) and other dissident PT members were expelled from the party, and they formed the Socialism and Freedom Party
(P-SOL). Part of the DS tendency remained in the PT, but another part left to join the P-SOL. Those who entered P-SOL formed a tendency called Enlace. The DS majority remaining in the PT has come to be the core of attempts to unseat the PT's current leadership, with DS member Raul Pont narrowly losing with 48% of the votes in a 2005 election for the presidency of the PT.
Trotskyism
Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. Trotsky considered himself an orthodox Marxist and Bolshevik-Leninist, arguing for the establishment of a vanguard party of the working-class...
group in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Formed in 1979, DS was affiliated to the United Secretariat of the Fourth International. DS was one of the first groups to affiliate with the Workers' Party
Workers' Party (Brazil)
The Workers' Party is a democratic socialist political party in Brazil. Launched in 1980, it is recognized as one of the largest and most important left-wing movements of Latin America. It governs at the federal level in a coalition government with several other parties since January 1, 2003...
(PT) when the PT formed in 1980. The activists in Socialist Democracy hoped to transform the PT into a revolutionary socialist party. As the PT grew, DS grew to become one of the largest Trotskyist organizations in the world.
DS has been most prominent in the municipal government of Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre is the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil, with 1,409,939 inhabitants, and the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area . It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian...
, where DS member Raul Pont was vice-mayor from 1992 to 1996 and mayor from 1996 to 2000, and the state government of Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
. DS members played a significant role in the elaboration of the Participatory Budget (though they had initially opposed its introduction) and also in the arrangements for the three World Social Forum
World Social Forum
The World Social Forum is an annual meeting of civil society organizations, first held in Brazil, which offers a self-conscious effort to develop an alternative future through the championing of counter-hegemonic globalization...
s held in Porto Alegre.
In recent years, the PT has become more moderate, especially after party leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, served as the 35th President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in the 2002 election, and was inaugurated as...
became President of Brazil
President of Brazil
The president of Brazil is both the head of state and head of government of the Federative Republic of Brazil. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the Brazilian Armed Forces...
in 2003. This caused tension in the entire left wing of the PT, including in Socialist Democracy. In 2004, Heloísa Helena (politician)
Heloísa Helena (politician)
Heloísa Helena Lima de Moraes Carvalho is a left-wing politician in Brazil.-Career:A trained nurse, Helena helped founding the Center of Health at the Federal University of Alagoas. She was also involved in the student movements against the military dictatorship...
(a member of DS and a Brazilian Senator) and other dissident PT members were expelled from the party, and they formed the Socialism and Freedom Party
Socialism and Freedom Party
The Socialism and Freedom Party is a Brazilian political party . Among the party leaders are Heloísa Helena , federal deputies Luciana Genro and Babá , and a number of well-known Brazilian left-wing leaders and intellectuals, such as Milton Temer, Carlos Nelson Coutinho, Ricardo Antunes,...
(P-SOL). Part of the DS tendency remained in the PT, but another part left to join the P-SOL. Those who entered P-SOL formed a tendency called Enlace. The DS majority remaining in the PT has come to be the core of attempts to unseat the PT's current leadership, with DS member Raul Pont narrowly losing with 48% of the votes in a 2005 election for the presidency of the PT.