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In the Shadow of the Liberator: The Impact of Hugo Chávez on Venezuela and Latin America
In a first-hand report from Venezuela, veteran correspondent Richard Gott places the county’s controversial president in historical perspective. Examining Chavez’s plans and programmes and the support these attract, Gott argues that this unique experiment may prove a new way forward for Latin America.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 26, 2022
Far from being a "deus ex machina," as Hugo Chávez's first election is sometimes tacitly positioned in the corporate media, his rise to power, repeated electoral victories and enduring popularity were firmly rooted in Venezuelan conditions and history. Written in 2000, when Chávez had been in power for only a year, In the Shadow of the Liberator provides a solid grounding in these conditions and history.
The author has sympathies with the Bolivarian movement but this book is not hagiography. Rather, it is a grounded discussion of Venezuelan history over the second half of the 20th century, without which it is impossible to understand the popularity of Chávez, and a study of the late president's political development and historical influences. The book takes the time to flesh out the career and politics of not only Simon Bolivar, but other historical figures that are familiar to Venezuelans but not to the peoples of the Global North; figures that should be better known.
There are also sketches of the many people involved in the clandestine organization Chávez organized within the military while an officer, and also of civilian political leaders and their organizations. There is also a solid discussion of the circumstances of the failed 1992 coup attempt and the backing that effort enjoyed from large segments of the country.
As Venezuela suffers through an economic crash in the 1990s fueled by persistently low oil prices and ongoing bad economic policies by the two corrupt parties that alternated in power for decades (Democratic Action and Copei), the social movements gradually move closer together and although there remained multiple poles of the Left, there was enough unity in action, built upon the fact that Chávez creditably showed he would pursue the interests of Venezuelan working people, for him to sweep to a resounding electoral victory.
This book is a necessary corrective for a movement routinely maligned and lied about in the corporate media, and an excellent starting point for understanding a movement that has remained in power for more than 20 years.
The author has sympathies with the Bolivarian movement but this book is not hagiography. Rather, it is a grounded discussion of Venezuelan history over the second half of the 20th century, without which it is impossible to understand the popularity of Chávez, and a study of the late president's political development and historical influences. The book takes the time to flesh out the career and politics of not only Simon Bolivar, but other historical figures that are familiar to Venezuelans but not to the peoples of the Global North; figures that should be better known.
There are also sketches of the many people involved in the clandestine organization Chávez organized within the military while an officer, and also of civilian political leaders and their organizations. There is also a solid discussion of the circumstances of the failed 1992 coup attempt and the backing that effort enjoyed from large segments of the country.
As Venezuela suffers through an economic crash in the 1990s fueled by persistently low oil prices and ongoing bad economic policies by the two corrupt parties that alternated in power for decades (Democratic Action and Copei), the social movements gradually move closer together and although there remained multiple poles of the Left, there was enough unity in action, built upon the fact that Chávez creditably showed he would pursue the interests of Venezuelan working people, for him to sweep to a resounding electoral victory.
This book is a necessary corrective for a movement routinely maligned and lied about in the corporate media, and an excellent starting point for understanding a movement that has remained in power for more than 20 years.
December 12, 2012
ANother book I've had sitting around rather a long time waiting to be read. While there has been quite a lot of water under the bridge since Gott wrote this book that doesn't really matter too much as it is basically an i troduction to Venezuelan history and the rise of Chavez. Despite having been interested in the politics of Latin America for many years Venezuela remains one of the countries I've not really read that much about or am over familiar with. Tis book provides a good over view putting the country into context delving back to the liberation from Spanish colonialism. One really interesting feature of this book is Gott's examination of the role of the military in Latin American society, which is generally taken to have been quite negative. This book however shows how the military has often been a balancing or even progressive force in politics where "democracy" has been no more than a word used to try to legitimise dodgy regimes. In this respect I think it is hard to see the role of the military in Venezuela in a negative light for their role in ridding the country of what seems to have been a truely corrupt political system. How much can be said for what has followed since the late 90's is the subject of another book, not this one. Well worth reading for anyone interested in how and why Chavez ended up where he is today.
February 11, 2008
I just truly hope that this book shows all the blind and dumb celebrities that Hugo Chavez is a communist monster. Hopefully there will be a book (sooner than later) about the demise and fall of the Chavez regime, all the way to his death!!!!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews