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Venezuela: Introduction to the Political Environment

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Title: DEMOCRACY & THE FIFTH REPUBLIC Author: David J. Myers Last modified by: dmyers Created Date: 8/22/2004 1:09:16 AM Document presentation format – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Venezuela: Introduction to the Political Environment


1
Venezuela Introduction to the Political
Environment
2
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3
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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 1858-63
  • Desire for a more democratic society
  • Anti-clericalism
  • Personalism
  • Caracas vs. Interior

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

6
Characteristics of the Liberal Enlightenment
(1870 1888)
  • Guzmán Blanco
  • Hands on rule initially
  • Exercised power behind the scenes subsequently
  • Holiday in Paris (1884-1886Accomplishments
  • 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 Blancos 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 1899-1908
  • 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 1935Outburst 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 (1940-45)
  • 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 (1945-48)
  • 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
  • ADs Rómulo Gallegos wins more than 2/3 of vote
  • Opposition parties frustrated
  • COPEI (Christian Democrats)
  • PCV (Communists)
  • URD (Democratic Republican Union)

14
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 23 1958 Democratic Revolution
  • Return of exiles
  • Pact of Punto Fijo (shares power)
  • Much of territory remains under-populated

18
CARACAS ( late 1950s)
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
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