We hear a lot about Venezuela in the news. At times, it's hard to know what's the reality.
On Quara forum, someone took the time to explain the situation in great detail.
It's at: American conservatives claim the failure of the Venezuelan economy is due to socialism. How valid is this claim?
https://www.quora.com/American-conservatives-claim-the-failure-of-the-Venezuelan-economy-is-due-to-socialism-How-valid-is-this-claim
Since there is a lot of censorship in social media, I'll add some of the points from that response:
Rivero Felipe: response:
"I am Venezuelan. I say this to justify that I am using google translate to answer this question.
So let’s go.
To understand the current disaster in Venezuela, you have to understand Chavismo.
When talking about Chavismo, many people imagine it is Hugo Chavez. Although he was the supreme leader, there were actually other people (and groups) who created the doctrine that Chavismo would follow. And they would apply in their policies.
The main ideologist of Chavismo was Jorge Giordani, And Chavez's mentor.
Although an engineer by profession, he was a Marxist ideologist. He did a lot of work and research on how to implement Marxism in real life.
He also did a "paper" on the reasons behind the failure of the Soviet Union, which aspects should be imitated and which should not.
But he wasn’t the only one.
Chavismo created a group known as "Fundación Francisco de Mirada" - a group of radical Marxists, Communists and Leftists.
All were sent to Cuba and Libya (during the Gaddafi era), to be instructed in socialism, revolutionary struggle and how to establish a socialist system.
Foro de São Paulo
Foro de São Paulo - Wikipedia
It is an international forum that brings together all the left-wing parties and movements in Latin America.
From this forum, they agree on mutual support, such as what socialist policies can be implemented in each country.
In Venezuela, due to Chavismo, the most radical policies were implemented in Venezuela.
Alfredo Serrano Mancilla
Pablo Iglesias
Juan Carlos Monedero
The last three characters are Spanish communists who found the opportunity to apply in reality their most radical socialist ideas.
All this combination of characters and groups shaped the political doctrine of Chavismo.
This doctrine had three fundamental points:
Transform Venezuela from a capitalist country into a socialist one
Use Venezuela as the base to unify all Latin America under a socialist system.
Convert Venezuela into an alternative to neoliberalism and Yankee imperialism.
These objectives, as well as the policies necessary to implement them, were expressed in the “Homeland Plan".
Los “Planes de la patria” (the Homeland Plan) were the equivalent to The five-year plans of the Soviet Union, Cuba or Communist China.
Here is the current Venezuelan five-years plans (In Spanish):
Plan de la Patria 2019-2025 de Venezuela
So what were this set of policies, laws and actions that Chavismo, together with its allies devised to implement socialism in Venezuela.
Nationalization of strategic industries (Oil, mining, gas, telecommunications, Military, heavy industries, transportation).
Agrarian reform - reorganize the agrarian industry and nationalize agricultural conglomerates
Replace all large farms, estates, agricultural industries with peasant cooperatives.
Replace all small and medium-sized companies with worker cooperatives.
Control and eventually nationalize the national banking system.
Implement price controls (to avoid surplus value) and production control.
Create communal-led bank funds.
Change the system of territorial political division from municipalities / states to communes.
Progressively eliminate private education, to be replaced by public schools and / or communal schools.
Create revolutionary commandos to propaganda for the transformation of the country towards socialism
Create two food and goods distribution systems in the country. One controlled by the government and the other controlled by communes
Favor communal property over private property.
And a lot more polices.
Now, the question: Did Chavismo apply all these policies?
Answer: Yes:
I will name several examples.
Cantv is the biggest Venezuelan telephone and internet company, it was nationalized in 2007
Agropatria - Wikipedia
Agroisleña now known as Agropatria, It was the main supply company for the agriculture industry, in addition to being one of the main food distributors in Venezuela. was nationalized in 2010
It should be said, since this nationalization, agricultural production of Venezuela has fallen by 45% and has never recovered.
The Chavismo created a government agency called SUNDDE, its initials translated from Spanish would be: National Superintendency for the Defense of Socioeconomic Rights
The main objective of this agency is to control the prices of the country's goods and services, the distribution of food and the fulfillment of Chavismo's production goals.
This agency could close companies and arrest people for charging people too much.
Depending on the region and the year, this agency also imposed trade controls within the country. This meant that a company could only sell its products within a limited geographical area.
