In April of last year, a coalition of army generals, oil executives and media conglomerates (with, it is widely believed, planning support from the CIA) attempted to overthrow the democratically-elected government of the populist Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez - the first Latin American coup of the 21st Century.
They failed. The story of how they failed is an amazing one, well told by a group of Irish filmmakers who happened to be in the country. Their documentary, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised shows how, despite violent repression (and local media corporations' active support of the coup), canny Chavez aides and rapidly-coalescing popular demonstrations solidified support for the government within the armed forces, toppling the coup in less than three days.
The film doesn't go into great depth on how those crowds of up to a million came together, but it does show how cellphone-trees, international media (like CNN), and ad-hoc groups all played a part. It's not the last word on how the Venezuelan people waged infowar-as-countercoup, but The Revolution Will Not Be Televised is required viewing for anyone who wants to understand how oligarchic power works these days and how democratic power can oppose it.
