Bolivarianism
Encyclopedia
Bolivarianism is a set of political doctrines that enjoys currency in parts of South America
, especially Venezuela
. Bolivarianism is named after Simón Bolívar
, the 19th century Venezuelan general and liberator who led the struggle for independence throughout much of South America.
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In recent years, Bolivarianism's most significant political
manifestation is in the government of Venezuela's president Hugo Chávez
, who since the beginning of his presidency has called himself a Bolivarian patriot and applied his interpretation of several of Bolívar's ideals to everyday affairs, as part of the Bolivarian Revolution
. That included the 1999 Constitution, which changed Venezuela's name to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and other ideas such as the Bolivarian Schools, Bolivarian Circles
, and the Universidad Bolivariana de Venezuela. Often, the term Bolivarianism is used specifically to refer to Chávez's rule. The central points of Bolivarianism, as extolled by Chávez, are:
Chávez's version of Bolivarianism, although drawing heavily from Simón Bolívar
's ideals, was also drawn from the writings of Marxist
historian Federico Brito Figueroa
. Chávez was also influenced by the South American tradition of (cooperativism) early in his life, such as that practiced by Jorge Eliécer Gaitán
, Fidel Castro
, Che Guevara
and Salvador Allende
. Other key influences on Chávez's political philosophy include Ezequiel Zamora
and Simón Rodríguez
. Although Chávez himself refers to his ideology as Bolivarianismo ("Bolivarianism"), Chávez's supporters and opponents in Venezuela refer to themselves as being either for or against "chavismo". Chávez supporters refer to themselves as "chavistas."
Later in his life, Chávez would acknowledge the role that democratic socialism
(a form of socialism that emphasizes grassroots democratic participation in neighbourhood committees that are apart from the constitutional democratic institutions) plays in Bolivarianism. For example, on 30 January 2005 at the World Social Forum
in Porto Alegre
, Brazil
, Chávez declared his support for democratic socialism as integral to Bolivarianism, proclaiming that humanity must embrace "a new type of socialism, a humanist
one, which puts humans, and not machines or the state, ahead of everything." He later reiterated this sentiment in a 26 February speech at the 4th Summit on Social Debt held in Caracas
.
and the Discurso de Angostura. Some of Bolívar's ideas include forming a union of Latin American countries, providing public education
, and enforcing sovereignty
to fight against foreign invasion, which has been interpreted to include economic domination by foreign powers. An example of such a union was Gran Colombia
, a block of countries consisting of Venezuela
, Colombia
, Panamá
(part of New Granada
in that time) and Ecuador
.
The Colombian insurgent group FARC
has, in recent years, also considered itself to be inspired by Bolívar's ideals and by his role in the 19th century independence struggle against Spain. It has also publicly declared its sympathy towards Hugo Chávez
and his Bolivarian Revolution
, both of which do not actively confirm or deny any involvement with the insurgent group.
A Venezuelan guerrilla
organization, the Bolivarian Forces of Liberation
, also espouses Bolivarianism, although it is not known if there are any ties to the Venezuelan government.
It is also worthy of notice that, while many Bolivarianists often include Brazil
in their plans for unification and integration of South America, this is mostly unknown among Brazilians or widely regarded as a foreign movement, particularly due to the language difference and the fact that not all Brazilians see Brazil as a Latin American country.
Several political parties in Venezuela support chavismo. The main party, directly affiliated with Chávez, is the PSUV, United Socialist Party of Venezuela
, which replaced the Fifth Republic Movement
(Spanish: Movimiento Quinta Republica, usually referred to by the three letters, MVR). Other parties and movements supporting chavismo include Communist Party of Venezuela
, Venezuelan Popular Unity
and Tupamaros.
The left-wing Fatherland for All (Spanish: Patria Para Todos or PPT), Movement for Socialism
(Spanish: Movimiento al Socialismo or MAS ), Radical Cause
(Spanish: Causa R) and For Social Democracy
(Spanish: Por la Democracia Social) initially supported chavismo, but they have since distanced themselves from it, and now oppose it. For Social Democracy
is the latest party to oppose this movement.
A 2002 article in The Boston Globe
said chavismo "fueled the eruption of public fury that swept the charismatic and confrontational president back into power after a group of military officers deposed him for two days in April in favor of a businessman-president," adding that the "Chavismo phenomenon has almost religious qualities."
