1. Venezuela: Introduction to the Political Environment

4. Nineteenth Century: Independence & the Federal Wars
Simón Bolívar and South American Independence
Venezuela splits from Gran Colombia (1830)
Jose Antonio Paez & Conservative Ascendency
The Federal Wars
Desire for a more democratic society
Anti-clericalism
Personalism
Caracas vs. Interior
Nineteenth Century: Independence & the Federal Wars

5. Dawn of Liberal Hegemony?
Victorious “Liberals”
fail to restore order
Instability leads to rule of Guzmán Blanco Blanco
Liberal Enlightenment (1870 – 1888)
Centralization of power in Caracas
Economic development
Modernization
Antonio Guzmán Blanco
Dawn of Liberal Hegemony?

6. Characteristics of the “Liberal Enlightenment” (1870 – 1888)
Guzmán Blanco
Hands on rule initially
Exercised power behind the scenes subsequently
Holiday in Paris ( Accomplishments
Centralization of power in Caracas
Economic development
Infrastructure construction
Modernization of Caracas
Arch of the Federation
Dictatorship “light”

7. Political Chaos Ends Liberal Era
1890 Guzmán Blanco’s heirs divide into factions
1899 – clash among political factions leads to violence
Return of revolutionary chaos opens the way for Andean domination.

8. THE ANDEAN DICTATORSHIPS BEGIN
Cipriano Castro and the Táchira Revolutionaries
October 22, 1899 – Victorious Andeans enter Caracas
Castro in power
Four years of intermittant fighting
Default on foreign debts leads to blockade (1902)
U.S.: role as negotiator
Castro becomes nationalist hero by resisting demands for debt payment by North Atlantic nations
November 1908 – to Europe for an operation

9. Juan Vicente Gómez (1908-1935 Style of governing Political unification
Economic transformation
Runs Venezuela like his ranch
Cattle deals used to build the state
Force and economic incentives ensure loyalty of the inner circle

10. December 1935: Outburst of hatred against Gómez clan upon the passing of the dictator

11. Heirs of Gomez: Modernization and Oligarchic Democracy (1935-1945
López Contraras
Medina Angarita ( )
Continuing modernization
Nationalism and petroleum
Politics of the aborted 1945 presidential election campaign
Revolution of October 18, 1945

12. A DECADE OF REVOLUTIONARY MODERNIZATION BEGINS
Trienio ( )
Rapid modernization of peasants
AD takes control of organized labor
Marxist cast of AD governments antagonizes the church
Incorporation of provincial middle class
Constitution of 1947
Universal suffrage
Representative democracy

13. Elections of December, 1947
AD’s Rómulo Gallegos wins more than 2/3 of vote
Opposition parties frustrated
COPEI (Christian Democrats)
PCV (Communists)
URD (Democratic Republican Union)

14. Provisional President Gen. Carlos Delgado Chalbaud
Coup: November 28, 1948
AD divided & paralyzed
Opposition believes they have been treated unfairly
Church fears Marxist impact on Catholic education
Military succumbs to pressure from opponents of the government
Provisional President Gen. Carlos Delgado Chalbaud

15. General Pérez Jiménez and the New National Ideal
Andean militarism with a new twist
Populism
Physical development
Reliance on petroleum income
Nationalism
Infrastructure development
Loved by the U.S. business community?

16. Decay of the military regime (1956-57)
Increasing persecution of opponents
Fall in oil prices
Corruption
All work and no play makes Marcos a dull boy

17. Fall of the Pérez Jiménez Dictatorship (1957-58)
Mid 1957
Democratic Forces - meet in New York City to coordinate efforts against the dictatorship
November 1957
Plebiscite on another term for the dictator
January Democratic Revolution
Return of exiles
Pact of Punto Fijo (shares power)
Much of territory remains under-populated

18. CARACAS ( late 1950’s)

19. TRANSITION TO REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY
National Elections: December 1958
Results (Presidential)
AD: Rómulo Betancourt (49%)
URD, PCV: Admiral Wolfgang Larrazabal (35%)
COPEI: Rafael Caldera (16%)
January 1, 1959
Punto Fijo democracy begins