Although there is still the political division of municipality / state.
Venezuela is divided into communes, they are receiving public financing that should reach the municipalities.
They can legislate, they can organize police, and they act as a bridge between the central government and the people.
In practice, they are used as tools of social control.
To identify opponents of the regime, indicate who can receive state aid, who is granted permits from permits, to marry, to build.
Of course, those who are loyal to Chavismo are those who receive all kinds of permits.
During Chavismo, more than 120 thousand cooperatives were created. Many of these cooperatives were born from small and medium-sized companies that went bankrupt due to price and production control policies.
The government seized all these failed companies, and turned them into worker cooperatives.
With the agrarian reform of Chavismo, hundreds of farms were nationalized at first.
But then many turned into peasant cooperatives. Also from transport companies to medical services, companies went bankrupt or were nationalized by Chavismo.
They turned them into cooperatives.
In 2019, it was estimated that only 2,000 cooperatives were left standing, of the 120,000 that were initially created.
La Electricidad de Caracas (The Electricity of Caracas) was the largest energy company in the country. It was nationalized in 2007.
Those who have read news from Venezuela will know that in 2019 there was a national blackout, the entire country was in the dark for 4 days.
Today there are regions that can go weeks without electric light.
Electricidad de Caracas - Wikipedia
In September 2011, Chávez announced that he had nationalized Conferry, the largest commercial shipping company in Venezuela.
Conferry, a family business that had been operating since the 1950s, owned ships such as La Lydia, which could transport more than 800 people and hundreds of cars at speeds of up to 40 knots. The ships were often used to transport people back and forth from the Venezuelan mainland to Margarita Island, one of the country's main tourist destinations, on four-hour trips.
Now all the ships of the company are scrap metal, they cannot be used for maritime transport.
You can continue naming more nationalizations and socialist / communal policies that have been applied during the 20 years of Chavismo in Venezuela.
The question is: American conservatives claim the failure of the Venezuelan economy is due to socialism. How valid is this claim?
Chavismo devised a doctrine to implement socialism in Venezuela. In their 20 years of government they applied that doctrine without problems.
So yes, the attempt to build socialism in Venezuela ruined the country.
On Quara forum, someone took the time to explain the situation in great detail.
It's at: American conservatives claim the failure of the Venezuelan economy is due to socialism. How valid is this claim?
https://www.quora.com/American-conservatives-claim-the-failure-of-the-Venezuelan-economy-is-due-to-socialism-How-valid-is-this-claim
Since there is a lot of censorship in social media, I'll add some of the points from that response:
Rivero Felipe: response:
"I am Venezuelan. I say this to justify that I am using google translate to answer this question.
So let’s go.
To understand the current disaster in Venezuela, you have to understand Chavismo.
When talking about Chavismo, many people imagine it is Hugo Chavez. Although he was the supreme leader, there were actually other people (and groups) who created the doctrine that Chavismo would follow. And they would apply in their policies.
The main ideologist of Chavismo was Jorge Giordani, And Chavez's mentor.
Although an engineer by profession, he was a Marxist ideologist. He did a lot of work and research on how to implement Marxism in real life.
He also did a "paper" on the reasons behind the failure of the Soviet Union, which aspects should be imitated and which should not.
But he wasn’t the only one.
Chavismo created a group known as "Fundación Francisco de Mirada" - a group of radical Marxists, Communists and Leftists.
All were sent to Cuba and Libya (during the Gaddafi era), to be instructed in socialism, revolutionary struggle and how to establish a socialist system.
Foro de São Paulo
Foro de São Paulo - Wikipedia
It is an international forum that brings together all the left-wing parties and movements in Latin America.
From this forum, they agree on mutual support, such as what socialist policies can be implemented in each country.
In Venezuela, due to Chavismo, the most radical policies were implemented in Venezuela.
Alfredo Serrano Mancilla
Pablo Iglesias
Juan Carlos Monedero
The last three characters are Spanish communists who found the opportunity to apply in reality their most radical socialist ideas.
All this combination of characters and groups shaped the political doctrine of Chavismo.
This doctrine had three fundamental points:
Transform Venezuela from a capitalist country into a socialist one
Use Venezuela as the base to unify all Latin America under a socialist system.
Convert Venezuela into an alternative to neoliberalism and Yankee imperialism.
