 | ISBN: 978-1-57454-086-4 $49.95 | |
| 2002/186 pages Distributed for the North-South Center Press | ||
Canache highlights the importance of mass attitudes regarding democracy as a form of government, showing that what people think about democracy is distinct from what they think about political institutions and incumbent leaders. Her analysis reveals that it was those Venezuelans who were uncommitted to democracy who expressed the strongest support for political violence in the 1990s and who provided an early base of mass support for Hugo Chávez.
Also of interest: Venezuelan Politics in the Chavez Era: Class, Polarization, and Conflict edited by Steve Ellner and Daniel Hellinger.
"A valuable theoretical and empirical contribution to the study of citizen political support."—Charles L. Davis, Journal of Politics
"With this book, Damarys Canache establishes herself as one of the most skillful analysts of Venezuelan public opinion. She demonstrates that scholars should think about political support differently where democracy cannot be taken for granted. She also uses this insight to illuminate the bases of support for Hugo Chávez and the coups, riots, and protests that accompanied his rise to power."—Michael J. Coppedge