Escaping Venezuela lays bare the human cost of the socialist project.

The documentary Escaping Venezuela portrays the unprecedented unfolding of the contemporary Venezuelan crisis, one that cannot be grasped through constitutional, political science, international law, or electoral analysis alone. Its present dimensions are rooted in a broader historical arc spanning 1958 to 2026. That arc began with a functioning, peaceful yet imperfect democracy in what was then one of Latin America’s wealthiest nations (1958–1999). It gave way to twenty-first-century socialism under Hugo Chávez (1999–2013) and Nicolás Maduro (2013–2026), an era defined by institutional decay, the dismantling of democracy, the capture of state institutions by criminal networks with international ties, profound economic and social collapse, and systematic human rights violations. It now enters a new phase marked by the Trump administration’s asserted control over Venezuela, following the January 3, 2026, military operation that seized Nicolás Maduro, whom much of the international community regarded as a usurper, and brought him before the United States (U.S.) federal courts. 

At the beginning of Venezuela’s democratic era, the system relied on consensus among the major political parties on key issues. It also gradually incorporated national business organizations, labor unions, and religious groups into a semi-corporatist framework that allowed them to participate in key economic and political decisions. Over time, the bipartisan system evolved into a complex, conflict-ridden multiparty system, with organizations outside the parties becoming increasingly influential. This convergence of diverse, competing interests, along with the risk these groups perceived to their sometimes-opaque privileges and interests from the market-friendly economic reforms of the late 1980s, weakened democracy and enabled practices that undermined economic and political integrity.  

The documentary vividly describes how during the second presidency of social democrat Carlos Andrés Pérez (1989–1993), Venezuela was shaken by the Caracazo, a wave of protests, riots, and looting that began on February 27, 1989. Amnesty International reported that human rights organizations identified approximately 400 people who died or went missing during the events. Some commentators contend that the Caracazo was planned rather than entirely spontaneous. They cite reports that politically active students occupied public transportation facilities at 6 a.m. on February 27, 1989, and distributed preprinted leaflets. They also point to allegations that police had been instructed not to intervene, while President Carlos Andrés Pérez blamed police insubordination. Some accounts cite evidence of coordination and identify Jorge Rodríguez, then a student leader and later a prominent figure in Venezuela’s socialist government, as an organizer. Paulina Gamus, who chaired the congressional inquiry, believed the unrest had been orchestrated but had spiraled out of control. Chávez later said the Caracazo helped spur his plans for the 1992 coup attempt.

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