President Hugo Chávez has died after a long battle with cancer

[Ismail]

Forget your Stalinist-Hoxhaism a sec and try to realise that someone who actually stood for something similar to what we stand for without massacring thousands has just died.

Disgusting, old fashioned, "comintern" politics.

"I don't believe in the dogmatic postulates of Marxist revolution. I don't accept that we are living in a period of proletarian revolutions. All that must be revised. Reality is telling us that every day. Are we aiming in Venezuela today for the abolition of private property or a classless society? I don't think so." - Chávez to Tariq Ali, 2004.

No one here is praising Chávez's death, but no one should deify him either. He was not a Marxist.

[IrishWorker]

Really sad to hear Comrade Chavez has died but the Bolivarian Revolution carries on he has laid the foundation of a progressive nation in transition to real Socialism.

[Q]

Well, that was one iconic figure alright.

But, as others have said, his politics led nowhere in the end and it is highly likely that the country will drop into more uncertain times. I don't rule out a civil war even. The right will not allow the chance of another "lost decade".

[Kalinin's Facial Hair]

"I don't believe in the dogmatic postulates of Marxist revolution. I don't accept that we are living in a period of proletarian revolutions. All that must be revised. Reality is telling us that every day. Are we aiming in Venezuela today for the abolition of private property or a classless society? I don't think so." - Chávez to Tariq Ali, 2004.

No one here is praising Chávez's death, but no one should deify him either. He was not a Marxist.

No one is saying that either. What I fear is that all things accomplished during his years in government are ended. A precedent has been opened; the opposition (Caprilles) already claimed that Chavez' possession was not legitimate.

We've seen it all happen before, with Zelaya for example.

[l'Enfermé]

Forget your Stalinist-Hoxhaism a sec and try to realise that someone who actually stood for something similar to what we stand for without massacring thousands has just died.

Disgusting, old fashioned, "comintern" politics.

Hahahaha, we should be sad that Olaf Palme with a beret died?

[Questionable]

Besides Chavez, what is the status of the rest of South America? I remember watching on Oliver Stone documentary on Chavez where it showed that a lot of South American leaders had leftist tendencies. They weren't Marxists or anything but I'm still curious about what happened to them.

[Futility Personified]

Other people have expressed this sentiment already but i'm pretty surprised by this too and this is a box to write in so...

fuck! he was more of a populist than a socialist, but he's better than what's likely to fill the void. Maybe a more legit socialist direction will occur? Hopefully anyway.

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

Hahahaha, we should be sad that Olaf Palme with a beret died?

Well, I mean, it's sad that he died, nevertheless, as it is sad that most people die. Particularly if it is in a terrible manner. It will also most likely lead to worsening for the people of Venezuela overall. The few things that have been done well will most likely be undone quite soon. But aside from that... Olof Palme, come on, Chávez wasn't that bad, for all his faults and whatwith being a social-democrat, at least Chávez didn't appoint Kjell Olof-Feldt as Minister of Finance.

[Ismail]

No one is saying that either. What I fear is that all things accomplished during his years in government are ended. A precedent has been opened; the opposition (Caprilles) already claimed that Chavez' possession was not legitimate.

We've seen it all happen before, with Zelaya for example.

Opposing US imperialism and its allies in Latin America does not mean tailing left-wing populists like Chávez or liberals like Zelaya nor prettifying their politics.

The fact is that Chávez created a situation where he, the "strong man," was unilaterally creating "socialism" in Venezuela. Now that the "strong man" is gone many people are going to look to the rest of the PSUV for advice on what to do next, and it's highly likely that the PSUV leadership's replies will be increasingly against the actual interests of the working-class.

Besides Chavez, what is the status of the rest of South America? I remember watching on Oliver Stone documentary on Chavez where it showed that a lot of South American leaders had leftist tendencies. They weren't Marxists or anything but I'm still curious about what happened to them.

Correa in Ecuador, Morales in Bolivia and Ortega in Nicaragua (although that's Central America) are still in power. Fernando Lugo of Paraguay lost power through less than respectable means last year. They are to the right of Chávez.

[Lord Hargreaves]

Anyone who dismisses Chavez for not being sufficiently "Marxist", and doesn't see the good that has come about for Venezuela in the last few years, automatically qualifies as a moron.

