Why does Chavez want to build socialism in the 21st century?

"Motherland, I swear, either socialism or death!" Chavez, who was successfully re-elected as Venezuelan President, was solemnly sworn in with his left hand in accordance with the Constitution and his right hand held high before Flores, President of the National Congress, on January 1th this year, and officially began to build "socialism in the 21st century".

living under the banner of "socialism"

"You know what? On Sunday, when President Chavez's televised speech was broadcast on TV, there was no food in our family, because my wife was a Chavez supporter who was more enthusiastic than me. She could hear the speech from beginning to end for six or seven hours, and she had no mood to cook at all. "Domingo, a taxi driver in his fifties, was quick to talk. While driving, he glanced at the big slogan "Building Socialism" outside the window, and then said, "Maybe some people don't like Chavez, but I think he is the best president in Venezuelan history. I dare say that no other president can think of the poor like him. "

Juana Martinez, a resident of Caracas, Venezuela, expressed the same view: "I support his socialism and his indefinite re-election. What he said about peace, equality and mutual love is exactly the same as that in the Bible. Chavez wants to protect the interests of everyone and oppose selfishness and individualism. I can understand his thoughts. " This ordinary housewife talked about the "Revolutionary Classics" in a clear way. "Look at this pile of things I bought, two chickens, milk powder, sugar and cooking oil, which cost only 2, bolivar (about 9.3 US dollars)." Juana spoke with a happy smile on her face.

Domingo and Juana's feelings are not unique. Workers working in Caracas "Fabricio ojeda Endogenous Development Center" all feel the same way. The center is a reform pilot that Chavez is proud of and is called "the base for building socialism in the 21st century".

This center was originally a factory, covering an area of 13 hectares. Construction began in May 24, and now it has begun to take shape. Two garment factories, shoe-making cooperatives and an agricultural cooperative have settled here; Free community medical centers, cheap pharmacies and cheap food stores have greatly improved the lives of low-income residents around; Projects under construction and planned construction also include schools, libraries, maternal and child health centers, and affordable canteens.

A huge slogan hanging high at the gate of the center reads: Socialism in the 21st century is being built here! When welcoming foreign heads of state to visit here, community residents will wear red T-shirts and red baseball caps symbolizing their support for Chavez, and they will show strong pride as community owners when talking.

On the outskirts of Caracas, there is a 1-person garment factory named "Venezuela Progressive Cooperative". Diria Moriwa, a female worker in her thirties, said excitedly: "We are going to raise our wages. The price of cheap food provided by the government is only one third of the market price. We really shouldn't ask for anything more."

After the interview with Chá vez's "experimental base", most reporters lamented that Chá vez has really started to practice his "21st century socialism"!

Venezuela model

On January 1th this year, Chavez said in his inaugural speech that his "socialist thought" has distinctive features of Venezuelan national heroes Bolí var, Jesus, Marx and indigenous Indian tribes. In other words, his "socialist thought" comes from Bolivarian, Jesus, Marx and Indians, and it is a combination.

Some analysts say that, in fact, the greatest influence on Chavez is Venezuela's "father of the country"-Bolí var, the hero in the South American War of Independence. Bolivar "pursues welfare and equality" in education, land ownership and medical care. Chavez believes that Bolivar is a "socialist".

some people say that bolivar's influence on Chavez has "penetrated into the bone marrow". Chavez's political career began in 1982. This year marks the 2th anniversary of Bolivar's birth. At that time, 28-year-old Chavez founded his own political party-"Bolivarian Revolutionary Movement 2". After taking office as president, Chavez changed his country name to "Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela" and began to implement the "Bolivarian Plan": by imposing heavy taxes on oil companies and increasing government shares, the oil and gas industry was nationalized in disguise, and then the oil income was injected into social welfare funds to provide free medical care and education for the poor, and so on. At the same time, he also ordered the construction of a large number of roads, schools, hospitals and low-cost housing.

As for Jesus and Christianity, Chá vez said, "The real Christ is more materialistic than any socialist." In his view, Bolí var's revolution "won the essence of Christian teachings-such as pursuing social justice and fighting for human dignity, equality and freedom".

Chavez is also familiar with and deeply influenced by the works of Marx, Lenin and Mao Zedong. He can even directly tell which article a sentence comes from Mao Zedong's works. He also said: "Those who want to understand' socialism in the 21st century' should read the works of Marx and Lenin."

Chavez admits that the primitive tribal thoughts of Indians also have a profound influence on him. He said that the Indian tribes in Latin America live a collective life, and the collectivism thought is deeply rooted. Everyone has the spirit of "sharing weal and woe". Here bread contains socialist ideas.

Some Latin American scholars say that up to now, Chavez still has no complete socialist ideology, and the outside world can only try to figure out the connotation of "socialism in the 21st century" based on his few words. However, some scholars believe that Chavez's "Bolivarian Democratic Revolution" is the embryonic form of "socialism in the 21st century".

in early p>1999, after Chavez was sworn in as president, he immediately embarked on the "Bolivarian Democratic Revolution" in an attempt to achieve social justice and people's happiness as soon as possible. But by the end of 24 and the beginning of 25, he was very angry to find that "the pace of revolution" was not fast enough, so he immediately proposed to build "socialism in the 21st century".

Chavez has outlined a beautiful blueprint for his "socialism in the 21st century": politically, develop "people's power", establish grass-roots authority "community committee" and realize "ownership, revolution and socialist democracy"; Economically, the state nationalizes industries such as energy, electricity and telecommunications, reduces the profit margin of private enterprises, and vigorously develops collective ownership and "people's economy"; On the social front, narrow the gap between the rich and the poor, protect the low-income class and marginalized people, and promote social equity?

divide the fields? Engage in state ownership? Building social security

Chavez said that the revolution should start from itself and lead by example in socialist construction. To this end, he took the lead in reducing salary among government officials. His president's monthly salary is 7, bolivar, which was about $1,25 when he took office. Due to the continuous depreciation of Venezuelan currency, at present, Chavez's monthly salary is only about that of 47 yuan. After his successful re-election this year, Chavez donated all his salary to charity. He said that he is a retired army lieutenant colonel, and his pension plus various presidential subsidies is enough to support himself and his family.

naturally, it is impossible to build "socialism" just by reducing wages. During his first term and at the beginning of his second term, Chavez started or planned to implement a series of "socialist construction":

Land distribution: In 21, Venezuela promulgated a new land law, which stipulated that the government had the right to confiscate and redistribute idle land with unclear property rights and distribute it to landless farmers. In the five years after this law came into effect, the Venezuelan government provided 3.4 million hectares of land to farmers.

nationalize strategic industries: Venezuela is the fifth largest oil supplier in the world. Since taking office in 1999, Chavez has been promoting the nationalization of energy enterprises, with the state paying for the shares of private companies or forcibly nationalizing them. In February this year, he ordered the armed forces to station in foreign-controlled oil companies and took over almost all foreign-funded energy companies.

Invest abundant funds in social security: In December 22, the Venezuelan government promulgated a new social security system to provide all citizens with non-discriminatory lifelong protection. Chavez demanded that the social security system should ensure that people get the maximum benefits, including pension, health, vocational training, housing and even entertainment?

today, Chavez wants to spread his "21st century socialism" to other parts of Latin America. In Ecuador, Bolivia, Nicaragua? Wherever he went, "socialism in the 21st century" was taken there.

It has been noticed that US President George W. Bush brought a new aid plan to Latin America with him during his recent visit to Latin America. Analysts say that this will mean another contest between Chavez's "socialism" and American "imperialism".