Hugo Chavez's Venezuela

[FOREVER LEFT]

I think it is a proletarian revolution because it seems to follow Marx's rule of dialectics.

In the last 2 sentences of Chapter 2 of The State And Revolution Lenin says:

"Bourgeois states are most varied in form, but their essence is the same: all these states, whatever their form, in the final analysis are inevitably the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie. The transition from capitalism to communism is certainly bound to yield a tremendous abundance and variety of political forms, but the essence will inevitably be the same: the dictatorship of the proletariat."

http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/work...rev/ch02.htm#s3 (http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1917/staterev/ch02.htm#s3)

Venezuela's revolution is not a pure communist revolution but it is tending towards socialism. Capitalism has not been completely destroyed but it is becoming less and less a prominent feature of social organization. There are still elements of capitalism in that society as there still are seen green leaves in autumn when the leaves begin to change color.


Has anyone read that facinating book Dialectic Investigations????

[Karl Marx's Camel]

Someone here once described the "bolivarian revolution" as, not as socialist, but an anti-imperialist, democratic nationalist movement, or something along those lines.

I believe that is quite correct.

I am not an expert but it seems more like a coalition of parts of the national and petty bourgeois and the proletariat/peasantry against the colonial bourgeois?

[RedLenin]

The Venezuelan revolution is indeed a proletarian revolution. It is the masses that have made the decisive moves. The workers have occupied their factories and demanded expropriation and nationalization under workers control. In fact, the workers are already running some of the factories under workers control The masses of workers have risen up and defeated the coup of 2002. The Venezuelan workers and poor and now establishing communal councils, embrionic soviets, in their communities. If one only focuses on Chavez, one is missing the point entirely. What makes this a revolution is the conscious movement of the masses to change society.

All of that said, the Venezuelan revolution still has a lot to do. The economy is still capitalist and the state remains a bourgeois state. The communal councils need to be developed and linked with the factory committees on all levels. Large industry needs to be expropriated and nationalized under workers control. The old state apparatus must be purged and replaced with a new apparatus based on the councils. The economy must be democratically planned to meet the needs of the masses, and the workers must be armed and form themselves into militias. In order for this to be accomplished, leadership is needed. The new United Socialist Party of Venezuela, if based on a genuine Marxist program, could be this leadership. The Revolutionary Marxist Current (http://venezuela.elmilitante.org), the Venezuelan section of the International Marxist Tendency, is at the forefront of the struggle for socialism in Venezuela.

Socialists and Communists everywhere need to defend the Venezuelan revolution from imperialism and actively work to take it further.

[Janus]

The Venezuelan revolution is indeed a proletarian revolution. It is the masses that have made the decisive moves. The workers have occupied their factories and demanded expropriation and nationalization under workers control.
Right, there certainly is a worker's movement in Venezuela though it has been overshadowed and hijacked to a certain degree by Chavez.

[Ander]

A proletarian revolution has to occur from the bottom up, not the opposite. So the answer to your question would have to be a no. However, I'm positive there will be many disagreements.

[southernmissfan]

Originally posted by [email protected] 25, 2007 08:23 pm
Someone here once described the "bolivarian revolution" as, not as socialist, but an anti-imperialist, democratic nationalist movement, or something along those lines.

I believe that is quite correct.

I am not an expert but it seems more like a coalition of parts of the national and petty bourgeois and the proletariat/peasantry against the colonial bourgeois?
I absolutely agree.

[forever socialist]

Greeting everyone,

I view the situation developing in Venezuela as a proletariat revolution. The country has imense wealth,not least in its oil wells, that needs safe guarding from U.S greed. Chavez seems to be the man who will say "no I won't" to America and allow the Venezuelan people to benfit from the countries' wealth. The United States has long seen Latin America as it back yard, and commited deplorable acts to keep any corrupt leader in place that says yes to them.
Chavez should be admired for standing up to American greed in South America. No doubt America will do anything to topple him, but yes they are too busy fighting a lossing battle in Iraq. Chavez is still climbing the mountain, but I think he will benefit his nation and its people.
Lets hope Chavez's Venezuela will inspire other revolutions throughout Latin America, and more countries say "no we won't", to America.

[Spirit of Spartacus]

I am not an expert but it seems more like a coalition of parts of the national and petty bourgeois and the proletariat/peasantry against the colonial bourgeois?



Yes, that would be the best description of the "Bolivarian revolution".

We need to see this kind of thing all over the Third World.

[Whitten]

chavez's revolution is anti-imperialist, the people's revolution is socialist. It was the people themselves who rose up against the imperial coup and restored their democratic government, it is the people forming workers councils and calling strikes and factory occupations, organising thousands upon thousands of free workers cooperatives, and fighting against the bourgeois monopolies. Meanwhile Chavez and his party continues this trend through nationalisation of major key industry and foreign owned business, and with price regulations against the big pesantry to drop the cost of food. A revolution doesn't happen over night.