How has Venezuela changed after seven years of the Chávez government?
In 1999, Chávez’s goal was to demolish the old regime at an ideological level; however, what he has managed to do is refresh and update the Marxist-Leninist ideology and its discourse. During his seven years of power, he has increased the government’s military budget and taken complete control of the military by establishing militias. The president has given positions of prestige to those in his favor, and established a system of surveillance and punishment against those who oppose him. With this power, he persecutes political dissenters, undermining any sense of legitimacy associated with rival leadership; he has systematically averted the reorganization of other political parties. The president has also instituted a “gag” law and has pressured journalists and the media as a means to control information and ideas presented to the people of Venezuela. As part of his national takeover, Chávez has taken complete control of the government and has seized control of the congress, the nation
