The book you can download in the sidebar is by Alan Woods, a fervent supporter of rapid nationalisation of all major industries and significant landholdings. He makes the case, though not in any depth (for that is not the central topic of the book), that piecemeal nationalisation would eventually force a situation where what remains of the capitalist system would be unable to operate properly. This would herald unforeseen crises and threaten the health of the general economy, and thus the socialist project itself.
His other case is that whilst the land is still held by landowners, and industries by oligarchs, their ability for them to organise a counter-revolution will fluctuate according to circumstances. It stands to reason that as long as such a situation persists, the revolution is never truly safe and would eventually be toppled. This, of course, would certainly occur if the mass revolutionary movement became disillusioned by the government’s refusal to carry out full nationalisation, and unmotivated to defend it.
It is of course true that beyond a certain point in time, the longer it takes to expropriate the land and industries, the more apathetic the revolutionary movement will become. That said, if one looks at the pace of nationalisations thus far, we can see that the process only commenced in 2007, once Chavez had been reelected with a massive mandate, a secure government, and plenty of breathing space. Despite an electoral setback late in the year, we saw nationalisations stepped up in 2008.
It would not surprise anybody, especially following last Sunday’s far more positive results, if 2009 heralded a further increase (if we exclude the oil joint ventures) in the total value of year-on-year nationalisations. With the financial crisis soon to unfold with even more devastating global effects, we expect that Chavez would have the confidence and justification to take over the other private banks in Venezuela, for starters. But whatever happens, we can be more than confident that the process will ultimately continue. The main point, as I see it, is to reassure those who are concerned about the lack of urgency.
Unlike Russia circa 1917, or Cuba circa 1959, Venezuela hosts an advanced capitalist system which rivals many modern European economies in its size and complexity. Of course we must remember that the oil industry plays a stupendous role and was the first priority in Chavez’s nationalisation scheme. But even if we assume the remainder of industries can be acquired relatively quickly and painlessly, the vulnerability of Venezuela as a mass importer raises the stakes once these acquisitions have been made. And expropriating vast landholdings without the resources and manpower to make them productive in the short term is surely a misplacement of priorities.
Prioritised and staged expropriations are far more likely to be successful on an individual basis, for obvious reasons. You can apply previous experiences of state/worker control, and transfer your best managers and consultants to concentrate on developing each newly acquired industry. You can ensure that the government is never bogged down with nationalisations, especially when numerous other problems persist in Venezuelan society. What would be the result of mismanagement of national food production, or even beer production? The consequences wouldn’t be pretty.
Another important issue is that the Venezuelan process be directed under the assumption that Chavez could be assassinated at any moment. Since willing assassins certainly exist, the question is under which circumstances would they be best employed? Large degrees of ensuing chaos would maximise the chances of transition to reformist, bourgeous rule. If the government were to become saddled with major economic or managerial problems, this would represent a major weakness and the ideal opportunity for counter-revolutionaries to act.
Venezuela is currently building alliances abroad, and oil prices will soon reassume their natural course of ascent. The revolution is becoming stronger by the day, so we shouldn’t be rallying for mass expropriations as a matter of urgency. I’d go so far as to say that if Chavez were to be reelected in 2012, we could safely look at 2014 as a target date for full expropriations. This would also provide windows in which to build up lots of new productive capacity from scratch, demonstrating that this revolution does not depend on buying up capitalist enterprises for its day-to-day survival.
We must also remember that increasing the democratic mandate for continuing expropriations is, if not paramount, then certainly of critical importance. Those who are unsure about full nationalisation can be convinced by results, but those who are already convinced will not revert to being unsure. At the end of the day, Chavez is a military man, and fully aware of what it takes to win a protracted battle. He understands the nature of what must be achieved, and how it can best be achieved. If at any point his words and actions led me to believe that he wasn’t fighting our battle, I’d be the first to say it.
Lars said in a comment in the previous post:
does the oligarchic nationalization include businessess and properties in hand of chavistas too? They are just as powerful businessmen and even bigger landowners.
Will the Chavez family lose its Barinas estate? (the largest private land holdings in Barinas).
This all goes without saying. In fact, nationalising the Chavez family’s property would be a major propaganda boost to the whole process.
Are you still expecting (what amounts to) the petit-bourgeois nationalist bolivarian state to nationalize their private bourgeois buddies in some prompt and effective manner..? Where are the organized masses and working-class in all this, huh? Are you are still expecting these “bolivarian” elite managers to operate in the masses’ best interests..?
What should be happening is that all this planning should be going on *in the hands of the consejos and comunas*. Not at the behest of a gaggle of technocrats. Unh-unh. Hugo Chávez can only see and do and think and act so much — and no more. This revolution has been left in the hands of essentially one man for far too long already. Time for some power-sharing — and mass nationalizations. Start with the BIG concerns — and work your way down. Like Chávez is trying to do. Except DO IT FASTER.
No wonder SNAFU.
CM, the critical point is that the masses are handed the ownership and control of the land and major industries.
Regarding who gets to prioritize and carry out a staged nationalization process, I think that matter is best off in the hands of Chavez’s circle for now.
I’m not saying that planning SHOULDNT be the responsibility of the masses….but my post should explain what I think is important right now.
The Ccs Stock Exchange has a market cap of $10 million dollars. What Euro country does that compare to again?