Bolivarian circles

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The Bolivarian Circle (span. Círculos bolivarianos ) formed a political and social organization in Venezuela , which was initiated in 2001 by the President Hugo Chávez and had about 2.3 million members. They are named after Simón Bolívar , the independence fighter who transformed most of the Spanish colonies into independent states.

The circles were neighborhood councils that were supposed to reorganize Venezuelan society on a grassroots basis and promote the Bolivarian Revolution . These councils were initially heavily dependent on the Chavez government and its bureaucracy to determine which candidates for the councils to vote from. Spontaneous, challenging acts, such as leaving councils to vote for their own candidates, had given them independence and made them a powerful social force comparable to that of the Soviets (Russian: Сове́т = council) in pre-revolutionary Russia. They have often been viewed as the most revolutionary wing of Venezuelan society. They occupied factories and large estates and fought against bureaucrats belonging to the reformist wing. Perhaps referring to this role, one of her slogans was: “Revolution, with or without Chavez” . With this they also indicated that their endeavors to build a socialist or even communist society were not tied to any charismatic politicians.

Chavez himself had attacked these positions, which were originally more left-wing than his own, less and less and even adopted some ideas that came from the circles. So he nationalized z. B. the paper mill Venepal (see article Hugo Chávez ) , and said that socialism was the only way forward.

Venezuelans who opposed Chavez, as well as analysts, considered these circles to be extreme and dangerous organizations that could potentially carry out acts of terrorism and blamed them for the growing political violence in the country. Lina Ron, founder of the Unidad Popular Venezolana , which supports Chávez and herself head of a circle, also said that the circles are armed to the teeth. In contrast, Chavez denied the armament.

In May 2002, the 80,000 circles grew to 130,000 within months, which was generally seen as a bluff or in preparation for a feared further state empire after the coup on April 11th.

With the creation of the missiones and other councils, the circles became less important. In May 2017, the Venezuelan state news agency compared the allegations against the Colectivos in 2017 with the allegations against the circles at the time.

See also: Bolivarian Revolution

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ ¿Qué son los círculos bolivarianos? , BBC, April 19, 2002
  2. ↑ Venezuela: Armed Bolivarian Circles , stratfor, April 29, 2004
  3. ↑ April Venezuela: Segundo Golpe en camino? , May 17, 2002
  4. ↑ De Círculos Bolivarianos a Colectivos , avn.info.ve, May 1, 2017 (Spanish)