Revolutions in Cuba and Venezuela: One Hope, Two Realities

Revolutions in Cuba and Venezuela: One Hope, Two Realities

This book compares the sociopolitical processes behind two major revolutions—those of Cuba in 1959, when Fidel Castro came to power, and Venezuela in 1999, when Hugo Chávez won the presidential election. “The similarities between the Cuban revolution and Venezuela during Chavismo have been the subject of politicized and polarized analyses. This is the first effort to systematically compare the two governing experiences and examine the relationships between them.”—David A. Smilde, the Charles A. and Leo M. Favrot Professor of Human Relations at Tulane University; senior fellow, Washington Office on Latin America   “A terrific account of how revolutions autocratize and learn from each other. These sister revolutions became profoundly dependent on each other for survival, and this book offers fresh new insights into their interaction and survival tactics.”—Javier Corrales, author of Fixing Democracy: Why Constitutional Change Often Fails to Enhance Democracy in Latin America “The similarities between the Cuban revolution and Venezuela during Chavismo have been the subject of politicized and polarized analyses. This is the first effort to systematically compare the two governing experiences and examine the relationships between them.”—David A. Smilde, the Charles A. and Leo M. Favrot Professor of Human Relations at Tulane University; senior fellow, Washington Office on Latin America   “A terrific account of how revolutions autocratize and learn from each other. These sister revolutions became profoundly dependent on each other for survival, and this book offers fresh new insights into their interaction and survival tactics.”—Javier Corrales, author of Fixing Democracy: Why Constitutional Change Often Fails to Enhance Democracy in Latin America Silvia Pedraza , professor of sociology and American culture at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, is the author of Political Disaffection in Cuba’s Revolution and Exodus. Carlos A. Romero, professor emeritus in the Institute of Political Studies at the Universidad Central de Venezuela, is coauthor of  U.S.-Venezuela Relations since the 1990s:   Coping with Midlevel Security Threats