Glossary/Names¶
Core Argument¶
This chapter functions as a glossary of names, organisations, and key terms central to the Venezuelan revolutionary process, providing a condensed reference for the political terrain of the Bolivarian Revolution. Its core argument is implicit but clear: the conflict in Venezuela is a class struggle between the revolutionary forces, led by Hugo Chávez and rooted in popular and military organisations, and a counter-revolutionary opposition composed of the old bourgeois state apparatus, business interests, and US-backed institutions.
The glossary maps the key actors. On the side of the revolution are the Bolivarian Circles and the Popular Revolutionary Assembly, community-based organisations that mobilise for social programmes and against counter-revolutionary attacks. The UNT is presented as a democratic trade union alternative to the CTV, which is described as a counter-revolutionary force linked to the Democratic Action party. The Class Struggle Democratic Trade Union Bloc is noted for organising factory occupations during the 2002/2003 lock-out. The Frente Nacional Campesino Ezequiel Zamora is identified as a militant peasant organisation. On the opposing side, the Coordinadora Democratica is the umbrella for all opposition parties, including the social-democratic Democratic Action and the Christian democratic COPEI. Fedecamaras, the bosses’ federation, is named as a driving force behind this opposition. The Metropolitan Police is characterised as the opposition’s army, under the control of a pro-opposition mayor during the coup and lock-out.
The glossary draws heavily on the historical context of the April 2002 coup d’état and the subsequent oil-industry lock-out. Key events are referenced through their actors: Pedro Carmona Estanga, leader of Fedecamaras, was appointed interim president during the coup; Carlos Ortega, a CTV leader, participated in both the coup and the lock-out. The Tancazo is defined as the first military coup against President Allende in Chile, providing a comparative historical reference for military interventions against left-wing governments. The Colombia Plan is described as a US-backed plan for privatisation and a legal cover for suppressing dissent in Latin America.
The chapter is notably polemical in its characterisation of institutions. The Carter Centre is described as “widely regarded as a front organisation for the CIA.” The OAS is listed without comment, but its inclusion alongside the Carter Centre implies a critical view of international bodies. The glossary also clarifies terminology: Golpistas are coup plotters; Escualidos is a nickname for opposition supporters; Pronunciamiento is a military coup. The entry for Luis Miquilena, Chávez’s former mentor who defected to the opposition after the 49 Enabling Laws, illustrates the internal political fractures within the revolutionary camp. The glossary thus serves as a partisan map of the forces in struggle, naming allies and enemies with explicit political clarity.