Until the aristo landed gentry is removed from control there can be no democracy. The redistribution can only occur after resources are seized.
The problem for a politician is to assure the process remains under control. The process in Russia has been ongoing of nearly a hundred years and is still not resolved into a stable political condition.
The process in Venezuela has just begun.
Oh, you’re gonna get flamed. But I sort of agree with you. I think these policies will probably result in even more poverty in Venezuela. Fortunately (for Chavez), many of the poor in Venezuela will probably notice little difference. Their lives might even get a little better. If Venezuela had been a land of opportunity for the poor a Communist like Chavez would have had much less appeal to them.