Australia and the World Past and Present

Chavsimo is the political ideology associated with former Venezuelan President, Hugo Chávez, and his rule from 1999 to 2013.

Chavismo presented as something new – as most ideologies do.

But there was nothing new about it. It was just the latest version of left-wing populism. In this sense, it was simply mutton dressed up an lamb.

Chavismo had a few different prongs to it. It included the nationalisation of key companies or industries. Popular social welfare programs were an important component. There was free health care for the poor and price controls on food. The bogeyman was neolibralism.

The response to Chavismo from academics was mixed.

Some liberal democratic scholars were skeptical of the movement. Such scholars often emphasise the importance of free and fair elections, freedom of association and freedom of speech. Such critics would also point to the violation of some property rights under Chávez.

More radical democratic scholars see these traditional, Western rights as not going far enough in bringing about social justice – especially for the poor.

It was easier for supporters to praise Chávez’s agenda at the beginning of his rule than in later years. When a new leader takes over, it is relatively easy for them to blame problems on their immediate predecessor. The longer a leader is in power, the harder it becomes to blame those who came before. However, neoliberalism, multinational corporations, the West in general and the United States in particular could become the scapegoat for any deterioration in people’s lived experience.

It is common for strong and charismatic leaders to present their agenda as something totally novel – something that will resolve many of the problems facing the country. But on closer inspection, Chavismo was just the latest amalgam of socialist policy prescriptions in Venezuela.