For four decades, Venezuelaprided itself for having one ofthe most stable representativedemocracies in Latin America.Then, in 1992, Hugo ChávezFrías attempted an unsuccessfulmilitary coup. Six yearslater, he was elected president.Once in power, Chávezredrafted the 1961 constitution,dissolved the Congress,dismissed judges, and marginalizedrival political parties.In this volume of essays,leading scholars from Venezuela and the United States askwhy representative democracy in Venezuela unraveled soswiftly and whether it can be restored. Its thirteen chaptersexamine the crisis in three periods: the unraveling of PuntoFijo democracy; Chávez's Bolivarian Revolution; and thecourse of participatory democracy under Chávez. Thecontributors analyze such factors as the vulnerability ofVenezuelan democracy before Chávez; the role of politicalparties, organized labor, the urban poor, the military, andbusinessmen; and the impact of public and economic policy.This timely volume offers important lessons for comparativeregime change within hybrid democracies. 20 line drawings.