According to an article in the New York Sun
, Chavezism was rejected in recent elections in Peru, Colombia and Mexico, and El Universal
reports that former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
distanced himself from Chavezism, saying that Brazil is not Venezuela, and has traditional institutions.
On early May 2008, prior to embarking on a one-week Latin America trip that took her to Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and lastly Peru
, where the European Union-Latin America summit
took place the week starting 18 May, Angela Merkel
, Germany's chancellor, declared: "President Chavez does not speak for Latin America. Every country has its own voice with which it pursues its own interests." This was a statement which brought an immediate aggressive response from Venezuela's president, and some minor attached consequences.
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, especially Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. Bolivarianism is named after Simón Bolívar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
, the 19th century Venezuelan general and liberator who led the struggle for independence throughout much of South America.
Components
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In recent years, Bolivarianism's most significant political
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
manifestation is in the government of Venezuela's president Hugo Chávez
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
, who since the beginning of his presidency has called himself a Bolivarian patriot and applied his interpretation of several of Bolívar's ideals to everyday affairs, as part of the Bolivarian Revolution
Bolivarian Revolution
The “Bolivarian Revolution” refers to a leftist social movement and political process in Venezuela led by Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, the founder of the Fifth Republic Movement...
. That included the 1999 Constitution, which changed Venezuela's name to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and other ideas such as the Bolivarian Schools, Bolivarian Circles
Bolivarian Circles
The Bolivarian Circles are a loosely-knit political and social organization of workers' councils in Venezuela originally begun by President Hugo Chávez in 2001. They are named in honor of Simón Bolívar, the leader who transformed most of South America from Spanish colonial outposts to the...
, and the Universidad Bolivariana de Venezuela. Often, the term Bolivarianism is used specifically to refer to Chávez's rule. The central points of Bolivarianism, as extolled by Chávez, are:
- South American economic and political sovereignty (anti-imperialismAnti-imperialismAnti-imperialism, strictly speaking, is a term that may be applied to a movement opposed to any form of colonialism or imperialism. Anti-imperialism includes opposition to wars of conquest, particularly of non-contiguous territory or people with a different language or culture; it also includes...
). - Grassroots political participation of the population via popular votes and referendums (participatory democracyParticipatory democracyParticipatory Democracy, also known as Deliberative Democracy, Direct Democracy and Real Democracy , is a process where political decisions are made directly by regular people...
). - Economic self-sufficiency (in food, consumer durables, etc...).
- Instilling in people a national ethic of patriotic service.
- Equitable distribution of (South AmericaSouth AmericaSouth America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
)'s vast natural resources. - Eliminating corruptionPolitical corruptionPolitical corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
.
Chávez's version of Bolivarianism, although drawing heavily from Simón Bolívar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
's ideals, was also drawn from the writings of Marxist
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
historian Federico Brito Figueroa
Federico Brito Figueroa
Federico Brito Figueroa was a renowned Venezuelan Marxist historian and anthropologist. Brito's ideas and writings played an important role in the ideological formation of Hugo Chavez, current president of Venezuela....
. Chávez was also influenced by the South American tradition of (cooperativism) early in his life, such as that practiced by Jorge Eliécer Gaitán
Jorge Eliécer Gaitán
Jorge Eliécer Gaitán Ayala was a politician, a leader of a populist movement in Colombia, a former Education Minister and Labor Minister , mayor of Bogotá and one of the most charismatic leaders of the Liberal Party.He was assassinated during his second presidential campaign in 1948, setting off...
, Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
, Che Guevara
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
and Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende Gossens was a Chilean physician and politician who is generally considered the first democratically elected Marxist to become president of a country in Latin America....
. Other key influences on Chávez's political philosophy include Ezequiel Zamora
Ezequiel Zamora
Ezequiel Zamora , 1 February 1817 - 10 January 1860) was a Venezuelan soldier and leader of the Federalists in the Federal War of 1859-1863. His life was marked by the romanticism that characterized liberals of the time....
and Simón Rodríguez
Simón Rodríguez
Simón Rodríguez , known during his exile from Spanish America as Samuel Robinson, was a South American philosopher and educator, notably Simón Bolívar's tutor and mentor....
. Although Chávez himself refers to his ideology as Bolivarianismo ("Bolivarianism"), Chávez's supporters and opponents in Venezuela refer to themselves as being either for or against "chavismo". Chávez supporters refer to themselves as "chavistas."
