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Carlos Marighella

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Carlos Marighella was a Brazilian politician, writer, and Marxist–Leninist militant.

Maepaimarigha (1)
Maepaimarigha (1)

He lived from December 5, 1911, until November 4, 1969. Marighella was a key figure in the fight against the Brazilian military dictatorship. He believed that nonviolent resistance was not enough to change the government. Instead, he advocated for armed struggle to achieve a Marxist revolution. This belief led him to found a new political group and write influential revolutionary literature.

Marighella was born in Salvador, Bahia, to a diverse family. His father, Augusto Marighella, was an Italian immigrant and a blue-collar worker. His mother, Maria Rita do Nascimento, was an Afro-Brazilian descendant of people from Sudan.

Maepaimarigha (1)
Maepaimarigha (1)

He grew up in a Catholic household in the Baixa do Sapateiro neighborhood. However, he became an atheist in his early 20s. While studying civil engineering at the Polytechnic School of Bahia, he changed his life path. In 1934, he left his studies to join the Brazilian Communist Party (PCB).

His political career involved many years of legal battles and time in prison. He was first arrested in 1932 for writing an offensive poem about a local administrator. In 1936, during the presidency of Getúlio Vargas, he was arrested again for subversion. The political police, led by Filinto Müller, held him in jail for one year. He was eventually released through a measure called "macedada," which freed political prisoners without charges. Marighella lived in clandestinity, or hiding, for much of his life. He was recaptured in 1939 and remained in prison until a 1945 amnesty freed him.

Marighella foto1 carteira pcb apeerj
Marighella foto1 carteira pcb apeerj

After his release, Marighella entered formal politics. He was elected as a constituent federal deputy by the Bahian branch of the PCB. However, he lost his office in 1948 when the party was prohibited. Marighella continued to hold leadership roles within the party's underground structure. Between 1953 and 1954, he visited China at the invitation of its Central Committee. He traveled there to study the Chinese Communist Revolution. In 1964, following a military coup in Brazil, he was shot and arrested by the Department of Political and Social Order (DOPS) at a movie theater in Rio de Janeiro.

Marighella eventually broke away from the traditional communist movement. In 1966, he wrote *The Brazilian Crisis*, where he argued for armed struggle. He later left the leadership of the PCB and participated in the 1st Conference of Latin American Solidarity in Havana. In 1968, he was expelled from the PCB and founded the Ação Libertadora Nacional (ALN).

Marighella foto1 carteira pcb apeerj
Marighella foto1 carteira pcb apeerj

The ALN was a Marxist–Leninist urban guerrilla group. This group used tactics like bank robberies and high-profile kidnappings to fight the military regime.

One of the most significant events involving the ALN occurred in September 1969. Members of the ALN, working with the Revolutionary Movement 8th October (MR-8), kidnapped the United States Ambassador, Charles Burke Elbrick. The group was also linked to several executions. The police force grew determined to eliminate Marighella due to these actions. On November 4, 1969, at 8:00 pm, police organized an ambush in São Paulo. At 800 Alameda Casa Branca, police deputy Sérgio Paranhos Fleury led the operation that resulted in Marighella being shot and killed.

Marighella's legacy lives on through his writing and his cultural impact. His most famous work is the *Minimanual of the Urban Guerrilla*. This book provides advice on how to disrupt and overthrow a military regime. It was written in late 1969 and first published in English in North America in July 1970.

Lápide de Marighella Oscar Niemeyer Cemitério Quinta dos Lázaros Salvador Bahia-7819
Lápide de Marighella Oscar Niemeyer Cemitério Quinta dos Lázaros Salvador Bahia-7819

He was buried in the Cemitério Público da Quinta dos Lázaros in Salvador. His tombstone was designed by the famous architect Oscar Niemeyer. It features the quote: "I didn't have time to be afraid." His life has also been portrayed in several films, including the 2019 movie *Marighella*, directed by Wagner Moura.

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File:Maepaimarigha (1).jpg
Maepaimarigha (1).jpg
File:Marighella foto1 carteira pcb apeerj.JPG
Marighella foto1 carteira pcb apeerj.JPG
File:Lápide de Marighella Oscar Niemeyer Cemitério Quinta dos Lázaros Salvador Bahia-7819.jpg
Lápide de Marighella Oscar Niemeyer...
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