2002 Coup d'etat
Hugo Chávez, the President of Venezuela, has been in the news for criticizing George W. Bush and the policies of the United States government. If you get your news from the mainstream press in the United States, you've heard that Hugo Chávez is a dictator who wants to rule Venezuela for life. All U.S. news sources - both conservative and liberal - agree that Chávez is a bad guy. They're all offended that he criticized George Bush at the United Nations.
Conservative and religious news outlets run stories that say he's a Communist. Pat Robertson of the Christian Broadcasting Network called for his assasination. Liberal news outlets are also critical of Chávez but don't call him a Communist and don't call for his assasination.
To get the real story, it's important that you understand what really happened in Venezuela on April 11, 2002 and why. On that date there was a coup d'etat that removed Chávez from power for about 48 hours. NewsThink considers this to be the seminal moment for understanding the current situation in Venezuela. If you're using this Web site in a college class, this is required reading/viewing.
Fortunately, immediately prior to and during the coup, a film crew from Ireland was filming a documentary on Hugo Chávez and Venezuela. The resulting video, called The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, was made with the cooperation of The Irish Film Board. If we did not have this documentation of the events of that day, those of us who were not in Venezuela at the time might never be sure what really happened, given the dramatic differences in how this story is reported. The film makes it possible for us to form an opinion about what really happened and about whether Hugo Chávez is really a bad guy or a leader intent on improving life for the country's citizens.
The video was placed on YouTube.
The opening scenes show the massive public support for Chávez. It also shows Ari Fleischer, Bush Press Secretary, saying that Chávez is not popular within Venezuela.
Important quotes from the film:
Chávez threw his self-proclaimed Bolivarian Revolution now aimed to free Venezulla from a new form of domination - that of the Free Market policies being imposed on Venezuela by Washington.
The overwhelming majority of Chávez support came from the poor who represent 80 percent of the population. Venezuela is the fourth largest supplier of oil in the world but only a minority have ever reaped the rewards. Chávez has promised to redistribute the wealth and to involve people in the political process.
The film mentions the new constitution passed in 1999. Chávez refers to it as the revolutionary and Bolivarian constitution.
Questions
- Does it appear from the film that Chávez is popular with the people of Venezuela?
- Did Ari Fleisher tell the truth when he said that Chávez is not popular within Venezuela?
- How do you feel about Venezuela being the fourth largest supplier of oil in the world but the oil profits have never benefited the majority of Venezuelans?
- Venezuelan oil is a natural resource. Do you think this resource should be "owned" by all the citizens of the country? Or do you think it should be owned by those with the wealth to harvest the oil? How is the harvesting of natural resources handled in the United States?
- Can you think of other countries and other natural resources where the general population never benefits?
- Chávez promises to redistribute the wealth so Venezuelans benefit from their own natural resource. Does this make him a Communist? Does it make him a Socialist? Do you know the difference?
- If you live in the United States, you're part of a capitalist society. Under Chávez, Venezuela is heading for Socialism. What have you been taught to think about Socialism? Is socialism bad?
- What Socialist nation is closest (geographically) to the United States?
Hello President
Any Venezuelan citizen can phone in to the Hello President TV show on State TV and talk to their president.
Venezuela has five private TV stations that are critical of Chávez. The film shows that their criticism is often insulting, telling viewers that Chávez is, for example, mentally ill.
In the past, Venezuelan governments have imposed heavy censorship on the media. But under Chávez there was total freedom of expression. Despite this, Chávez faced an almost daily battle with the media, which attracts the lion's share of the TV audience. There are five private TV channels controllled by some of the most powerful economic interests in the country.
The Venezuelan Poor
This segment of the film shows how Chavez involved the poor Venezuelan people in the new government and how the more affluent people resented it. It mentions that a small minority of Venezuelans have benefited from oil.
Before Chavez, politics meant little to the poor people of Venezuela. Now he's gotten them intersted in democracy. Chavez told the people that there was a price for their democracy - they must spend time to learn about it; they must read. The film shows people who help others to understand their constitution. It shows a man who says "For the first time, we have a democratic government that involves us."
The film switches to the prosperous side of town.
These Venezuelans say things like:
"These people don't know what sacrifice and hard work is."
"They want us out of our own country but we will not leave it to people with no values or education.
People who haven't struggled."
This so called revolution is out-of-date. It's just an excuse for him to impose communism
and totalitarianism..."
A following scene shows a man suggesting that they keep a watchful eye on their domestic servants who are linked to Bolivarian Circles, a reference to workers councils that engaged in such tasks as neighborhood beautification, mass mobilization, lending support to small businesses, and providing basic social services. The man suggests to his audience that they should know how to use a gun because these people may come after us.
