In the Shadow of the Liberator: Hugo Chavez and the Transformation of Venezuela [Paperback]

Richard Gott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2001

The spectre of Simon Bolivar hovers once again over Latin America as the aims and ambitions of the Liberator are taken up by Comandante Hugo Chavez, the charismatic and controversial President of Venezuela. Welcomed by the inhabitants of the teeming shanty towns of Caracas as their potential saviour, and greeted by Washington with considerable alarm, this former golpista-turned-democrat has already begun the most wide-ranging transformation of oil-rich Venezuela for 500 years, and has dramatically affected the political debate throughout Latin America. In a first-hand report from Venezuela, correspondent Richard Gott places the Comandante in historical perspective, and examines his plans and programmes. He describes the support and opposition that these attract, and argues that this experiment may prove a new way forward for Latin America.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Little is known in detail of [Chávez's] life, career, and ideas. This study...begins to fill the gaps. -- Multicultural Review

About the Author

Richard Gott was for many years a senior editor at the Guardian in London. A specialist in Latin American affairs, he worked in the 1960s at the University of Chile, where he wrote Guerrilla Movements in Latin America, the definitive study of the revolutionary groups that arose in the years after the Cuban revolution. Among his earlier books are The Appeasers, written with Martin Gilbert, and Land Without Evil.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Verso (October 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1859843654
• ISBN-13: 978-1859843659
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,444,670 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A sympathetic view of Chávez, September 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: In the Shadow of the Liberator: The Impact of Hugo Chavez on Venezuela and Latin America (Hardcover)

Since there is no extended analysis of Chávez in English that I know of, this is the most complete version that can be found of the history of the Chávez phenomenon. The reader should be aware that the author makes little effort to hide his admiration for Hugo Chávez, and accepts without question the Chávez interpretation of Venezuela, which is to say that absolutely nothing good ever happened in Venezuela between the death of Bolívar and the coup attempt led by Chávez. No credit is given at all to any attempts to develop the country in the last 100 years, except perhaps during the Pérez Jiménez dictatorship. Just about all previous leaders were corrupt. The author fails entirely to see the continuities between the Chávez movement and previous political movements, which are many. In short, the book is totally biased. Despite its obvious defects, however, Gott does cover the basic facts of Chávez' origins and his strategy to gain power, so if the reader wants to find out what Chávez is all about, this is a good and even fascinating source. It's fun to read. If the reader wants to understand what Venezuela is all about, it is much less reliable. The book only takes us up to the approval of the new Constitution at the end of 1999 and really only covers the period up until about mid-1999. The author's biases mean that he is unable to see the fractures within the Chávez coalition which would eventually lead to the break with Arias Cárdenas and which will surely mean further fissures in the future. He also assumes that all opponents to Chávez are hopeless reactionaries, which is only about 50% true. Surely someone will write a better book soon, but for now, this book will be useful for anyone who wants to know what has been going on in Venezuela. But let the buyer beware. Gott obviously doesn't care much about democratic processes and seems to think that coups are okay means of bringing about change.

37 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good help to understand contemporary Venezuela., July 30, 2000

By 

Luis Gallo "Luis Eduardo Gallo" (Valencia, Estado Carabobo Venezuela) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In the Shadow of the Liberator: The Impact of Hugo Chavez on Venezuela and Latin America (Hardcover)

As the author says, few books have been written in English about contemporary Venezuela, and a lot of what is being written in Spanish, for readers abroad, is too biased, incidental and poorly researched to be of any help in order to understand the deep political changes that are taking place in Simón Bolívar's nation. With his book "In the Shadow of the Liberator, Hugo Chávez and the Transformation of Venezuela" Professor Gott contributes to foster an objective and deeper knowledge of the Venezuelan political process led by President Chávez. Gott analyzes Venezuela's recent history;the Carlos Andrés Pérez's Presidency and the "Caracazo" of 1989, the military rebellions of 1992, the Rafael Caldera's government, the fall of the Ancien Régime and the election of Hugo Chávez as President, the formation of the Constituent Assembly and the future of the Bolivarian dream that Chávez endorses, the economy, the Legacy of Bolívar, and the impact of Chávez in Latin America, in a well docummented story enriched with on-site experiences and interviews with leading Venezuelan politicians. Gott also writes about the Reform of the Judiciary, the rights of indigenous peoples, the military and civil society and other changes that Chávez is pushing through his political agenda to conclude, as a majority of Venezuelans do, that President Chávez is an honest man "with the interest of his people at heart" It is an excellent book, not the last word in English - I hope- about a history that is still being written, but a first and rather good approach by an English writing scholar that will undoubtedly help in understanding the present and future of Venezuela.

20 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good view of Venezuela's politics today, January 21, 2001

By 

Mario (Caracas, Venezuela) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Shadow of the Liberator: The Impact of Hugo Chavez on Venezuela and Latin America (Hardcover)

After more than 50 years of extremely corrupt leaders, Venezuelans finally got tired, and elected this former paratroop officer/attempted coup leader as their president. This book portrays the reason for his election, and the way in which he was brought to power quite accurately, if not totally unbiased. However, this book is not just some attempt from Chavez to hire a biographer to change his image (as some readers suggested), but an attempt to show that perhaps president Chavez isn't a spawn of satan, like the opposition claims. Taxing, anti-corruption campaigns, and communicating with the people who elected him (the true average Venezuelan) on TV every Sunday are just a few things that have led him to be called everything from a Fascist (in the pre-election era) to a Communist (in the post-election era). Definitely a good book.