Hugo Chavez Obituary: Dead at 58, But a Legacy That Will Echo for Years to Come

President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela has died, after a long bout with cancer. He was 58.

Chavez was born in Barinas, Venezuela in 1954, the second son of working class schoolteachers. After finishing high school in Caracas, he joined the military academy, where he became enamored with the ideas of the 18th Century South American revolutionary Simon Bolivar and the influential Marxist Che Guevara.

After his graduation from the academy, he was sent to fight Marxist insurgents, but found himself more sympathetic to their views than he had anticipated. He founded a secret organization within the Venezuelan military to promote leftist ideals. At the time, the Venezuelan government was decidedly neoliberal, adhering closely to development plans and economic policies proscribed by the International Monetary Fund.

Chavez became an instructor at the military academy, winning over many young recruits to his cause. In 1992 he led a coup against the government. It quickly fell apart, and 14 soldiers were killed. Chavez surrendered under the condition that he be allowed to address the public on television.

"Comrades: unfortunately, for now, the objectives we had set for ourselves were not achieved in the capital city," Chavez said. "That is, those of us here in Caracas did not seize power. Where you are, you have performed very well, but now is the time for reflection. New opportunities will arise and the country has to head definitively toward a better future."

The public, many of whom had never heard of him before, rallied to his cause, particularly the poor, who had suffered greatly under the corrupt regime.

In 1994, Rafael Caldera was elected president. Caldera, more moderate than his predecessor, released Chavez from prison, and Chavez embarked on exploratory tours of the country, building a base among the lower class and indigenous peoples. Chavez also traveled extensively throughout South America, and he befriended Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

In 1998, Chavez ran for president and won 56 percent of the vote. His establishment opponents managed less than 40 percent.

Chavez convened a committee to rewrite the Venezuelan constitution. He also began the nationalization of many industries, including the lucrative oil sector.

After the constitutional assembly, which had successfully rearranged much of the structure of the government, new elections were mandated. Chavez defeated his former ally, Francisco Arias Cardenas, who had become more moderate over the years and had begun accusing Chavez of being too autocratic a leader.

Chavez formalized his close ties with Castro, providing the embargoed country enough oil to meet its demands, as well as excess to sell off.

Moderates and the middle class rallied against Chavez, fearing he would turn the country into a dictatorship like Cuba. A 2004 recall referendum failed, largely because of Chavez's strong support among the Chavistas, mostly poor and working class people who felt their lives had been bettered through Chavez's progressive social policies.

Chavez increased government spending on education and agriculture and instituted policies to increase literacy, access to healthcare and food and reduce poverty. He organized massive cooperatives that aimed to be self-sufficient communities.

He granted rights to indigenous peoples and Afro-Venezuelans and bolstered women's rights, but independent human rights organizations accused him of persecuting political opponents.

On the international stage, Chavez was known as a bombastic speaker, and he was lauded, particularly in the developing world, for standing up to the economic and military powerhouse of the United States. He flatly opposed the capitalist foundations of Western economic policy, a feat made possible by Venezuela's vast oil reserves, the largest in the world.

His success inspired many leftist governments and leaders in South America, including Evo Morales of Bolivia, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner of Argentina and Rafael Correa of Ecuador. Brazil's former president Lula da Silva was once a closer ally to Chavez, but his policies became much more moderate as Chavez became more authoritarian and hostile to the West.

While life for the poor improved during Chavez's tenure, the middle class suffered alarmingly high inflation rates and huge increases in crime, particularly in urban areas.

In 2011, Chavez announced he was recovering from cancer. After winning election to a fourth term in October of 2012, Chavez shocked the nation by announcing that his cancer had returned. In December of 2012, he journeyed to Cuba for a fourth cancer surgery. He only appeared in public once after that.

On Mar. 5, 2013, Vice President Nicolas Maduro announced Chavez had succumbed to his cancer and died. The Venezuelan Constitution, which Chavez so heavily influenced, mandates a new election within 30 days.

The Venezuelan people have a chance to choose between continuing Chavez's legacy by electing his protégé Maduro, or striking out on a more moderate path. Either way, the repercussions of  Chavez's time in power will be felt for generations.