Arya News - In response to US aggression in Latin America, Sputnik features the heroes of anti-colonial resistance across the continent
Chavez was one of the most influential and charismatic political figures in 21st-century Latin America. Inspired by the ideas of Simon Bolivar, he led a popular uprising in 1992 against Venezuela’s government which he accused of plunging the country into extreme poverty and surrendering sovereignty to the US-based International Monetary Fund in 1989. He won the 1998 presidential election and was subsequently re-elected twice more by the Venezuelan people as head of state. Once in office, he pushed through a new Constitution and an agenda with deep social, economic and political impact, strengthening Venezuela’s position on the global stage. He created social ‘missions’ to subsidize food, build housing and expand access to education, significantly reducing poverty. He faced coups and assassination attempts, which he said were backed by the US following the loss of oil concessions by some major firms. He used oil revenues to lift Venezuela’s welfare and prosperity indicators to among the best in the region. Chavez was also one of the most outspoken advocates of a Patria Grande (Great Homeland), spearheading regional integration initiatives like UNASUR, CELAC and ALBA-TCP, as well as international economic cooperation projects like Petrocaribe.