Javier Corrales's 'Autocracy Rising' explains how Venezuela descended from flawed democracy to consolidated autocracy under Nicolas Maduro. Corrales, a political scientist at Amherst College who has studied Venezuelan politics for decades, traces how the ruling party achieved dominance through a combination of institutional manipulation, economic distribution, and coercion. The book shows how Chavismo evolved from a populist movement with genuine popular support into a regime that maintains power despite economic catastrophe and massive emigration. Corrales examines the role of oil revenues in enabling patronage networks, the capture of courts and electoral institutions, the intimidation of opposition, and the relationship with Cuba that provided both ideological legitimacy and security apparatus expertise. He analyzes why opposition strategies have failed, from boycotts that ceded ground to participation that legitimated rigged contests. The book places Venezuela in comparative perspective, showing what it shares with other cases of democratic backsliding and what makes it distinctive. Corrales writes with clarity about complex political dynamics, making the book accessible to readers unfamiliar with Venezuelan politics while offering new insights to specialists. Readers will come away understanding how an oil-rich nation came to experience both political repression and economic collapse simultaneously.