Venezuela declaration to the revolutionary people before the imperialist onslau

Marxist Theory · 2026-05-13

Here is the structured analytical summary of the article "Venezuela: declaration to the revolutionary people – before the imperialist onslaught, we must go on the offensive!" from In Defence of Marxism.

Core Argument¶

The central thesis is that the 2019 imperialist offensive against the Bolivarian Revolution, spearheaded by the United States and its regional allies, represents a decisive moment in the Venezuelan class struggle. The article argues that this is not merely a political crisis but a direct attempt by the capitalist class, acting through US imperialism, to reverse a 20-year loss of direct state control and re-subjugate Venezuela to the logic of global capital. The core claim is that the Maduro government’s policy of class conciliation, half-measures, and economic concessions to the bourgeoisie has proven strategically bankrupt. Against this, the article asserts that the only viable path to defeat the coup is a revolutionary offensive: the arrest of Juan Guaidó, the dissolution of the pro-imperialist National Assembly, the arming of the Bolivarian militias, and the expropriation of imperialist and national monopolies under workers’ control. The argument is that the working class and the people are the only social force capable of saving the revolution, but they cannot do so while being demoralised by a government that refuses to break decisively with capital.

Theoretical Grounding¶

The analysis is firmly rooted in the classical Marxist tradition of the revolutionary party and the theory of the state. It draws on Lenin’s conception of the state as an instrument of class rule, viewing the Guaidó parallel government not as a democratic alternative but as a bourgeois apparatus designed to smash the workers’ state. The article applies the Marxist theory of imperialism, identifying the US intervention as a direct consequence of the drive to control Venezuelan oil wealth and crush a movement that threatens capitalist interests across the continent. It also employs the Marxist critique of reformism and class collaboration, arguing that the Maduro government’s attempts to negotiate with the bourgeoisie and implement market-friendly policies (exchange liberalisation, devaluation) have weakened the revolution’s social base and emboldened the reaction. The demand for expropriation and workers’ control is grounded in the Marxist understanding that the crisis of overaccumulation and the falling rate of profit cannot be resolved within the framework of capitalism; only a planned economy under democratic working-class control can provide structural solutions. The article sits within the Trotskyist tradition of permanent revolution, insisting that the Venezuelan process cannot stop at a bourgeois-democratic stage but must move towards socialist measures to survive.

Conjunctural Relevance¶

The article is a direct intervention into the specific conjuncture of February 2019. It names the key forces in the conflict: the Trump administration, the Lima Group, the OAS, the European Union, and the Colombian government as the external imperialist bloc; and Juan Guaidó, the National Assembly, and the Venezuelan oligarchy as the internal agents. It identifies the precise mechanisms of the coup: the freezing of Venezuelan state assets (US$7 billion from PDVSA, 1.2 billion in gold at the Bank of England), the threat of military intervention (Southern Command, British Royal Navy deployment to Curaçao, the appointment of Elliot Abrams), and the use of "humanitarian aid" as a pretext for a violent border confrontation on 23 February. The article connects this to the broader geopolitical context, arguing that Venezuela is a test case for US imperialism’s ability to roll back progressive movements in Latin America. It also situates the crisis within the internal dynamics of the Venezuelan economy, pointing to the government’s exchange liberalisation and devaluation as policies that shift the burden of the crisis onto the working class, thereby undermining the social base needed to resist the imperialist onslaught.

Where the Argument Continues¶

This article is a tactical intervention at a specific flashpoint, and its argument continues in several directions within the Marxist.com corpus. The analysis of the failure of "class conciliation" is a recurring theme in IDOM articles on Venezuela, particularly those critiquing the Maduro government’s economic policies and its reliance on the military rather than on mass mobilisation. The demand for a revolutionary workers’ government and the dissolution of the bourgeois state apparatus is developed further in theoretical pieces on the state and revolution. The call for a planned economy and workers’ control is elaborated in broader IDOM articles on socialist economics and the transition to socialism. The specific critique of "humanitarian aid" as a tool of imperialist intervention is a theme that recurs in coverage of other conflicts, such as Syria. The argument also connects to the ongoing "Against the Stream" podcast episodes that analyse the balance of forces in Latin America and the need for a revolutionary internationalist strategy.

Connections¶

This article should be read alongside: - Lenin’s State and Revolution – for the theoretical grounding of the need to smash the bourgeois state apparatus. - Trotsky’s The Revolution Betrayed – for the analysis of a workers’ state under bureaucratic and imperialist pressure. - Other IDOM articles on Venezuela from 2019-2020 – particularly those analysing the failure of the "dialogue" process and the need for a revolutionary party. - IDOM articles on the theory of imperialism – for the broader framework of understanding US intervention in Latin America. - The writings of the Revolutionary Communist International (RCI) on the permanent revolution – to understand the strategic perspective of moving from a national-democratic to a socialist revolution.

Key Quotes¶

"The policies of class conciliation and half-measures executed by the government have been shown to be detrimental to battling reaction. We have witnessed constant appeals for peace and consultation, aimed at the same sectors that are preparing to drown the revolution in blood."
"This policy leads to the demoralisation of the working class and the people, who are the motor force of the revolution and the only ones who can save it from the present threats."
"Given the urgent need to prevent the return of the right to power, revolutionaries must fight the new reactionary attack, but not to maintain the current, chaotic and degrading state of affairs. Instead, we must build a new society worth living for, and worth defending with our lives."
"The goals pursued by the US are known to all: to control the innumerable riches of Venezuela, to crush the Bolivarian Revolution and to make an example of the Venezuelan people to discourage popular and workers’ movements of the continent and the world."
"It is necessary to confiscate all the imperialist monopolies in the country, but also the national companies involved in the coup, and place them under workers' and popular control. This must be accompanied by the cessation of payments of foreign debt, the nationalisation without compensation of the banks, and the establishment of a state monopoly on foreign trade."
"Under the pretence of providing 'humanitarian aid', Yankee imperialism hopes to create a situation of extreme tension on the Venezuelan borders... with the entry of supposed shipments of medicines and food, without authorisation from the official government, and using civilians - organised in assistance brigades - like cannon fodder."