Later in his life, Chávez would acknowledge the role that democratic socialism
Democratic socialism
Democratic socialism is a description used by various socialist movements and organizations to emphasize the democratic character of their political orientation...
(a form of socialism that emphasizes grassroots democratic participation in neighbourhood committees that are apart from the constitutional democratic institutions) plays in Bolivarianism. For example, on 30 January 2005 at the World Social Forum
World Social Forum
The World Social Forum is an annual meeting of civil society organizations, first held in Brazil, which offers a self-conscious effort to develop an alternative future through the championing of counter-hegemonic globalization...
in Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre is the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil, with 1,409,939 inhabitants, and the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area . It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Chávez declared his support for democratic socialism as integral to Bolivarianism, proclaiming that humanity must embrace "a new type of socialism, a humanist
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
one, which puts humans, and not machines or the state, ahead of everything." He later reiterated this sentiment in a 26 February speech at the 4th Summit on Social Debt held in Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
.
Other definitions and dispute
Historically, there has been no universally accepted definition as to the proper use of the terms Bolivarianism and Bolivarian within all the countries in the region. Many different leaders, movements and parties have indistinctly used them to describe themselves throughout most of the 19th and 20th centuries.Pan-Americanism
People who have called themselves bolivarianos claim to follow the general ideology expressed in Bolívar's texts such as the Carta de JamaicaCarta de Jamaica
The Carta de Jamaica was written by Simón Bolívar in response to a letter from Henry Cullen, in which he put forward the reasons that caused the fall of the Second Republic of Venezuela within the context of the independence of the nation.-Historical context:...
and the Discurso de Angostura. Some of Bolívar's ideas include forming a union of Latin American countries, providing public education
Public education
State schools, also known in the United States and Canada as public schools,In much of the Commonwealth, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, the terms 'public education', 'public school' and 'independent school' are used for private schools, that is, schools...
, and enforcing sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
to fight against foreign invasion, which has been interpreted to include economic domination by foreign powers. An example of such a union was Gran Colombia
Gran Colombia
Gran Colombia is a name used today for the state that encompassed much of northern South America and part of southern Central America from 1819 to 1831. This short-lived republic included the territories of present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, northern Peru and northwest Brazil. The...
, a block of countries consisting of Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Panamá
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
(part of New Granada
Viceroyalty of New Granada
The Viceroyalty of New Granada was the name given on 27 May 1717, to a Spanish colonial jurisdiction in northern South America, corresponding mainly to modern Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela. The territory corresponding to Panama was incorporated later in 1739...
in that time) and Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
.
The Colombian insurgent group FARC
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army is a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization based in Colombia which is involved in the ongoing Colombian armed conflict, currently involved in drug dealing and crimes against the civilians..FARC-EP is a peasant army which...
has, in recent years, also considered itself to be inspired by Bolívar's ideals and by his role in the 19th century independence struggle against Spain. It has also publicly declared its sympathy towards Hugo Chávez
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
and his Bolivarian Revolution
Bolivarian Revolution
The “Bolivarian Revolution” refers to a leftist social movement and political process in Venezuela led by Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, the founder of the Fifth Republic Movement...
, both of which do not actively confirm or deny any involvement with the insurgent group.
A Venezuelan guerrilla
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
organization, the Bolivarian Forces of Liberation
Bolivarian Forces of Liberation
The Bolivarian Forces of Liberation-Liberator Army is a guerrilla organization operating in Venezuela. The group claims to fight for Bolivarianism, a left-wing, South American ideology....
, also espouses Bolivarianism, although it is not known if there are any ties to the Venezuelan government.
It is also worthy of notice that, while many Bolivarianists often include Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
in their plans for unification and integration of South America, this is mostly unknown among Brazilians or widely regarded as a foreign movement, particularly due to the language difference and the fact that not all Brazilians see Brazil as a Latin American country.
Chavismo
Bolivarianism in Venezuela is also referred to (sometimes pejoratively by its opponents) as chavismo or "Chavezism". Adherents are referred to as chavistas.Several political parties in Venezuela support chavismo. The main party, directly affiliated with Chávez, is the PSUV, United Socialist Party of Venezuela
United Socialist Party of Venezuela
The United Socialist Party of Venezuela is the name of a democratic socialist political party in Venezuela which resulted from the fusion of some of the political and social forces that support the Bolivarian Revolution led by incumbent President Hugo Chávez...
