Hugo Chávez and the Bolivarian Revolution

The authoritative first-hand account of contemporary Venezuela, Hugo Chávez places the country's controversial and charismatic president in historical perspective, and examines his plans and programs. Welcomed in 1999 by the inhabitants of the teeming shanty towns of Caracas as their potential savior, and greeted by Washington with considerable alarm, this former golpista-turned-democrat took up the aims and ambitions of Venezuela's liberator, Simón Bolívar. Now in office for over a decade, President Chávez has undertaken the most wide-ranging transformation of oil-rich Venezuela for half a century, and dramatically affected the political debate throughout Latin America.In this updated edition, Richard Gott reflects on the achievements of the Bolivarian revolution, and the challenges that lie ahead.

A colourful and readable account of Chávez's background and beliefs., Gott is always an interesting, well-informed, and engaging writer., Chávez, as Richard Gott's readable profile makes clear, is no ordinary caudillo., Gott is, if nothing else, a true believer of the revolutionary process in Latin America and brings his own sense of moral indignation every time he mentions the United States. It is worth reading a text that is so ideological yet effectively explains how many people in the upper ranks of the Chávez government perceive the world around them.

Richard Gott is a former Latin America correspondent and features editor for the Guardian. A specialist in Latin American affairs, his books include Cuba: A New History, Guerrilla Movements in Latin America, The Appeasers (with Martin Gilbert), Land Without Evil, Hugo Chávez and the Bolivarian Revolution, and Britain's Empire. He is currently an honorary research fellow at the institute for the study of the Americas at the University of London.