Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela,[1] is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea.
Venezuela has been the target of hostility from the US imperialists due to its significant reserves of oil, as well as its recent trend of electing left-leaning progressive governments which prioritize social programs and the implementation of what some observers describe as Socialism of the 21st century.[2]
History
Bolivarian government 1999-present
The Bolivarian Revolution refers to a left-wing populism social movement and political process in Venezuela led by Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez who founded the United Socialist Party of Venezuela. The "Bolivarian Revolution" is named after Simón Bolívar, an early 19th-century Venezuelan and Latin American revolutionary leader. According to Chávez and other supporters, the "Bolivarian Revolution" seeks to build a mass movement to implement Bolivarianism—popular democracy, economic independence, equitable distribution of revenues, and an end to political corruption—in Venezuela. They interpret Bolívar's ideas from a populist perspective, using socialist rhetoric.[3]
This left-wing tendency has attracted repeated attacks from the US imperialists to the north, including coup attempts in 2002, 2019, and 2020, among others.[4][5]