Slide 1Imagining 21st Century Socialism21st Century SocialismA New Social ContractA Few Sights and Sounds…Slide 6Slide 7Slide 8Slide 9Slide 10Slide 11Geography and GeologyPopulationEndogenous DevelopmentLand ReformCooperativesCommunal CouncilsCommunal Council WorkshopFour Communal CouncilsCaracas BarrioSlide 21MéridaSlide 23Ciudad GuayanaSlide 25La Fría, rural Western VenezuelaLa FríaCommunal Councils in ActionThe Proposals (votes in parenthesis)New Government programs created in the communitiesThank youSlide 32Imagining 21st Century SocialismBrian BurwellDanielle ChieroSarah ClaeysSara LevyIrene SetchfieldBen Woodhouse“We have to re-invent socialism. It can’t be the kind of socialism that we saw in the Soviet Union, but it will emerge as we develop new systems that are built on cooperation, not competition.”21st Century SocialismChavez at theWorld Social Forumin Porto Alegre, 2005• Land reform• Worker owned cooperatives• Universal health care• Government for the benefit of the majorityA New Social ContractChavez at theWorld Social Forumin Porto Alegre, 2005A Few Sights and Sounds…Michael Fox for Venezuelanalysis previous to this fall’s electionVenezuela sits at the northern tip of the South American Continent. It is rich in oil reserves as well as deposits of iron ore and aluminum. Nearly the entire population lives in the North, Caracas is by far the largest city. Many of Chavez’s population redistribution efforts have involved repoplulating the southern part of the country. The country’s natural beauty is highlighted by, among other things, the Orinoco River, spectacular waterfalls, and the northern tip of the Andes.Rivers—the Orinoco and the Coroni are the two largest. The Guri Dam on the Caroni outside Ciudad Guayana is the second largest in the worldThe Andes—domestic and inernational tourists alike flock to the beautiful mountainsOil—Venezuela is one of the largest producers in the worldOre—the region south of Ciudad Guayana contains large amounts of iron and aluminum, as well as bauxite, gold, and other mineralsGeography and GeologyPopulation•Neoliberal policies have pushed many rural peasants towards urban slums•One of Chavez’spriorities is reversing thistrendEndogenous Development“To be capable of producing the seed that we sow, the food that we eat, the clothes that we wear, the goods and services that we need, breaking the economic, cultural and technological dependence that has halted our development…”•Development coming from within•Local economies are being built from the ground up•Developing skilled labor for societal benefitLand Reform•2/4/2002: By presidential decree, Comites de Tierras Urbanas (CTUs) were formed•Families that could prove that they built their homes could apply to become legal owners•They need to join together with 100-200 other families to form a CTU•Currently 5,212 CTUs represent nearly a fifth of the populationCooperatives•The 1999 Constitution requires the state to “promote and protect” co-ops•In the first five years of Chavez’s presidency the amount of co-ops went from 750 (mostly credit unions) to 8,000 representing all sectors of business•Currently there are 108,000. One in twenty Venezuelans currently work in co-opsCommunal Councils“The communal councils, in the constitutional framework of participatory and protagonistic democracy, are instances of participation, articulation and integration between the diverse community organizations, social groups and the citizens, that permit the organized people to directly exercise the administration (management) of public policies and projects oriented to respond to the necessities and aspirations of the communities in the construction of an equal and socially just society.”—From Article II of the Communal Council LawCommunal Council WorkshopWorkshop:Communal Councils in ActionThe federal government is seeking input from communities on the development of new state programs. Your community council has come together to make a proposal to the government regarding the needs of your region.1. The class should be divided into four community councils representing four regions of Venezuela:Caracas, Mérida, Ciudad Guayana, and Rural Western Venezuela2. Once you have divided into groups, take a moment in pairs to read the back of this sheet for background.3. Create a role for yourself based on the context of your community.4. As a community, deliberate on what kind of new programs would be most beneficial to the town in which you live. Come up with two program proposals to bring to the entire nation, and have a back-up just in case another community has a similar proposal. Take 15 to 20 minutes on this stage.5. Back together as a nation, these programs will be voted on. First, each group will have two or three minutes to give their proposals and explain why these would be beneficial to the community they live in.6. We will have five minutes of deliberation before we vote. Please keep your comments short.7. We will vote. Each person can vote “yes” for three proposals. The three proposals with the most votes will be passed into law.Four Communal Councils•Caracas Barrio–Shanty Towns on the Outskirts of the Capitol•Mérida–Leftist, Intellectual Hub•Ciudad Guayana–Rapidly Growing Industrial City•La Fría–Frontier Agricultural CommunityCaracas BarrioCaracas Barrio•This barrio lies in the hills in the southern outskirts of Caracas. It was started by migrants from the agricultural regions to the south over twenty years ago. Most of the homes were built by the inhabitants, while some were built jointly with help from community members. Some of the homes are in various stages of disrepair, while the majority have been rebuilt thanks to government funds from the Urban Land Committees (CTU).•The land was officially owned by a wealthy landowner, but the CTUs have allowed for most barrio families to receive titles to their shanties.•The community has also benefited from the existence of a popular clinic opened in the barrio in 2003. Staffed by Cuban doctors, the medical clinic has practiced preventive medicine and helped stem the ever-present illnesses associated with water borne pathogens. While the vaccinations and inoculations have helped, the problem of contaminated water persists with the lack of adequate sewage systems.•The inevitable contamination of one of the barrio’s public