Venezuela: Hugo Chávez and the Decline of an “Exceptional Democracy”

The exceptionalism thesis claimed that Venezuelan democracy between 1958 and 1998, uniquely in Latin America, was a progressive, inclusive, and democratic system operating effectively and with the full support of the population. Since the economic and political crises of the 1980s and 1990s in Venezuela, this thesis has been called into doubt by many commentators and, in practice, by the 1998 election of Hugo Chávez as president. However, these ideas were deeply entrenched. Furthermore, while Venezuela is hugely influential in regional politics and development and is a major oil supplier in an energy-poor world, there are relatively few academic experts on Venezuela and even fewer university courses dedicated to its study. This has led to a situation where polarized opinion pieces pass for analysis. Steve Ellner and Miguel Tinker Salas meet the need for a measured and accessible synthesis of the arguments around the decline of Venezuelan “exceptional” democracy and...