Michael Rowan
Special for El Universal

In the beginning, a few rich and powerful people owned the private property, finance, enterprises and knowledge in Venezuela. These were oligarchs who plundered the country and developed it very gradually, while keeping the population in the condition of serfdom.

Upon the discovery of oil, the dictators and oligarchs continued their plunder while the population emerged from serfdom to own a little of the private property, finance, enterprises and knowledge in the country. In fact, by the time of democracy in 1958, almost one family in four was in the middle classes and Venezuela was enjoying the best economic growth and inflation rates in the world.

When the government "nationalized" the oil industry and many others in 1976, Venezuela began the slow collapse of its productivity, economic growth and democratic development, and the scourges of poverty, corruption, and insecurity revisited the population. In 1999, the country plunged head first over the cliff toward nationalization and jumped again in 2006, while enjoying the highest oil prices in history.

The government has effectively become the historic oligarchy it pretends to hate. Conquest is its game and plunder is its reward. Who owns the private property, finance, enterprises and knowledge in Venezuela today? The answer is obvious, but the propaganda spin, which apparently over half the Venezuelan voters believe, is that the government is the people so everything is OK. This is exactly what every dictator and oligarch said in the past, from Hitler to Stalin to Mussolini to Pol Pot to Castro to Qadaffi  Mugabe to… whoever's next. There's nothing new under the sun.

Venezuela has come full circle. The past is present. A few rich and powerful pirates own and control everything in the democratic and social interests of the nation, which coincidentally is collapsing from poverty and a 21st century version of serfdom. The oligarchy has been vanquished! Long live the revolution! Break out the Rolex watches!

michaelrowan22@gmail.com