Description
Hugo Chávez’s speeches are a call to action, challenging us to build a socialism that emerges from our own histories and is for our own people. The Bolivarian Revolution bravely put forth a path to liberation for Venezuela and the continent, declaring socialism as the only way of defeating capitalism and imperialism. And the socialism Chávez proposes finds its roots in the legacy of Venezuelan and South American struggles for independence from imperialism. From Simón Bolívar to revolutionary Cuba, to Indigenous leaders who knew their vengeance would come centuries later, Chávez weaves history and theory to present a socialism that emerges from the people – a heroic creation of its own.
Chávez left behind thousands of hours of speeches, and this book collects seven of them, presenting his theories, perspectives, and his visions of 21st century socialism. An almost encyclopaedic blend of songs, stories, and dreams of the Venezuelan people, his words are a tool for young people seeking to understand the ideas of Chavismo and the Venezuelan process of building socialism in South America.
Edited by Carlos Ron, Manolo De Los Santos and Vijay Prashad, this collection features a foreword by Jorge Arreaza.
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About the authors
Hugo Chavez
Hugo Chavez (1954–2013) was president of Venezuela and leader of the Bolivarian Revolution. He nationalised key industries, used oil revenues for social programs for the poor, and passed important reforms in the fields of health, housing, and education.
Jorge Arreaza
Jorge Arreaza is the Minister of Popular Power (and Vice President of the PSUV VP) for Communes and Social Movements. He served as Vice President of Venezuela from 2013 to 2016, and as Foreign Minister from 2017–2021.
About the editors
Carlos Ron
Carlos Ron is the president of the Simón Bolívar Institute for Peace and Solidarity Among Peoples and serves as the vice-minister of Foreign Affairs for North America.
Manolo De Los Santos
Manolo De Los Santos is the co-executive director of the People’s Forum and is a researcher at Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. He co-edited, most recently, Viviremos: Venezuela vs. Hybrid War and Comrade of the Revolution: Selected Speeches of Fidel Castro. He is a co-coordinator of the People’s Summit for Democracy.
Vijay Prashad
Vijay Prashad is an Indian historian and journalist. Prashad is the author of forty books, including Washington Bullets, Red Star Over the Third World, The Darker Nations: A People’s History of the Third World and The Poorer Nations: A Possible History of the Global South. He is the Chief Correspondent for Globetrotter and editor at LeftWord Books.