Let's hope that if Chavez death leads to repaired relations with the US, then that doesn't mean the country goes backward in its drive for a more equitable society for its people.

[Ismail]

Anyone who dismisses Chavez for not being sufficiently "Marxist", and doesn't see the good that has come about for Venezuela in the last few years, automatically qualifies as a moron.

Good thing no one in this thread has yet made this mistake unless, of course, one is required to consider Chávez a Marxist and that Venezuela is actually building a "socialist" society without a revolution, without the leading role of the working-class, without a proletarian vanguard and without any actual industry or agriculture operating on socialist lines.

[Astarte]

Forget your Stalinist-Hoxhaism a sec and try to realise that someone who actually stood for something similar to what we stand for without massacring thousands has just died.

Disgusting, old fashioned, "comintern" politics.

Nah man, when Hoxha died it was a much bigger blow to socialism world-wide and especially the Western Hemisphere than losing Chavez ...

[Ismail]

Nah man, when Hoxha died it was a much bigger blow to socialism world-wide and especially the Western Hemisphere than losing Chavez ...

For what it's worth, Latin America had the strongest pro-Albanian parties (like the PCdoB, PCMLE, etc.) which all had fraternal relations with the Party of Labour of Albania.

[The Intransigent Faction]

Okay, he wasn't a communist. Still, if I see one more article in the news all but blatantly cheering about his illness & death...ugh.

I hope that whatever is in store for Venezuela next is not a backward move.

[Astarte]

For what it's worth, Latin America had the strongest pro-Albanian parties (like the PCdoB, PCMLE, etc.) which all had fraternal relations with the Party of Labour of Albania.

Yeah, the Latin American socialists were definitely lost after losing this, I agree - a huge impact on the left the man(?) was.

+ YouTube Video

[Ismail]

Yeah, the Latin American socialists were definitely lost after losing this, I agree - a huge impact on the left the man(?) was.

Yes, in a sea of pro-Soviet revisionism, Castroism and Maoism in Latin America, the pro-Albanian line tended to stand out. It is not surprising that so many of the former groupings have been praising Chávez and give him more than he is due.

[Kalinin's Facial Hair]

Besides Chavez, what is the status of the rest of South America? I remember watching on Oliver Stone documentary on Chavez where it showed that a lot of South American leaders had leftist tendencies. They weren't Marxists or anything but I'm still curious about what happened to them.

Paraguay's president Lugo was deposed through a questionable but according to constitution parliamentary decision. He had been ruling through decrees for some time, isolated. A confront between the police and landless workers who invaded a 2hec property ended with 11 workers and 6 policemen dead. Because of the massacre, Lugo fired his Interior Ministry and put a conservative in his place. The Partido Colorado (conservatives) blamed it on Lugo, as well as the liberals.

Lugo had less than 24 hours to elaborate his defense and was deposed in 48 hours.

Nevertheless, campesinos and the left wing in general were against the impeachment.

Ecuadorian president Rafael Corrêa accused of attempt of coup some policemen/army men who revolted a few years back. The tension lowered however.

Among South-American leftists, Chávez was the best, yes. Great loos, principally for Venezuelan people.

Not much to say about Evo Morales (Bolivia) and Lula (Brazil) got his sucessor elected.

[RedSonRising]

Chavez's most significant accomplishment, aside from providing all-time high access to vaccinations for yellow fever and other basic health services in poor communities, is creating a space in which the left can dialogue in mainstream politics. Unions, workers, the dispossessed, etc. were no longer conceptually marginalized by the exclusive rhetoric of politicians. Although he served as a barrier at times to real working class empowerment over production, I hope that the space he created doesn't evaporate.

[TheGodlessUtopian]

RIP comrade Chavez. Your policies may not have been the most revolutionary but they were far above that of any nearest competitor.

I will be following what happens next quite closely. It is sure to be quite the seismic event in one way or another in the coming years.

[Tenka]

Sidenote: Didn't Stalin die exactly 60 years ago?

Personal details
Born 18 December 1878
Gori, Tiflis Governorate, Russian Empire
Died 5 March 1953 (aged 74)
Kuntsevo Dacha near Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union

To the fucking day! This is creepy and suggestive....

RIP Chávez.