Chávez has created “missions” to help improve conditions for the poor. These missions were developed since 2003, and have continued in the country ever since. Thanks to the oil revenues that the country is receiving, some of Chávez’s missions include “fighting illiteracy, educating school dropouts, promoting employment, supplying food at reduced prices, and extending free medical services to rural and poor zones of Caracas and Venezuela”. For example, the medical program mission was called Misión Barrio Adentro, and it involved sending thousands of Cuban doctors, among the best in Latin America, to remote areas of the country. Misión Robinson alphabetized illiterate Venezuelans. One million people were taught by Venezuelan teachers how to read, write, and use basic arithmetic. Cuba sponsored TV sets, camcorders, reading glasses, and school manuals for these children. Misión Ribas was aimed at teenagers and adults who had dropped out from school. The program ran at night, and in 2004, there were 600,000 students. Participants earned diplomas two years after they enrolled in the “mission”. Misión Vuelvan Caras helped unemployed citizens, and after the first year of the program, unemployment was reduced by 5% in the country. (Gott, P. 256)

While Chávez states that “being rich is bad” and has a strong hatred for the “oligarchy”, the rise of the upper class has been constant since Chávez was elected in 1999. The wealthier Venezuelans have benefitted from the economy of the country, which continues to grow 10% every year since 1999, and thanks to the oil prices, which have increased by eight times since 1999. (The rise of the “Boligarchs”; Venezuela) Even if oil within Venezuela is subsidized as it is for the oil exports to developing nations, first-world countries must pay full price for the oil they purchase. Since the price of petroleum has increased worldwide, these exports have had profitable returns. According to the World Bank, the Gini coefficient, a “statistical measure of inequality”, has increased in Venezuela from 0.44 in 2000 to 0.48 in 2005. (The rise of the “Boligarchs”; Venezuela) This means that the gap between the rich and poor has actually expanded under Chávez, despite his efforts for a socialist economy and a “Bolivarian Revolution”.

Due to the food imports from other countries, which are cheaper than the local produce, Venezuelan farmers have a hard time competing against these products in supermarkets. Inflation around the world has caused the prices of imported goods to rise, and even if 2 million unprivileged people are rewarded with a small stipend, they cannot afford these goods anymore. For the wealthy, due to their connections and highly paid positions, they have no problem buying the expensive imported goods. (The rise of the “Boligarchs”; Venezuela)

The World Bank placed Venezuela as the “second-worst country in the Americas for the control of corruptions, above only Haiti”. To stop this Chávez has tried to cap the pay of important officials. As he has received a negative response from the growing upper class, this idea has been abandoned. As the Economist said about this issue: “If he really tries to make socialism more than a slogan, some of the fiercest resistance may come from the new bourgeoisie his own policies have created.” (The rise of the “Boligarchs”; Venezuela)

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