Worker's Control in Venezuela

Author: Brian John

Venezuela is a republic, which has elements of socialism and is located in South America under the leadership of Hugo Chavez. Socialism means that the government unlike capitalism controls the economy where the people control the economy. However, despite the fact that the government owns most of the firms in the country, workers in Venezuela have enormous control of the running of the state owned firms. Workers are given positions in the management of the firms that they work in in order to ensure that the organizations are run properly.

Venezuela has twenty-three sates and is a federal republic with the capital in Caracas. In addition, it has other autonomous Federal Dependencies, which cover islands located in the shores of the country. Venezuela is among the most urbanized republics in South America with most of its citizens living in cities (Kelly & Palma, 2006). The poor citizens of Venezuela live in shanties that are tin roofed. These people offer Chavez most of his support since they see him as a hero who fights for the betterment of their rights. The president in 1999 during the tenth anniversary of the Caracazo massacre organized soldiers to sell food at low prices and give free medical care to the people. These and several other gestures have increased the popularity of Chavez among the poor (Wilpert, 2007, p. 24).

Venezuela is officially referred to as the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. It borders Brazil to the south, Colombia to the west and to the east, Guyana. Its climate is typically tropical and has coastline that measures about 2,800 kilometers. Numerous islands lie near Venezuela's coast such as Trinidad and Tobago. The nation is approximately 916,445 square kilometers and has a population of about 29,105,632. It is of paramount importance to note that Venezuela has a wide range of biodiversity. Venezuela inhabitants are the indigenous people, African, and Spanish and most of the county's cultures are based on the traditions of the different races (Fuentes, 2010).

The country was under the colony of Spain since 1522 and gained its independence in 1811 after its indigenous people overcame the Spanish authorities through protests. It is of paramount importance to note that the country was the first American country colonized by Spain to gain independence. However, Venezuela gained full independence in 1830. The country has been under the leadership of military in the 19th century up to 20th century. The first time Venezuela saw democracy was between 1945 and 1948 and this was a common phenomenon in the Latin America (Pearn, 2007).

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