Thread by @venanalysis

#10AñosDelGolpeDeTimón On October 20, 2012, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez held a televised cabinet session. The three-hour-plus broadcast, known as “Strike at the Helm” (“Golpe de Timón”) would become one of Chavismo's major landmarks. Our latest infographic explains why 🧵

Though he was fresh off a resounding election victory, Chávez was far from inclined to rest on his laurels. Instead, the speech was a profound exercise of reflection and self-criticism. He passed away a few months later, making this address his political testament

For the revolutionary leader, “socialism” wasn’t just an empty moniker. The transition toward socialism required debate and theory so that capitalist practices could be gradually overcome. He duly called on his ministers to read and study

One of Chávez’s key criticisms in Strike at the Helm took aim at state-led initiatives w/o a broader effort to change social relations in the territory. His premonition that socialist islands end up swallowed by the capitalist sea would prove true under the crisis and sanctions

Along the same lines, the Venezuelan president was even more ‘suspicious’ of efforts to just throw the “socialist” label around. Instead, he called for efforts to introduce social property and a socialist spirit all along the productive chain

The most memorable takeaway from Golpe de Timón, at least for popular movements, was the “Commune or nothing!” slogan. It was a desperate call for officials and cadres to prioritize the commune and put it front and center of the Bolivarian Revolution

Follow the link below to get the full infographic. Make sure to download and share it!

venezuelanalysis.com/images/15628

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