@Foxfyre,
Foxfyre wrote:
I'm no authority, but from what I've read re Chavez plus what has been related from missionary teacher friends who left Venezuela after it became too 'nuts' a few years ago, Chavez doesn't fit the mold of 'ruthless dictator'. Nor, though poor, does he come from a particularly troubled childhood. He obtained power through mostly his own charisma and connections, but did seem to genuinely want to do good for the people who really did adore him.
He more fits the mold of 'power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely'. You treat somebody like a god long enough, and many, if not most, begin to believe they have godlike qualities.
But in looking at the common denominators that Okie has been developing, Idi Amin was abandoned by his father and was raised by his mother in a highly patriarchal society. That almost had to be traumatic for him. He joined the army at a young age and rose through the ranks based on ability, but he was also described as being capable of extreme cruelty. And...well...everybody knows the rest.
Hugo Chavez is an interesting case, perhaps one that is not real extreme, however, Foxfyre, I don't think I agree that his childhood was not abnormal. His childhood does not seem really harsh, and interestingly, although he is apparently establishing a dictatorship, perhaps he is not yet anywhere near as cruel and ruthless as some others that we have talked about here on this thread. But the total story on Chavez is not written, and I look for him to get worse.
To discuss some of the points of correlation though, Chavez mother did want Hugo to become a priest, but he more or less became disenchanted with catholicism as an alter boy, etc., and was later sent off from home to live with grandparents. I read somewhere that he refused to speak with his mother for a long time, and this quote from one website:
"The influence of his grandmother and the early separation from his mother have served as fodder for many hypotheses regarding the evolution of Hugo Chávez's personality and character. Some people feel there is a connection between the circumstances of his early life and the incendiary tone of his political rhetoric. Some people sense in him a perpetual aggression that they believe stems from a deep-seated resentment regarding his early childhood experiences. This would be supported by a related theory suggesting that Chávez harbors muted feelings of ill will toward his mother."
Although other things can be cited from his growing up, this quote seems to also indicate he wasn't all that healthy emotionally:
"Chávez also had his share of social upsets; for example, when a young woman whom he considered attractive refused to pay any attention to him, Chávez found a rotting donkey head on the side of the road and left it in front of her door." Indeed, Chavez does not seem to have been a wonderful content guy, in 1982 founded the Bolivian Revolutionary movement, led an unsuccessful military coup, and spent time in prison, which propelled him onto the political scene. A quote from a website:
"A populist leader backed by leftist parties, Chavez has advocated a ‘third way’ between communism and capitalism", wrote Patrick Moser for the Agence France Presse." So Chavez is clearly a leftist.
http://www.lcsc.edu/elmartin/historybehindthenews/mccoy/bio.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_life_of_Hugo_Ch%C3%A1vez
http://samsedershow.com/node/1190
So, does Chavez fit the template, perhaps not as well as some others, but there does seem to be some correlation, rejection by his mother, and alienation from her, sent off to live with grandparents, a religious experience that gendered anger, and a bitterness about society and life in general, turning him to the study of Marxism, etc.
Now, to look at Hirohito as ican suggested, I am not sure he is a good example because he ascended power through royalty, not by actively seeking it. Also, some believe he was more of a bystander consenting to the cruelties, more than he was an instigator, although he was certainly not innocent. Interestingly, from my reading, I did find that he was separated from his parents shortly after birth, and I think I read that his father may have had some kind of mental disorder. I do think however that Hirohito is not a particularly good example, and does not fit the template very well. If someone has other further information on him, feel free to add it.
http://www.bookrags.com/biography/hirohito/
