Knowra Hugo Chávez Hugo Chávez Hugo Chávez was Venezuela’s president from 1999 until his death in 2013 and the founder of the Bolivarian Revolution, a political project combining nationalism, social programs, and expanded state control.
Bolivarian Revolution : A Venezuelan political project launched under Hugo Chávez, centered on popular participation, social programs, nationalism, and state control. Chávez’s defining political project reorganized the state and mobilized support among poorer Venezuelans.
Nicolás Maduro : A Venezuelan politician who succeeded Hugo Chávez as president in 2013 after serving as his foreign minister and vice president. Chávez named Maduro as his preferred successor shortly before his final return to Cuba.
Venezuelan presidential system : A constitutional system in which Venezuela’s president is both head of state and head of government. Chávez used the presidency as the central platform for directing policy and reshaping institutions.
Social democracy : A political tradition that pursues social equality through democratic institutions, regulated markets, and public services. Chávez’s project shared redistributive aims but gave the state and executive a more commanding economic role.
Caracazo : A wave of protests and riots in Venezuela in 1989, followed by a violent state crackdown. The unrest exposed public anger over austerity and helped shape the political climate in which Chávez emerged.
Venezuelan constitutional referendum, 1999 : A referendum approving the election of a constituent assembly that drafted Venezuela’s 1999 constitution. Chávez’s supporters used the referendum to begin a major redesign of Venezuela’s political institutions.
Simón Bolívar : A Venezuelan military and political leader who helped liberate several South American territories from Spanish rule. Chávez invoked Bolívar’s anti-colonial legacy to frame his movement’s nationalism and regional ambitions.
Venezuela’s 1999 Constitution : The constitution adopted in Venezuela in 1999, which renamed the country and expanded presidential terms and participatory mechanisms. It gave formal shape to the institutional changes pursued by Chávez’s movement.
Democratic socialism : A political tradition seeking socialist economic arrangements through democratic political institutions. Chávez described his project as socialism for the twenty-first century, though its institutions and practice remain contested.
1992 Venezuelan coup attempts : Two failed military uprisings against President Carlos Andrés Pérez in Venezuela in February and November 1992. Chávez led the February uprising, becoming nationally known when he accepted responsibility for its failure.
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