Today in 2002, right-wing forces backed by the US attempted to overthrow former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, ultimately falling against popular resistance. Watch this powerful speech of the Bolivarian revolutionary Hugo Chavez, rallying thousands against imperialism.
On April 11, 2002, the Venezuelan elite, the Church, and some military members organized a coup against then-President Hugo Chavez. However, the Venezuelan people swarmed the streets to protect the Bolivarian revolution and overpowered the US-backed right-wing coup.
The coup plotter aimed to form a de facto government headed by Pedro Carmona, a business mogul and former president of the chambers of commerce, which would dissolve all other state powers and local authorities.
The people brought Hugo Chavez back to power in just 47 hours. The counterrevolutionary offensive backfired, as mass mobilization politicized additional segments of the population, who also organized themselves into Bolivarian collectives.
