In Defence of Marxism-
<http://www.marxist.com>http://www.marxist.com and
Hands Off Venezuela campaign-
<http://www.handsoffvenezuela.org>http://www.handsoffvenezuela.org

Cuba, Venezuela, Latin America:
Is the revolutionary spark spreading?

Interview with Celia Hart

Celia Hart, daughter of the longstanding Cuban Minister of Culture Armando
Hart, studied physics from 1983 to 1987 at the Technical University in
Dresden and works as a research physicist. Celia is a member of the
Communist Party of Cuba.


As a Cuban communist, how do you view the revolutionary process in Venezuela?

The Bolivarian revolution finds a lot of support not only among
longstanding and experienced communists in Cuba, but also in the ranks of
the youth, where the vivid revolutionary process in Venezuela sparks off
much more enthusiasm than some of the boring and monotonous [official]
socialist" rhetoric and lecturing. Che Guevara once spoke about creating
many Vietnams" in Latin America. Now we face this new task and we have the
possibility of deepening the Bolivarian revolution and consolidating it as
a socialist revolution. From Venezuela can and must come the impulse for
the socialist revolution across all of Latin America. The idea of the
Permanent Revolution, for which also ChÈ Guevara was fighting, is relevant
today.


But some fear that a socialist revolution in Venezuela could provoke
reaction and even a military invasion. Do you think that Hugo Ch·vez has
been ìcleverî over the last weeks in seeking some form of consensus in the
negotiations he has had with the bossesí associations?

Reaction knows what it wants and does not need to be provoked. I hope that
Hugo Ch·vez is not going to fall into the reformist trap and make
concessions to his sworn enemies. The Venezuelan oligarchy needs to play
for time. When the moment is right the oligarchy will attempt to eliminate
Ch·vez, in the same way as the Chilean ruling class eliminated the
socialist president Salvador Allende and with him many other leftwing
activists in 1973. The majority of Venezuelans, to be sure, would fight
against an invasion as did the Cubans against the invasion of the Bay of
Pigs 1961. In such a case, as internationalists, we have to assist the
Venezuelan revolution as international brigades did in the Spanish civil
war in 1936.


Hasn't the Cuban Revolution survived for 45 years without having to
ìexport" their revolution?

Revolutionary Cuba has maintained itself because of the decisive break that
Fidel Castro made with capitalism and imperialism. From my experience in
the GDR [the former East Germany] and in Cuba I have reached the conclusion
that ìsocialism in one country" is impossible. The spreading of the
revolution across the Latin American continent is essential for the
survival of revolutionary Cuba. Cheap Venezuelan oil alleviates the energy
crisis in Cuba; and Cuban doctors and teachers provide assistance to the
poor population in Venezuela to develop dignity and self-esteem. The
present ñday special relations between Cuba and revolutionary Venezuela
gives us a glimpse of the enormous possibilities and progress that a
network of democratically planned economies throughout Latin America 
freed from imperialist paternalism and interference ñ would allow. In the
long run, an isolated revolutionary Cuba cannot survive.


Do you think that Cuba will end up like the GDR and suffer a capitalist
counter-revolution?

I think there exists a real danger of this, and every sincere revolutionary
that I know, fears the same. Although the planned economy in Cuba has a
state monopoly of foreign trade, although the means of production are state
owned, and the bulk of the joint ventures are controlled by the state, time
is running out. Dollarisation has already had its negative effects. The
management of joint ventures and the officials in foreign trade are at risk
of being bought and they are also susceptible to bourgeois ideas. If the
exiled Cuban capitalists return and try to usurp the country with the aid
of pro-capitalist and pro-imperialist forces, there will be the menace of a
counter-revolution and a capitalism of the worst sort. All the achievements
of the last 45 years are in danger. For this reason, we have to defend the
revolutionary heritage of Lenin, Trotsky and ChÈ Guevara and advance the
global revolution.


Interview: Hans-Gerd ÷finger

See also:

* <http://www.marxist.com/Theory/celia_hart_controversy.html>The Celia
Hart Controversy - Stalinism or Leninism? Part One By Alan Woods (September
1, 2004) * <http://www.marxist.com/History/who_is_celia_hart.html>Who is
Celia Hart? Some brief biographical notes (August 2004) *
<http://www.marxist.com/comments/flag_of_coyoac·n.html>The Flag of Coyoac·n
By Celia Hart (December 2003) *
<http://www.marxist.com/comments/take_the_winter_palace_en.html>On August
15 we take the Winter Palace A Contribution from Cuba By Celia Hart (July
9, 2004) *
<http://www.marxist.com/Latinam/cuba_celia_hart100504.html>"Socialism in
one country" and the Cuban Revolution
<http://www.marxist.com/Latinam/cuba_celia_hart100504.html>- A contribution
from Cuba By Celia Hart (May 10, 2004) *

and in Spanish:

* <http://www.marxist.com/comments/apuntes_margen_del_crimen.html>Apuntes
al margen del crimen Por Celia Hart (25 de agosto, 2004) *
<http://www.marxist.com/comments/epidemia_cinismo_panama.html>Epidemia de
cinismo en Panam· Por Celia Hart (1 de septiembre, 2004) *
<http://www.elmilitante.org/index.asp?id=muestra&amp;id_art=1019>La bandera
de Coyoac·n Por Celia Hart (Diciembre 2003) *
<http://www.elmilitante.org/index.asp?id=muestra&amp;id_art=1370>El 15 de
Agosto tomamos el Palacio de Invierno - AportaciÛn desde Cuba Por Celia
Hart, (09 de Julio del 2004) *
<http://www.elmilitante.org/index.asp?id=muestra&amp;id_art=1242>ìEl
Socialismo en un solo paÌsî y la RevoluciÛn cubana - AportaciÛn desde Cuba
Por Celia Hart (10 de Mayo, 2004) *