Venezuela in Crisis - by Anderson M Bean

Book Synopsis

In this essential intervention, Venezuelan socialists provide an invaluable analysis of the origins and causes of their country's crisis, and offer a critique of the Maduro regime.

Venezuela in Crisis brings together a diverse array of Venezuelan thinkers and activists to grapple with the question of how and why the aspirations for what Hugo Chavez deemed "socialism in the twenty-first century" gave way to the deepest economic collapse in all of South America. While recognizing the devastating impact of sanctions, this collection's authors reject the simplistic view that all would be well if not for US meddling. Rather, they argue that from governmental mismanagement to rising repression, the regime of Nicolás Maduro deserves a significant share of the blame for Venezuela's ongoing crisis.

With chapters focused on the Maduro government's economic policies, its continuities and breaks from the Chávez era, its erosion of democratic processes in the country, and its doubling down on extractivism, Venezuela in Crisis is an indispensable guide for international solidarity activists and for anyone looking for a nuanced understanding of Venezuela's crisis.

Writing from an anticapitalist, anti-imperialist, and anti-authoritarian perspective, this volume never loses sight of the need to stand with the Venezuelan people rather than their government--even when it claims to be struggling to build socialism.

Review Quotes

"Easy praise of the Hugo Chávez era always concealed a more complicated scenario on the ground. But for well over a decade it has been impossible to deny the depth of the mire into which the Bolivarian process has sunk. One option among former celebrants on the international left has been to go mute and turn attention elsewhere. This path sometimes includes a dose of honesty, but with little reckoning or integrity. Another option has been to double down and defend bureaucratic sclerosis and authoritarian consolidation under Nicolás Maduro. Rather than turning one's head, this requires burying it in the sand. Down this road, no truth, no reckoning, no integrity. Venezuela in Crisis is the first collection in English to genuinely grapple with the crisis - its origins, character, scale, depth, trajectory - from socialist perspectives that take democratic self-determination seriously. This book is a crucial contribution toward our collective understanding of what went wrong in the Bolivarian experiment, which is the first step toward the monumental work of rebuilding a genuinely socialist alternative future."
--Jeffery R. Webber, co-author of, The Impasse of the Latin American Left

"This book, coordinated under the attentive and careful eye of Professor Anderson Bean, combines contributions from the editor himself alongside some of the most prominent leftist thinkers in Venezuela. The book explores over a quarter century of Venezuela's sociopolitical experience, highlighting the advances and setbacks associated with the Bolivarian Process during two distinct periods: the first under Chavez, from 1999 to his death in 2012, the second, the period under Maduro, from 2013 to the present. The latter contrasts sharply with the former in terms of leadership, achievements, and both national and global impact. Through the perspectives provided by each contributor, readers can form their own understanding of the ongoing struggle in Venezuela to realize the ideals of the Bolivarian Homeland."
--Jorge Giordani, Marxist engineer-economist, former planning minister under Hugo Chávez.

"An invaluable book that helps us all better understand how a country that was once the most exciting social laboratory for change descended into such a profound crisis. Written amid rising US aggression and internal repression, this collection of insightful essays critically foregrounds the often silenced voices of Venezuelan leftists seeking a democratic and anti-capitalist path out of the crisis, making it essential reading for anyone interested in genuinely grappling with the complex realities of Venezuela today."
--Federico Fuentes, Editor, LINKS International Journal of Socialist Renewal

"Unlike the schematic, polarized takes that dominate discussion of Venezuela, this book offers a well-informed, reflective examination that aims not to persuade but to probe--critically and in depth--the political, economic, and environmental dynamics of the current Venezuelan process. Newcomers will find enough context to form a solid, integrated picture of what's happening, while readers seeking more will find rigorous, up-to-date analysis of Venezuela's complex reality today. I highly recommend this book."
--Edgardo Lander, Retired professor Venezuela Central University

"Coming at a time of global capitalist crisis and escalating geopolitical conflict, Venezuela in
Crisis could not be more timely and urgent. These essays, written by Venezuelan socialists themselves, make clear that U.S. economic warfare and rightwing counterrevolution are not enough to explain the Venezuelan crisis. Notwithstanding its socialist rhetoric, the Maduro regime has turned to authoritarian control in its drive to deepen a model of extractivist and rentier capitalism that has sacrificed the working class to local and transnational capital. The degeneration of the Bolivarian process is both a tragedy and a lesson for popular struggles from below throughout the Americas and beyond: would-be socialist projects cannot serve both capital and the working class. The international left must stand in solidarity with the Venezuelan popular classes by opposing both U.S. intervention and the Maduro regime."
--William I. Robinson, Distinguished Professor of Sociology, Global, and Latin American Studies University of California at Santa Barbara

About the Author

Anderson M. Bean is an assistant teaching professor of sociology at the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, North Carolina. He is the author of Communes and the Venezuelan State: The Struggle for Participatory Democracy in a Time of Crisis.