The deadly upheavals in Venezuela continue to come under international scrutiny, not always from concern for its long-suffering people. Right-wing commentators take a certain satisfaction in holding up Venezuela as a compelling demonstration of how left-wing revolutionary movements invariably go wrong, as if by ideological predestination. The Venezuelan social revolution under Hugo Chávez, continued under Nicolás Maduro, managed to provide education, healthcare and general economic improvement, partly on the back of Venezuelan oil revenues, partly through economic and social reform. The collapse of the international oil price has undermined the economies of a number of countries, not just Venezuela’s. But that is not the sole reason for the present crisis. President Maduro has made serious mistakes of his own.