Don't forget the price controls he instituted. The Chavez government mandated a price for televisions that was below the wholesale cost of them. When this wen

Don't forget the price controls he instituted. The Chavez government mandated a price for televisions that was below the wholesale cost of them. When this went into effect, the stores were cleared of TVs in days (obviously this measure was super popular with the people), and then the shops remained empty, as the store owners didn't have the money to restock. And weren't inclined to do so, as selling below the wholesale price is a fast way to going out of business.