Venezuela under Hugo Chavez could be a model for peaceful revolution or, as this definitive history shows, it could all be undone by the spectres of the past. Since coming to power in 1998, the Chavez government has inspired both fierce internal debate and horror amongst Western governments accustomed to counting on an obeisant regime in the oil rich state. In this rich and resourceful study, Greg Wilpert exposes the self serving logic behind much middle class opposition to Venezuelas elected leader, and explains the real reason for their alarm. He argues that the Chavez government has instituted one of the worlds most progressive constitutions, but warns that they have yet to overcome the dangerous spectres of the countrys past: its culture of patronage and clientelism, its corruption, and its support for personality cults; all of them fuelled by the attention and interference of a succession of US administrations.
Changing Venezuela by Taking Power: The Policies of the Chavez Government
Gregory Wilpert
Gregory Wilpert is a German-American sociologist, journalist, and activist who has covered Venezuela extensively for a wide variety of publications. He holds a Ph.D. in sociology (Brandeis University, 1994) and is author of the book, Changing Venezuela by Taking Power: The History and Policies of the Chávez Government (Verso Books, 2007). He is co-founder of the website Venezuelanalysis.com, was director of the teleSUR English website, and host and managing editor for The Real News Network. Currently he works as deputy editor at the Institute for New Economic Thinking.