Hugo Chavez Socialist for the 21st Century

by Gonzalez, Mike

• ISBN13: 9780745334653
• ISBN10: 0745334652
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2014-02-20
• Publisher: Pluto Press

Summary

When Hugo Chavez, then President of Venezuela, died in 2013, millions across the globe mourned. In an age where most politicians inspire only apathy and cynicism, Chavez's popularity, radicalism and vibrant personality were truly unique.

Released one year after Chavez's unexpected death, this dramatic and intimate biography traces Chavez's life from an impoverished rural family to the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas. Mike Gonzalez shows how Chavez's 'Bolivarian revolution' aimed to complete Simon Bolivar's promise of a Latin America free from imperialism.

Gonzalez details Chavez's close connection to the masses and how he enraged wealthy elites by declaring his support for 21st century socialism. He concludes that the struggle for social justice inspired by Chavez can and must continue. This is an ideal guide to Chavez's inspiring life and legacy.

Author Biography

Mike Gonzalez is Emeritus Professor of Latin American Studies at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. He is the co-editor of Arms and the People (Pluto, 2012) and author of A Rebel's Guide to Marx (2006) and Che Guevara and the Cuban Revolution (2004).

Table of Contents

Glossary
Timeline
Epigraph
Introduction: A Man for Difficult Times
1. The Plainsman
2. The Dream of Simon Bolivar
3. From Insurrection to Election
4. Episodes in the Class War
5. The Bolivarian Revolution Advances
6. The Contradictions of 21st Century Socialism
7. The Legacy of Hugo Chavez
Notes
Index