Chávez, Hugo (1954–)

1992 Coup

Chávez first burst on the political scene in Venezuela after a failed February 4, 1992, military-civilian coup d'état against the elected government of Carlos Andrés Pérez. As president in the 1970s and belonging to the left-leaning social-democratic Acción Democrática (AD [Democratic Action]) Party, Pérez nationalized the country's large petroleum industry. In 1989, Pérez returned to power, but this time he implemented draconian International Monetary Fund structural adjustment measures that curtailed social spending and removed price controls on consumer goods. These neoliberal policies disproportionately hurt poor people and on February 27, 1989, triggered massive street riots. Security forces killed hundreds of protesters in the capital city of Caracas in what became known as the caracazo.

Although Chávez did not play a role in these protests, it set the stage for his eventual rise to power. It convinced him that Venezuela's political system was fundamentally corrupt. He blamed a 1958 power sharing agreement known as the Pact of Punto Fijo between Pérez's AD and the conservative Social Christian Party COPEI for excluding the vast majority of Venezuelans from participating in the political system. The 1992 coup quickly fell apart, and Chávez made a brief appearance on national television to call for other rebels to give themselves up to prevent further bloodshed. His statement that they had failed for the moment indicated that he would continue the struggle. Taking a stand against corruption and elite rule made him a hero for Venezuela's impoverished masses who had not benefitted from the country's economic growth.

After spending 2 years in prison, Chávez received a presidential pardon. He continued his struggle, this time in the electoral arena rather than through military means. In 1997, he founded the Movimiento Quinta República (Fifth Republic Movement), which he rode to power in presidential elections the following year.

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