Hugo Chávez and the Bolivarian Revolution

The first full-length study of the government of Hugo Chávez of Venezuela within wider discussions on populism and globalisation in Latin America. It provides a comprehensive and critical account of Chávez’s emergence, socio-economic policies, democratic credentials, impact, foreign policy and future prospects.

The first full-length study of the government of Hugo Chávez of Venezuela within wider discussions on populism and globalisation in Latin America. It provides a comprehensive and critical account of Chávez’s emergence, socio-economic policies, democratic credentials, impact, foreign policy and future prospects.

The emergence of Hugo Chávez in Venezuela has revived analysis of one of Latin America’s most enduring political traditions – populism. Yet Latin America has changed since the heyday of Perón and Evita. Globalisation, implemented through harsh IMF inspired Structural Adjustment Programmes, has taken hold throughout the region and democracy is supposedly the ‘only game in town’. This book examines the phenomenon that is Hugo Chávez within these contexts, assessing to what extent his government fits into established ideas on populism in Latin America. The book also provides a comprehensive and critical analysis of Chávez’s emergence, his government’s social and economic policies, its foreign policy, as well as assessing the charges of authoritarianism brought against him. Written in clear, accessible prose, the book carries debate beyond current polarised views on the Venezuelan president, to consider the prospects of the new Bolivarian model surviving beyond its leader and progenitor, Hugo Chávez.

List of tablesAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Populism and Latin America: context, causes, characteristics and consequences2. Structural fractures, crises, the state and the emergence of Chávez3. The leader and the led: hegemonic strategies in the leadership of Hugo Chávez4. Populism, globalisation and the socio-economic policies of the Chávez government5. Democrat or authoritarian? Human rights, institutional autonomy and popularparticipation under the government of Fujimori and Chávez6. The consequences and impact of populism: institutionalisation and democratizationin Chávez’s Venezuela7. Venezuelan international relations in the age of globalisationConclusion: populism and democracy in a globalised ageBibliographyIndex