, which replaced the Fifth Republic Movement
Fifth Republic Movement
The Fifth Republic Movement was a left-wing, Socialist political party in Venezuela. It was founded in July 1997, following a national congress of the Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement-200, to support the candidacy of Hugo Chávez, the current President of Venezuela, in the Venezuelan presidential...
(Spanish: Movimiento Quinta Republica, usually referred to by the three letters, MVR). Other parties and movements supporting chavismo include Communist Party of Venezuela
Communist Party of Venezuela
The Communist Party of Venezuela is a Marxist-Leninist political party, and the oldest continuously existing party in Venezuela...
, Venezuelan Popular Unity
Venezuelan Popular Unity
Venezuelan Popular Unity is a left-wing political party in Venezuela. It supports president Hugo Chávez. In the legislative elections, 4 December 2005, the party won 8 out of 165 seats in the National Assembly....
and Tupamaros.
The left-wing Fatherland for All (Spanish: Patria Para Todos or PPT), Movement for Socialism
Movement for Socialism (Venezuela)
Movement for Socialism is a center-left political party in Venezuela.-History:The Movement for Socialism is a social-democratic political party in Venezuela. MAS was founded in 1971 by a faction of the Communist Party of Venezuela, with a view to emphasising a socialist message...
(Spanish: Movimiento al Socialismo or MAS ), Radical Cause
Radical Cause
The Radical Cause is a working class political party in Venezuela, part of the Venezuelan opposition to president Hugo Chavez...
(Spanish: Causa R) and For Social Democracy
For Social Democracy
PODEMOS is a political party in Venezuela. In the 2005 legislative elections the party won 15 out of 165 seats in the National Assembly....
(Spanish: Por la Democracia Social) initially supported chavismo, but they have since distanced themselves from it, and now oppose it. For Social Democracy
For Social Democracy
PODEMOS is a political party in Venezuela. In the 2005 legislative elections the party won 15 out of 165 seats in the National Assembly....
is the latest party to oppose this movement.
A 2002 article in The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
said chavismo "fueled the eruption of public fury that swept the charismatic and confrontational president back into power after a group of military officers deposed him for two days in April in favor of a businessman-president," adding that the "Chavismo phenomenon has almost religious qualities."
According to an article in the New York Sun
New York Sun
The New York Sun was a weekday daily newspaper published in New York City from 2002 to 2008. When it debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and masthead of an otherwise unrelated earlier New York paper, The Sun , it became the first general-interest broadsheet newspaper to be started...
, Chavezism was rejected in recent elections in Peru, Colombia and Mexico, and El Universal
El Universal (Caracas)
El Universal is a major Venezuelan newspaper, headquartered in Caracas with an average daily circulation of about 150,000. The online version carries news, politics, sports, economy and more....
reports that former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, served as the 35th President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in the 2002 election, and was inaugurated as...
distanced himself from Chavezism, saying that Brazil is not Venezuela, and has traditional institutions.
On early May 2008, prior to embarking on a one-week Latin America trip that took her to Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and lastly Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, where the European Union-Latin America summit
Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union Summit
The Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union Summit is a biennial meeting of heads of state and government of Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union...
took place the week starting 18 May, Angela Merkel
Angela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel is the current Chancellor of Germany . Merkel, elected to the Bundestag from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has been the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000, and chairwoman of the CDU-CSU parliamentary coalition from 2002 to 2005.From 2005 to 2009 she led a...
, Germany's chancellor, declared: "President Chavez does not speak for Latin America. Every country has its own voice with which it pursues its own interests." This was a statement which brought an immediate aggressive response from Venezuela's president, and some minor attached consequences.
External links
- Karl Marx's article about Bolivar in the New American Encyclopedia 1858
- Hugo Chávez and Bolivarian Nationalism
- The Enduring Spell of Bolívar
- Chavez's Ace - Venezuelan Leader Taps Bolivar Myths, Cults
- (Mis)understanding Chavez and Venezuela in Times of Revolution
- Venezuela Assembly Rubber-stamps Socialist Changes by Christopher Toothaker, AP, 12 August 2009
- Venezuela Slum takes Socialism beyond Chavez by Esteban Israel, ReutersReutersReuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
, July 2010