There's SO MANY problems with the Disinformational CIA/Venezuelan Oligarchy narratives that you're 'Gish Galloping' with here.
You REALLY love the way that the Brandolini Effect (Bullshit Assymetry Principle) works... Don't you? It's MUCH easier to SPREAD lies - than it is to refute them one by one... But here goes.
1) Neither Chavez nor Venezuela has ever been "communist".
2) Venezuela has been nominally "socialist", since before Chavez rose to power, through multiple free and fair, popular elections. That's why CIA/Mossad/rightwing Stooges like Rodonsky and Lopez could claim to be 'good (captured/co-opted/CIA approved) socialists', themselves.
3) Your friends and relatives sound like they are from the rightwing, comparatively European-featured, kleptocratic elites - that controlled Venezuela for decades, with US/CIA backing. The votes to elect Chavez, and members of his PSUV have always been free and fair, and peaceful - save for the rightwing/CIA-backed 'Guarimbas' that have marred some areas, during recent elections. Nonetheless, back when they were monitoring them from inside Venezuela - the Jimmy Carter Center had nothing but praise for the democratic processes and systems in Venezuela.
4) The 'prosperity and freedom' in Venezuela was largely limited to the racial and socio-economic groups, that included your friends and Family, it appears. Long before Chavez was elected, freely and fairly, and with strong support, from a multi-party field, in 1998...there were EXTREME issues,l with violence and poverty in Venezuela...though perhaps, that didn't often reach into the gated enclaves, of your friends and relatives.
Are you completely ignorant of "the Caracazo" uprisings, or the poverty-striken shantytown and slums from which they emerged? I recall hearing about them, here - even before I started studying Latin American politics and history, here in University level classes.
The US Press was hardly EVER cheering on Chavez, as a candidate, or as a President. I recall the LA Times writing what looked an awful lot like CIA Disinformation hit pieces on him, going back to at least 1998. They then continued the pattern with OBVIOUS Disinformational pieces coordinated through the CIA and State Department, as noted by NarcoNews here:
https://narconews.com/Issue26/article560.html
https://narconews.com/Issue26/article571.html
And nothing has changed since, except for increases in the levels of instensity, frequency and dishonesty, since. be cont'd