ABSTRACT
Radical Cause introduced a new language into the political debate of Venezuela in the 1990s. In promoting 'radical democracy', La Causa Radical (LCR) developed a dialogue around the meaning and concept of citizenship and popular sovereignty in the country. LCR made the word 'radical' and the notion of pacific, revolutionary change palatable. Despite financial, structural and organisational limitations to minor party growth, LCR contributed to the ending of Accion Democratica (AD) and the Comite de Organizacion Politica Electoral Independiente's (COPEI) political dominance. Radical democracy was conceived as a fully participatory system based on the maximum expression of individual sovereignty. The 'democratic' emphasis of the movement captured popular frustration with the party system in the 1990s. The position was initially developed as a critique of the Venezuelan Communist Party (PCV) in the 1960s. The PCV was the oldest political party in Venezuela and it was strongly influenced by the Soviet Union and Soviet model.
