Understanding the Venezuelan Revolution: Hugo Chávez Talks to Marta Harnecker PDF
Preview Understanding the Venezuelan Revolution: Hugo Chávez Talks to Marta Harnecker
IJnderstanditg the Venezuelan Revolution UNDERSTANDING THE VENEZU ELAN REVOLUTION Hugo Chduez Talhs to Marta Harnecker TRANSLATED BY CHESA BOUDIN MONTHLY REVIEW PRESS New Tork UNDERSTANDING THE VENEZU ELAN REVOLUTION Hugo Chduez Talhs to Marta Harnecker TRANSLATED BY CHESA BOUDIN MONTHLY REVIEW PRESS New Tork Copyright @ eoo5 rr,torrHLy REvIEw PRESS All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Contents Chdvez Frias, Hugo. Understanding the Venezuelan revolution : Hugo Chdvez talks to r Marta Harnecker / by Hugo Chdvez and Marta Harnecker. Achnowledgments 7 p.cm. Introd,uction 9 Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN r-58367-rz8-5 (cloth) - ISBN t-5$67-rz7-7 (pbk.) Chronology 15 l. Chdv ez Frias, Hugo-Interviews. 2. Venezuela-History-r974- 1999. 3.Venezuela-History-rggg- . 4. Presidents-Venezuela -Interviews. I. Harnecker, Marta. II. Title. Roots 23 Fz3z8.5z.C48A5 zoo5 987,o6'42'ogz-dczz II A Peaceful Tiansition; A Painful Institutional Birth 47 tBl zoo5oz4483 III The Military in the Revolution and the Counterrevolution IJ IV The Slow March toward an Alternative Economy 105 Photographs courtesy Prensa Presidencial A Sovereign and Independent International Policy rr9 MONTHLY REVIEW PRESS r22 West 27th Street VI The Middle Class, Communications Strategy, and Dialogue r37 New York, NY rooor www.monthlyreview. org VII A Political Party at Its Height r57 Printed in Canada VIII The April n Coup 179 ro98765432r Notes r88 Indzx 197 l Il Copyright @ eoo5 rr,torrHLy REvIEw PRESS All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Contents Chdvez Frias, Hugo. Understanding the Venezuelan revolution : Hugo Chdvez talks to r Marta Harnecker / by Hugo Chdvez and Marta Harnecker. Achnowledgments 7 p.cm. Introd,uction 9 Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN r-58367-rz8-5 (cloth) - ISBN t-5$67-rz7-7 (pbk.) Chronology 15 l. Chdv ez Frias, Hugo-Interviews. 2. Venezuela-History-r974- 1999. 3.Venezuela-History-rggg- . 4. Presidents-Venezuela -Interviews. I. Harnecker, Marta. II. Title. Roots 23 Fz3z8.5z.C48A5 zoo5 987,o6'42'ogz-dczz II A Peaceful Tiansition; A Painful Institutional Birth 47 tBl zoo5oz4483 III The Military in the Revolution and the Counterrevolution IJ IV The Slow March toward an Alternative Economy 105 Photographs courtesy Prensa Presidencial A Sovereign and Independent International Policy rr9 MONTHLY REVIEW PRESS r22 West 27th Street VI The Middle Class, Communications Strategy, and Dialogue r37 New York, NY rooor www.monthlyreview. org VII A Political Party at Its Height r57 Printed in Canada VIII The April n Coup 179 ro98765432r Notes r88 Indzx 197 l Il Acknowledgments To ALL THosE wHo MADE THrs BooK possrBt,n, especially those who transcribed the tapes-in Venezuela,Jorgina Eloisa Moya, Belkis Herrera, Clara Carrillo, Dayimar Sosa, and in Cuba, Hilda Betancourt. To Bertha Mendndez and Pavel Alem6n who collabo- rated in the editing. To Rafael Vargas, who was always willing and able to ease my doubts. To those who read the various chapters and gave me their opinions. To Nelly and Omar who prepared the chronology, to Lorena who relieved me from so many chores so I could concentrate on this project. And to the entire team at the research center, Memoria Popular Latinoamericana, who, as always, supported me through it all. 7 \ Acknowledgments To ALL THosE wHo MADE THrs BooK possrBt,n, especially those who transcribed the tapes-in Venezuela,Jorgina Eloisa Moya, Belkis Herrera, Clara Carrillo, Dayimar Sosa, and in Cuba, Hilda Betancourt. To Bertha Mendndez and Pavel Alem6n who collabo- rated in the editing. To Rafael Vargas, who was always willing and able to ease my doubts. To those who read the various chapters and gave me their opinions. To Nelly and Omar who prepared the chronology, to Lorena who relieved me from so many chores so I could concentrate on this project. And to the entire team at the research center, Memoria Popular Latinoamericana, who, as always, supported me through it all. 7 \ Introduction r cAME up wrrH THE rDEA of interviewingVenezuelanpresi- dent Hugo Chdvez Frlas in April zooz.I had scheduled a tour through several Venezuelan states to give lectures based on my lat- est writings. How could I not take advantage of that occasion to interview the leader of the Venezuelan revolutionary process-a process so distorted by the international media and so little under- stood by left-wing and progressive sectors in South America and around the worldP This distortion is not surprising since what is happening in Venezuela is a sui generis process that explodes pre- conceived schemes of revolutionary processes. There are a few basic characteristics of this process that this col- lection of interviews draws out. First, the process began with Chdvez's overwhelming victory in an electoral battle and continues advancing via government institutions in spite of all the challenges it faces from opponents. Second, it is led by a former member of the military who six years earlier-trylng to overcome'\bnezuela,s political crisis at that time-dared to organize a military coup against theP1rez regime. Third, it has been unable to eliminate cor- ruption-one of its main calls for change. Fourth, it isn,t led by a political vanguard party. Fifth, it is undefined ideologically because it doesn't assume Marxism as the guiding ideology of the process, but rather Bolfvarianism. This ideology doesn't speak of class struggles but of Latin American integration. It conceives of democracy as the political sys- tem that brings the maximum happiness to the people. It doesn't 9 Introduction r cAME up wrrH THE rDEA of interviewingVenezuelanpresi- dent Hugo Chdvez Frlas in April zooz.I had scheduled a tour through several Venezuelan states to give lectures based on my lat- est writings. How could I not take advantage of that occasion to interview the leader of the Venezuelan revolutionary process-a process so distorted by the international media and so little under- stood by left-wing and progressive sectors in South America and around the worldP This distortion is not surprising since what is happening in Venezuela is a sui generis process that explodes pre- conceived schemes of revolutionary processes. There are a few basic characteristics of this process that this col- lection of interviews draws out. First, the process began with Chdvez's overwhelming victory in an electoral battle and continues advancing via government institutions in spite of all the challenges it faces from opponents. Second, it is led by a former member of the military who six years earlier-trylng to overcome'\bnezuela,s political crisis at that time-dared to organize a military coup against theP1rez regime. Third, it has been unable to eliminate cor- ruption-one of its main calls for change. Fourth, it isn,t led by a political vanguard party. Fifth, it is undefined ideologically because it doesn't assume Marxism as the guiding ideology of the process, but rather Bolfvarianism. This ideology doesn't speak of class struggles but of Latin American integration. It conceives of democracy as the political sys- tem that brings the maximum happiness to the people. It doesn't 9
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