AskProfWolff: Socialism in Venezuela

A patron asks: "I recently encountered a video on the internet with Dr. Cornel West discussing the ideas of socialism with Tucker Carlson on Fox News. What I found most interesting was how Tucker immediately went to the Venezuela argument to “prove” socialism doesn’t work. What I didn’t understand is why Dr. West more or less accepted that argument by failing to cite all of the European countries who embrace socialism when asked by Carlson to cite examples of where socialism works. My question to you is why aren’t we, leftists, actively citing the European states that embrace socialism as proof that it works? My understanding is that the Scandinavian countries, France and others all have active socialist parties and adopt many socialist programs. Would you say that is accurate and if so could you provide a list of countries that do qualify as socialist? "

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[utsavman]

You can't grow flowers when others keep trampling the garden.

[scoobertmcruppert]

4:52 “Cucker Carlson” should have left it at that, it’s a more accurate name for him.

[shortchubbyneckbeard]

Don’t forget the sanctions, blockades, and other meddling we’ve done to Venezuela - increasing the pain in that country making them worse off and almost impossible to recover

[Stellar_Politics]

"Socialism is a scare word they have hurled at every advance the people have made in the last 20 years.

Socialism is what they called public power. Socialism is what they called social security.

Socialism is what they called farm price supports.

Socialism is what they called bank deposit insurance.

Socialism is what they called the growth of free and independent labor organizations.

Socialism is their name for almost anything that helps all the people"
- Harry Truman

[brandonmiles]

Yeah, lately when people say "Well what about Venezuela!" I say well what about the capitalist country of Saudi Arabia? Or Yemen? Or Haiti?

[shanky]

I like Dr Wolff he makes everything easier to understand

[MyReviews_karkan]

Capitalism is creating high levels/numbers of poverty right here at home in the United states.

[chrisbacos]

Tucker Carlson is the last person I would listen to about economics.

[uncleshark]

If I recall correctly, Venezuela's economy is about 80% private spending and 20% government spending... hardly a Marxist utopia.

[ensteffo]

When discussing what is going on in Venezuela its important to forcefully state that the economic and social problems are entirely a consequence of the previous neo liberal US puppets and later of US economic war and meddling together with the bourgeois US puppet quislings sabotage.

[WilliamCarterII]

"And that's an overlapping group."

I spit my coffee.

[Aginor]

I'd add bits of imperialism as well, the economic devastation over the last years is also attributable to the US-imposed sanctions

[vickyouko]

1% owns 90% of the wealth in the U.S.! That's the success of pure capitalism!

[matthewmcree]

Thank you Professor Wolff for speaking out about the situation in Venezuela. I wish you had brought up the massive, enormously destructive, immoral sanctions intended specifically to destroy their economy, but otherwise spot on. The issue with virtually all the Pink Tide governments including Venezuela was an overreliance on funding social programs through the revenue produced by the export of commodities, which had a price boom in the 2000s. Lula da Silva relied too much on the success of Petrobras oil, Chavez and Maduro on oil, Nestor and Cristina Kirchner in Argentina relied on the taxes from agriculture, etc. But at least the Pink Tide governments attempted to help the working class and attempted to bring democracy to all citizens, (as Evo Morales and Chavez both did via experiments in direct democracy), which is historically unprecedented in the history of Latin America, rather than doing the bidding of only the capitalist class as in nearly the rest of history. Venezuela is a country that is failing due partly to total reliance on oil revenue, but perhaps just as much due to the unilateral sanctions imposed by the US as punishment for opposing US hegemony in Latin America, building a strong relationship with Cuba, and trying to create and/or strengthen multilateral organizations that would bring together the nations of Latin America without the United States (e.g., ALBA and CARICOM). It's nothing more than that. Maduro maybe an authoritarian, but he isn't a dictator and was elected legitimately in a heavily monitored election far more secure and legitimate than US elections (see the DNC's actions with Bernie Sanders and voter suppression efforts in Kentucky to stop Charles Booker from winning the US Senate primary). We need to defend Venezuela by telling the truth about what has been happening there. It doesn't mean we have to act like Maduro is a perfect or even great leader, but it does mean calling out bullshit arguments by anti-socialist bad faith actors.

[ze]

I was once told by an American that Canada is a “communist hellhole” and had a colleague of mine describe Trudeau as a socialist so idk if Tucker would take us as an example...

[danielvolinski]

You forgot to mention the crippling sanctions imposed on Venezuela by the Empire of Terror!

[freetheworld]

Most of western Europe identify as socialist, yet they are democratic and economically successful.

[mikefruge]

This man's brilliance is that he can present something so simply that even I can understand it!

[Scriptorsilentum]

whether i agree with the good Herr Doktor or not - never mind. He is analytical, a shrewd observer and historian, and FAIR (unbiased) in his analyses. Thank gawd there are counterweights like Wolff. I understand Venezuela's difficulties better now from this and also from the comments below. Many thanks everyone who commented on this video.

[vaniapatriciaabreufelicio]

Hello Prof. Wolff,
Great video!
I'm portuguese, and a socialist and it's my duty to correct two things you said.
First: the Socialist Party (PS in portuguese) won the 2019 legislative election, so it's no longer a coalition of parties.
Second: the coalition lasted 4 years (2015-2019) and it was between 4 parties: the Socialist Party (Partido Socialista), the Left Bloc (Bloco de Esquerda), the Communist Party (Partido Comunista Português) and the Greens Party (Partido Ecologista os Verdes). I hope you get to read this.
Thank you!