Venezuelan grassroots community activist Joel Linares explains the origins and effects of the1989 'Caracazo' uprising against neoliberalism in Venezuela.
Thousands of Venezuelans from all over the South American country took to the streets last Sunday to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the seminal uprisings that marked the beginning of the end of neoliberalism in the now socialist nation.
Between 1989 and 1992 both Los Angeles and Caracas, two of the largest cities in the United States and Venezuela, experienced intense rioting followed by intense government repression. Today, in regards to politics and economics, both nations are heading in very different directions.
The closing lecture given at the XVI Gallega Week of Philosophy, Pontevedra, April 17, 2009. Harnecker examines a new situation faced by the Latin American left, where the emergence of left governments has come out of a crisis in the legitimacy of neoliberalism. She examines the role of social movements, the military, these new governments in the new situation and also looks at Venezuela and socialism of the 21st century.
