This paper focusses on the construction of the political identity of Venezuela’s middle and upper class based on their critique of the Hugo Chávez regime. Hereby, I argue that liberal democracy and...Show moreThis paper focusses on the construction of the political identity of Venezuela’s middle and upper class based on their critique of the Hugo Chávez regime. Hereby, I argue that liberal democracy and neoliberalism, two systems that promote global integration on the economic and political level, have found support particularly among the middle and upper class. Simultaneously, Venezuela’s previous experiences with neoliberalism in the twentieth century evoked growing animosity against globalization among the lower classes, evoking a change in the political system towards socialism, the election of Hugo Chávez, and the radicalization towards socialism. While the impact of globalization has divided the nation along its class lines, Chávez’s regime has aggravated this polarization of the population on a political level. I claim that the identity of Chávez’s opposition has become politicized based on two major aspects of criticism: First, the political critique rejects the regime’s radicalization, democratic antagonism, and centralization of power. Second, the economic critique denounced Chávez protectionism, the nationalization of the oil industry and unjust management of the state budget that favoured the popular masses.Show less
