Venezuelan Revolution – a Marxist Perspective

The book begins with the April 2002 coup, spearheaded by the wealthy businessman Pedro Carmona and aimed at putting the country and its considerable oil wealth firmly in the grasp of US imperialism. This coup, the book explains, was defeated by the direct entry of the masses on to the stage of history. The book was not written with the benefit of hindsight. Instead, it follows the events, step by step, up until 2005, when President Hugo Chávez declared that the aims of the Venezuelan revolution could only be achieved by abolishing capitalism.

Alan Woods writes, not from the point of view of an outside observer, but as someone who has energetically engaged in the defence of the Bolivarian revolution. He is a founding member of the Hands Off Venezuela Campaign and has visited the country many times. He has spoken at large meetings of workers and peasants, and also held meetings and discussions with President Chávez, which are covered in detail in the book.

The crisis in Venezuela is being blamed on socialism by reactionaries in all corners of the planet. It is, therefore, vital that all socialists have a good understanding of the history of the revolution. Marxist theory is the crystallised experience of the working-class movement. It is incumbent upon all activists to have a good understanding of the history of past struggles in order to apply the lessons to the future.