How Democracies Die

by

Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt

Hugo Chávez Character Analysis

Hugo Chávez was the socialist president of Venezuela from 1999 to 2013. After failing to overthrow the Venezuelan government in a coup d’état, he allied with Rafael Caldera in order to gain political legitimacy and went on to win four terms as president. During this time, the nation progressively fell into economic crisis and Chávez increasingly turned to authoritarian tactics in order to hold power. For instance, he continued to hold free elections, but arrested his opponents and ensured that the media was heavily biased towards him. His presidency shows how nations can slowly drift to authoritarianism over the course of years or even decades.

Hugo Chávez Quotes in How Democracies Die

The How Democracies Die quotes below are all either spoken by Hugo Chávez or refer to Hugo Chávez. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
American Tyranny Theme Icon
).
Introduction Quotes

Blatant dictatorship—in the form of fascism, communism, or military rule—has disappeared across much of the world. Military coups and other violent seizures of power are rare. Most countries hold regular elections. Democracies still die, but by different means. Since the end of the Cold War, most democratic breakdowns have been caused not by generals and soldiers but by elected governments themselves. Like Chávez in Venezuela, elected leaders have subverted democratic institutions in Georgia, Hungary, Nicaragua, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and Ukraine. Democratic backsliding today begins at the ballot box.

Related Characters: Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt (speaker), Hugo Chávez
Page Number: 5
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 1 Quotes

A cast of political outsiders, including Adolf Hitler, Getúlio Vargas in Brazil, Alberto Fujimori in Peru, and Hugo Chávez in Venezuela, came to power on the same path: from the inside, via elections or alliances with powerful political figures. In each instance, elites believed the invitation to power would contain the outsider, leading to a restoration of control by mainstream politicians. But their plans backfired. A lethal mix of ambition, fear, and miscalculation conspired to lead them to the same fateful mistake: willingly handing over the keys of power to an autocrat-in-the-making.

Related Characters: Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt (speaker), Hugo Chávez, Alberto Fujimori, Adolf Hitler
Page Number: 13
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire How Democracies Die LitChart as a printable PDF.
How Democracies Die PDF

Hugo Chávez Quotes in How Democracies Die

The How Democracies Die quotes below are all either spoken by Hugo Chávez or refer to Hugo Chávez. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
American Tyranny Theme Icon
).
Introduction Quotes

Blatant dictatorship—in the form of fascism, communism, or military rule—has disappeared across much of the world. Military coups and other violent seizures of power are rare. Most countries hold regular elections. Democracies still die, but by different means. Since the end of the Cold War, most democratic breakdowns have been caused not by generals and soldiers but by elected governments themselves. Like Chávez in Venezuela, elected leaders have subverted democratic institutions in Georgia, Hungary, Nicaragua, Peru, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and Ukraine. Democratic backsliding today begins at the ballot box.

Related Characters: Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt (speaker), Hugo Chávez
Page Number: 5
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 1 Quotes

A cast of political outsiders, including Adolf Hitler, Getúlio Vargas in Brazil, Alberto Fujimori in Peru, and Hugo Chávez in Venezuela, came to power on the same path: from the inside, via elections or alliances with powerful political figures. In each instance, elites believed the invitation to power would contain the outsider, leading to a restoration of control by mainstream politicians. But their plans backfired. A lethal mix of ambition, fear, and miscalculation conspired to lead them to the same fateful mistake: willingly handing over the keys of power to an autocrat-in-the-making.

Related Characters: Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt (speaker), Hugo Chávez, Alberto Fujimori, Adolf Hitler
Page Number: 13
Explanation and Analysis: