The Bolivarian Revolution:There is no third way- We must choose Socialism [View All]

[chlamor]

“For the Bolivarian Revolution there is no 'third way.' We must choose socialism"


Wednesday, Apr 20, 2005

By: Alan Woods - Marxist.com

On Monday April 18th, Adan Chavez, a leader of the Bolivarian movement, elder brother of the President and currently Venezuelan Ambassador in Cuba, invited me to have breakfast with him in La Casona, the traditional residence of Venezuelan presidents. I took the chance to conduct a brief interview with him.


AW: How did you become involved in politics?

ACh: When I was 16 I joined the Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR), a Marxist-Leninist organisation which had links with the Chilean MIR. There I started my political and revolutionary education. But after three years this party started to degenerate, becoming a revisionist party which even split into two fractions: one which continued to call itself the MIR and another called New Alternative. I decided not to join either of the two groups. I did not agree with revisionism and I was of the opinion that we needed to build a genuine revolutionary party in contact with the masses.

<snip>

AW: So, how do you see the role of Marxism in the Bolivarian revolution?

ACh: In the same way that we have reclaimed the ideas of Bolivar, Rodriguez and Zamora, I think that we must reclaim the genuine ideas of Marxism, applying them correctly to our society. The scientific method of Marxism is a necessity. We are a movement based on the “principles of the tree of the three roots”: Simon Bolivar, Simon Rodriguez and Ezequiel Zamora. But if you read these principles you will soon understand that they are not at all in contradiction with Marxism, they defend the principles of democracy, equality and humanity.

AW: And these principles, can they be carried out under the capitalist system?

ACh: I personally think they cannot. And President Chavez has said in the last few months that capitalism is slavery and that the Bolivarian revolution must go towards socialism. This conclusion is not by chance. It is the product of many discussions, many experiences and an in-depth analysis of the situation. The President used to consider the option of the so-called “Third Way” – a way between capitalism and socialism. We examined that and, as the President said, we have realised that for the Bolivarian revolution there is no third way possible, we must choose the way of socialism. This does not mean we are going to import other models from outside. Socialism is a system in which man is above Capital. That is clear. But we must adapt the ideas of socialism to the concrete conditions.

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1426