The Battle of Venezuela (Open Media Series) - Softcover

McCaughan, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 158322680X ISBN 13: 9781583226803

Publisher: Seven Stories Press, 2005

Synopsis

In August 2004, the Venezuelan public came out in record numbers to deliver an overwhelming vote of confidence. After many attempts to unseat him, Hugo Chåvez, the former military man who took the country first by coup and then by ballot, again emerged as the people’s choice. It was, in his words, "a victory for the people of Venezuela."
Yet despite Chåvez’s successes, having defended his post in six referenda, two elections and against one failed coup, Venezuela—one of the world’s largest oil exporting countries—is a nation deeply divided. The power struggle between the country’s first indigenous head of state and his detractors expresses a larger conflict gripping the region.
In The Battle of Venezuela, Guardian reporter Michael McCaughan captures the drama of challenges to Chåvez’s presidency in the courts and on the streets of Caracas. In this detailed analysis of the political forces at work, McCaughan documents the role of the country’s powerful and shrinking middle class, the effects of Chåvez’s social programs for his mainly poor constituents, and the rise of the social movement whose members proclaim themselves "Chåvistas."

About this title

About the Author:

MICHAEL MCCAUGHAN has reported extensively from Latin America for The Irish Times and The Guardian, among others. He is author of True Crimes: Rodolfo Walsh, the Life and Times of a Radical Intellectual.

From Booklist:

Not since Fidel Castro has a Latin American leader provoked as much angst and attention in the U.S. as Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. Journalist McCaughan draws on firsthand accounts and interviews with Chavez and government officials to analyze the social and political forces that have placed Chavez in office as well as the implications for Venezuela, South America, the U.S., and global politics. Chavez, a master strategist, has survived six referenda, two elections, and one failed coup--and relentless criticism from the U.S. McCaughan examines how Chavez rose from the military to national political office and the social and political dynamics that fortify his popularity. The Chavez presidency is part of the long history of struggle for social justice in oil-rich Venezuela, including the influences of Simon Bolivar, the Cuban Revolution, Che Guevara, and Communist--inspired ideals of land reform. Readers interested in Latin American politics, issues of land reform, and globalization trends will appreciate this look at a fascinating world figure. Vanessa Bush
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About this edition

• Publisher: Seven Stories Press
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 158322680X
• ISBN 13: 9781583226803
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240