Ramtin Arablouei and Randa Abdel-Fattah

That was the primary and initial battle that Venezuelan society split on in the early years of the Chavez era.

What is the oil industry?

Who does it serve?

And how is it going to be controlled?

Pretty soon, the widespread support Chavez started out with began to fade.

Sure, he still had support among the lower class.

But the upper class, the people who profited off of the old system, were nervous about what this new setup would mean for them.

Chavez continued to consolidate more and more power, especially over the country's oil.

And in April of 2002, he faced a dramatic coup attempt.

Violence broke out, the military tried to get rid of him, and another guy was installed as president.

But then Chavez supporters took to the streets.

And within two days, Chavez was back in power.

Despite that fear, Chavez didn't try to win over the people who had just attempted to get rid of him, the opposition, or even to extend an olive branch.

Quite the opposite.

Now it was a sense of, OK, it's on.

Over the course of the next few years, Chavez would seek to consolidate more and more power.

From now on, like Bolívar, he would rule with a strong iron hand.

Part three, Allo Presidente.

It's August 2007, Sunday, and Hugo Chavez is getting ready to host his weekly talk show, Allo Presidente.

And I should say, this show was a defining feature of Chavez's presidency.