Lessons and Legacy of Venezuela's Bolivarian Revolution

It has been 26 years since Hugo Chávez first assumed the presidency of Venezuela in 1999. Since then, Venezuela has gone through enormous ups and downs, and mostly downs since Nicolas Maduro took over from Chavez following his death in 2013. Given Venezuela's current challenging situation, what lessons can be drawn from the Bolivarian Revolution for future revolutionary projects? And what is the meaning of the Bolivarian project in the larger context of Latin American politics in the 21st century more generally? What do these lessons mean for socialist organizing and activism today? Gregory Wilpert is a German-American sociologist and journalist who has covered Latin America extensively for a wide variety of publications. He holds a Ph.D. in sociology (Brandeis University, 1994) and is the author of the book Changing Venezuela by Taking Power: The History and Policies of the Chávez Government (Verso Books, 2007). 0:00 Introduction by Sharmini Peries 3:38 Gregory Wilpert 45:40 Q+A Recorded in Toronto, 25 August 2025.