[pjc50]

The problem in South America is that both versions are true. The outside exploitation pressures are extremely strong, so any vaguely socialist government succumbs to the temptation to squash the outside agitators .. and any local opposition who actually have a valid point or real anti-corruption objections. Running a moderate social democrat centrist country in that situation is not stable, instead you get pendulum swings from left to right and back again, with significant human cost along the way.

(exception maybe Costa Rica?)

To be clear, Venezuela is long past the "popular socialism" phase and decayed into the "strongman holding on" phase.