Venezuela Commemorates National Dignity Day

On Sunday, Venezuelans celebrate the "National Dignity Day" in tribute to the leader of the Bolivarian Revolution, Commander Hugo Chavez, who stated the anti-imperialist struggle in this South American country.

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On February 4, 1992, a group of patriots, led by then Lieutenant Colonel Hugo Chavez, began an insurrection against the neoliberal policies applied by President Carlos Andres Perez.

That day, Commander Chavez channeled the feelings of the Venezuelan people and revived hope for a homeland with democracy and social justice.

"February 4, 1992 completely changed the political course of the country and the lives of Venezuelans, setting the path for the construction of a true democracy and the birth of the Bolivarian Revolution," the Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Ministry recalled through its website.

The text reads, "National Dignity Day! February 4 and 'Just for Now' awakened the revolutionary consciousness of a people suffocated by disastrous neoliberal policies and imperialist interference. That date marked the beginning of a new era for the Homeland at the national and international level. A rebellion will never again be necessary as long as the Bolivarian Revolution remains firm and irreversible in the fight for independence, freedom, and social justice. Today the Bolivarian National Armed Forces ratify their unavoidable commitment to defend the Homeland and its democracy. Cheers to 4F! Long live Chavez! Long live the Homeland!"

On that day of struggle, the revolutionaries were unable to overthrow the U.S.-backed regime and were arrested. Chavez addressed the nation with a speech that is remembered for the acceptance of a tactical defeat that would not imply giving up on long-term objectives.

“Comrades: unfortunately, for now, the objectives we set for ourselves were not achieved in the capital city,” he said after the insurgent forces were unable to take the city of Caracas. He asked those fighting in Aragua and Valencia to surrender to avoid fruitless bloodshed.

Although the participants of the insurgent movement were arrested, their actions demonstrated that Venezuela could free itself from the traditional oligarchy that had controlled its republican life since the 19th century.

As time would show, the Fourth of February was the beginning of the path that Hugo Chavez opened towards the electoral victory of the Bolivarian Revolution in 1998.