Political theorist George Ciccariello-Maher explores the political and economic history of the Venezuelan commune, from its pre-Chavez roots in a popular uprising against the neoliberal order, to the challenges of sustaining direct democracy and socialist principles in the face of vast demographic changes, oil market fluctuations and capitalist resistance.
George's new book Building the Commune: Radical Democracy in Venezuela is part of the Jacobin series from Verso Books.