These objectives, as well as the policies necessary to implement them, were expressed in the “Homeland Plan".
Los “Planes de la patria” (the Homeland Plan) were the equivalent to The five-year plans of the Soviet Union, Cuba or Communist China.
Here is the current Venezuelan five-years plans (In Spanish):
Plan de la Patria 2019-2025 de Venezuela
So what were this set of policies, laws and actions that Chavismo, together with its allies devised to implement socialism in Venezuela.
Nationalization of strategic industries (Oil, mining, gas, telecommunications, Military, heavy industries, transportation).
Agrarian reform - reorganize the agrarian industry and nationalize agricultural conglomerates
Replace all large farms, estates, agricultural industries with peasant cooperatives.
Replace all small and medium-sized companies with worker cooperatives.
Control and eventually nationalize the national banking system.
Implement price controls (to avoid surplus value) and production control.
Create communal-led bank funds.
Change the system of territorial political division from municipalities / states to communes.
Progressively eliminate private education, to be replaced by public schools and / or communal schools.
Create revolutionary commandos to propaganda for the transformation of the country towards socialism
Create two food and goods distribution systems in the country. One controlled by the government and the other controlled by communes
Favor communal property over private property.
And a lot more polices.
Now, the question: Did Chavismo apply all these policies?
Answer: Yes:
I will name several examples.
Cantv is the biggest Venezuelan telephone and internet company, it was nationalized in 2007
Agropatria - Wikipedia
Agroisleña now known as Agropatria, It was the main supply company for the agriculture industry, in addition to being one of the main food distributors in Venezuela. was nationalized in 2010
It should be said, since this nationalization, agricultural production of Venezuela has fallen by 45% and has never recovered.
The Chavismo created a government agency called SUNDDE, its initials translated from Spanish would be: National Superintendency for the Defense of Socioeconomic Rights
The main objective of this agency is to control the prices of the country's goods and services, the distribution of food and the fulfillment of Chavismo's production goals.
This agency could close companies and arrest people for charging people too much.
Depending on the region and the year, this agency also imposed trade controls within the country. This meant that a company could only sell its products within a limited geographical area.
Although there is still the political division of municipality / state.
Venezuela is divided into communes, they are receiving public financing that should reach the municipalities.
They can legislate, they can organize police, and they act as a bridge between the central government and the people.
In practice, they are used as tools of social control.
To identify opponents of the regime, indicate who can receive state aid, who is granted permits from permits, to marry, to build.
Of course, those who are loyal to Chavismo are those who receive all kinds of permits.
During Chavismo, more than 120 thousand cooperatives were created. Many of these cooperatives were born from small and medium-sized companies that went bankrupt due to price and production control policies.
The government seized all these failed companies, and turned them into worker cooperatives.
With the agrarian reform of Chavismo, hundreds of farms were nationalized at first.
But then many turned into peasant cooperatives. Also from transport companies to medical services, companies went bankrupt or were nationalized by Chavismo.
They turned them into cooperatives.
In 2019, it was estimated that only 2,000 cooperatives were left standing, of the 120,000 that were initially created.
La Electricidad de Caracas (The Electricity of Caracas) was the largest energy company in the country. It was nationalized in 2007.
Those who have read news from Venezuela will know that in 2019 there was a national blackout, the entire country was in the dark for 4 days.
Today there are regions that can go weeks without electric light.
Electricidad de Caracas - Wikipedia
In September 2011, Chávez announced that he had nationalized Conferry, the largest commercial shipping company in Venezuela.
Conferry, a family business that had been operating since the 1950s, owned ships such as La Lydia, which could transport more than 800 people and hundreds of cars at speeds of up to 40 knots. The ships were often used to transport people back and forth from the Venezuelan mainland to Margarita Island, one of the country's main tourist destinations, on four-hour trips.
Now all the ships of the company are scrap metal, they cannot be used for maritime transport.
You can continue naming more nationalizations and socialist / communal policies that have been applied during the 20 years of Chavismo in Venezuela.
The question is: American conservatives claim the failure of the Venezuelan economy is due to socialism. How valid is this claim?
Chavismo devised a doctrine to implement socialism in Venezuela. In their 20 years of government they applied that doctrine without problems.
So yes, the attempt to build socialism in Venezuela ruined the country.
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