The Venezuelan revolution is the first revolution of the 21st century. Its revolutionary character is not determined by any progressive stance taken by its government, but by the intervention in determining the country’s direction by the Venezuelan masses.
The revolution is not occurring in a vacuum. Neoliberalism stands discredited across Latin America and the popular revolt against it has spread throughout the continent. The Venezuelan revolution is both a product of this situation and the vanguard of the struggle.
At the World Social Forum in January 2003, Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez described how, in the lead-up to his 1998 election, a political force was built out of the discontent rife in the 80% of Venezuelans who live in poverty. He explained that in 1989, while the Berlin Wall was falling, there was a rebellion in Caracas against an International Monetary Fund (IMF)-imposed economic package. This triggered an unsuccessful 1992 military uprising, which he led. He explained that, after his release from jail, he and his followers decided to contest elections.
Chavez commented that their ‘‘alternative proposition emerged from the political battle waged in thousands of people's assemblies’‘. In this way what Chavez described as ‘‘revolutionary Bolivarian ideology’‘ emerged. This ideology was based on the idea of genuine participatory democracy, economic independence and fairer redistribution of wealth. The centrepiece was the call for a constituent assembly.
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