Note: The concept of Boliverian Circles is also found outside of Socialist countries. In the United States, the VISTA program (Volunteers In Service To America) established by President Lyndon Johnson has similar goals.
The film says that a small minority of Venezuelans, such as the ruling class, have benefited from Venezuela's oil. The state oil company had been run like a private corporation. Chavez announced that he was putting his own people in control in order to distribute oil revenues to everyone. The response from the private TV networks were charges that Chavez wanted to turn Venezuela into a communist nation like Cuba.
Pedro Carmona and Carlos Ortega were the main critics of Chávez. Both traveled to Washington to meet with high-ranking members of the Bush adminsitration. During Senate testimony, the head of the CIA, George Tenet, expressed concern over the Chávez government. You can read the full text of that Senate testimony here.
Carmona called for a march on the State oil company on April 11. On that day, thousands of Chávez supporters held a demonstration outside the Presidential Palace. Carmona decided to have the oil company demonstrators march on the presidential Palace.
Questions
- If you're an American, is it surprising to hear the word democracy associated with a country heading towards Socialism? Do you think Americans only associate democracy with capitalism?
- Chávez thinks that Venezuela's oil is a natural resource that is owned by all Venezuelans and everyone should benefit. How does this thinking differ in the United States?
The Media
This part of the film shows Channel 8, the State-run channel, warning Carlos Ortega about sending demonstrators to the Presidential Palace. Chávez's people wanted to avoid confrontation and violence. When the pro-Chávez supporters found out that the demonstrators were headed their way, one man said that this was a conspiracy led by the U.S. CIA. Another man said it was the [private] media causing this.
Shortly after the demonstrators reached the palace, gunshots were heard. Snipers were killing the pro-Chávez supporters. The film's moderator mentions that "one in four Venezuelans carry handguns" and "soon some of the Chávez supporters shot back in the direction the sniper fire seemed to be coming from". Camera crews from the private TV stations captured images of this. They edited this video to make it seem like the Chávez supporters were firing at the demonstrators. This video was shown on the private TV stations repeatedly.
With all the private TV stations broadcasting the same edited video, the country was in disarray. Chávez and his Cabinet were in the Palace trying to figure out what was going on. The film shows a military commander on TV announcing that the Navy would no longer support Chávez.
State TV
This segment begins with the State TV station, Channel 8, being taken off the air. The people of Venezuela were now insulated from their governmen. The only news available was the edited video from the private stations. The military now surrounded the palace with tanks and demands Chávez' resignation. He refuses. The military threatens to bomb the palace if he continues to refuse.
There are again comments about this being a CIA-backed coup. Chávez eventually decides to be led away by the military to avoid the Palace bombing but still refuses to resign. Soon afterward, a new government is declared under Pedro Carmona.
Carmona's first action as President is to disband the national Assembly, Supreme Court, Attorney General, Ombudsman, and Constitution. The audience cheers.
The Coup Aftermath
This part of the film shows people on the streets angered by the coup. They say the new government is a dictatorship; they want their democracy back. They want Chávez restored to power.
White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer says "We know that the action encouraged by the Chávez government provoked this crisis. The Chávez government suppressed peaceful demonstrations, fired on unarmed peaceful protesters resulting in 10 killed and 100 wounded. That is what took place and a transitional civilian goverment has been installed."
The new government was arresting members of the Chávez government - presumably to keep them from speaking to the international press. A source within one of the private TV stations said it was forbidden to show video of pro-Chávez supporters. He said "This was against my principles so I resigned.".
Members of the Chávez government who were not arrested communicated the story of the real events to outside news organizations. These stories were broadcast back into Venezuela via cable TV. The people of Venezuela now had a way to find out what was going on. They found out that Chávez did not resign. The people took to the streets and demanded that Chávez be restored to power - citing their Constitution.
After thousands of people demonstrated at the Palace, the Palace guards, loyal to Chávez, decide to take back the palace.
The Palace Guards
The Palace guards arrested members of the new government but Carmona and the Generals had slipped away - after cleaning out the Palace safe. Ministers of the Chávez governments who had been in hiding so they wouldn't get arrested, returned to the Palace. They said that there was no provisional government - that Chávez was President. The private media refused to report this news.
In the film's credits, we see this:
Pedro Carmona While under house arrest Carmona fled to Columbia. Shortly afterwards he turned up in Miami. Carlos Ortega He went into hiding but reappeared when Chavez announced there would be no witch-hunt. He remains one of the most trenchant leaders of the opposition. The Dissident Generals Having been expelled from the army most fled to the U.S. and beyond. Others remain in Venezuela and continue to work with the opposition. The U.S. Administration Continues to deny any involvement in the coup.