The purpose of this article is to provide a brief introduction and description of the dominant power components within the Brazilian university student movement in the area of political action. This is a field in which very little has been written, either in English or Portuguese. Because of this, and also due to the constant state of flux within the movement, this study must be considered as an initial effort toward understanding a rather complex area of Brazilian affairs. Much of what is described here may be radically changed within a few years, though in which direction is not yet clear. While extreme left groups now dominate the movement, some signs of democratic awakening are beginning to appear. These are, however, weak and sporadic efforts.