Abstract

Following the election of Hugo Chavez to the Venezuelan presidency, and the Cochabamba water wars, Latin American politics were radicalised and their governments populated with former activists and trade union leaders. In this book, renowned Latin Americanist Mike Gonzalez explores the course of the Left in Latin American politics.

In the last few years, Latin America’s Left have suffered many setbacks and reactionary challenges, which has led many to wonder if the ‘Pink Tide’ is on the wane. Gonzalez argues that whilst left-wing developments have been widely celebrated, less has been written to address the problems that have arisen. Through examination of the successes and failings of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Venezuela, Gonzalez is able to identify weaknesses and strengths and suggest possible future pathways for the Left in nations across Latin America.

Providing a critical but sympathetic analysis of the records of the left governments across the continent, Gonzalez offers a refreshing reflection on the prospects and future of Latin American politics, asking whether Chavez’s vision of twenty-first century socialism may ever be realised.
'To make sense of the degeneration of the Sandinista project in present day Nicaragua under Daniel Ortega, or the depths of the Venezuelan economic catastrophe under Nicols Maduro in Venezuela, there are few better primers than 'The Ebb of the Pink Tide'. This book provides some crucial foundations for the ongoing collective effort to contribute to Latin America's next cycle of emancipatory endeavours, from below and to the Left'
Jeffery R. Webber, author of 'The Last Day of Oppression, and the First Day of the Same: The Politics and Economics of the New Latin American Left'