In today’s world, a leader of a country has an immense power. That person can either wisely nurture the nation he or she has sworn to guide, or be responsible for the steps backward that country will be doomed to take at the end of their rule. There is no in between. Venezuela, a South American country that has a coastline on the Caribbean Sea, is a prime example of this truth. Venezuela is an oil-rich country that suffers from a multitude of problems created by previous governments, most notably the Chávez regime. Under Chávez’s rule, the country was guided down a devastating and highly controversial path (Rohter). Although this oil-rich nation had been lead by flawed leaders before, Hugo Chávez was the man who is ultimately responsible for the fact that Venezuela is currently spiraling out of control. A champion of the poor, his legacy in Venezuela can be felt still today (Rohter). Although he died over a year ago, the ultimately disastrous choices Chávez made for Venezuela have culminated into violent protests that began in February 2014. Hugo Chávez was a highly controversial leader whose socialistic ideologies and policies that focused on elevating the poor continue to affect not only the current president, Nicolas Maduro, but the country as a whole by providing the fuel to the violent protests occurring in the country due to issues such as inflation, government corruption, terrible crime rates, and food shortages.
Before 1958, Venezuela had been a dictatorship under the rule of General Pérez Jiménez (Golinger 23). Despite his unpopularity, Jimenez left a mark on Venezuela in the form of a myriad of public works (Anderson). In 1961, Venezuela’s first constitution, which gave Venezuelans new rights, was ratified (Golinger ...
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...arizing Figure Who Led a Movement." The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 05 Mar. 2013. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.
This article, written shortly after the death of Hugo Chávez, reports on the effect the Chávez administration has had on the course Venezuela will be on for the future.
Svanberg, Carl. "Chávez’s Socialism Has Been a Disaster." Capitalism Magazine. Capitalism Magazine, 20 May 2013. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
This essay gives examples and reasons for why socialism will not work in Venezuela. It also shows how socialism has failed so far.
Wilpert, Gregory. "Venezuela's New Constitution." Venezuelanalysis.com. Drupal, 27 Aug. 2003. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
This article gives information about the history of Venezuela’s latest constitution. It also explains, in depth, some of the more important, and in some cases controversial, changes in this new constitution.
All throughout the 20th century we can observe the marked presence of totalitarian regimes and governments in Latin America. Countries like Cuba, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic all suffered under the merciless rule of dictators and military leaders. Yet the latter country, the Dominican Republic, experienced a unique variation of these popular dictatorships, one that in the eyes of the world of those times was great, but in the eyes of the Dominicans, was nothing short of deadly.
Chavez is one of the greatest Civil Rights activists of times. As a child he watched workers be mistreated and misused. He follows King and Gandhi’s principles of nonviolence and lives by their standards. He also believes that the highest form of freedom carries with it the greatest measure of
Chavez was greatly supported the idea of equality the he “gained national stature as a labor union spokesman” with all the action he would take not only in his community but others as well. He was such an influential person that the people of the US Senate offered him to” have a testimony during an US Senate subcommittee hearing” . While he is there he lets the people know how these migrant farm workers are being treated and what people are able to do to help. His actions that he took changed US History by letting the people know what and how the migrant workers are treated.
By the early 1960’s widespread concern for social and economic justice and increased levels of political participation had boosted the popularity of parties that advocated radical economic and social change. Thus, in 1964, Eduardo Frei, a Christian Democrat, won an overwhelming mandate to carry out a revolution in liberty. Six years later, in 1970, Salvador Allende, the leader of a coalition of Marxist and Social Democratic parties, was elected President on a platform that promised to bring about a peaceful transition to socialism. The Popular Unity program and the authors of its economic strategy “envisioned a carefully controlled revolution from above” (139), that radical social, political and economic change could be brought about within the framework of the constitution and the laws. According to Allende, “this required a carefully controlled and phased revolutionary process, which was also neces...
"The Cambridge History of Latin America." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2014. <http://books.google.com/books?id=3NiCQFfSGIkC&pg=PA313&lpg=PA313&dq=carlos+chavez+obertura+republicana&source=bl&ots=Jp3wnnLfmu&sig=Aa-BUEPyHXZhKj67mkSB5UsHylE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=N9R2U-fsBoK_oQSWr4D4AQ&ved=0CCUQ6AEwADge#v=onepage&q=carlos%20chavez%20obertura%20republicana&f=false>.
Simon Bolivar was proclaimed “Liberator” by his own people and a world-renowned figure in his day. His prophetic vision of hemispheric solidarity lives today, and his political thinking serves dictators and democrat alike in contemporary Latin America. This paper explores the impact the days of colonialism and revolution, in which treatment of Creoles was inferior to Peninsulares (Spaniards born in Spain). And this was a long-standing cause of frustration and resentment that contributed to the desire for independence from Spain. In addition, this paper analyzes some facts of one of the greatest minds of the 18th century “Simon Bolivar”. There is abundant evidence that Bolivar worked extensively to create a system that would preserve unity and stability through a powerful, centralized government while retaining as much individual liberty as possible; but his efforts were exhausting and fruitless. However, even today (after 200 years) his contribution had been to promote the idea of independence among Spanish-American leaders. Simon Jose Antonio de la Santisima Trinidad Bolivar y Palacios (this was his real name) was born on July 24, 1783, the year England’s North colonies won their independence. [1] His father had been an important figure and the landlord of twelve houses in Caracas, herds of cattle, indigo plantations, mines, and sugar plantation that had been in the family for at least two centuries. He had organized a militia battalion in which his youngest son (Simon) would later serve, and he had been Caracas’s deputy to Madrid. Like many Creoles who visited Spain, he was disillusioned by Spain’s backwardness in comparison to other European nations. The Venezuelan Creoles, like those of other S...
White, Robert E. 2013. "After Chávez, a Chance to Rethink Relations With Cuba". The New
On July 14th, 17189, a shot was heard around the world: the Bastille had been stormed. Propelled by Enlightenment ideas, a rigid class system, and resentment with the monarchy, on this day the French decided to take matters in their own hands. In the next three years, the French overthrew their monarch and established a government and constitution that promised equal rights for all. As the saying goes, history repeats itself. So was the case in Latin America. By 1810, revolutionary fervor had spread to Venezuela. The revolution here was caused by similar reasons. As a colony of Spain, Venezuela did not have a representational government or equality for all its citizens. Peninsulares, or European-born Spaniards, held all the important governmental positions. Like the nobility in France, Peninsulares did not have to pay taxes. Their children (as long as they were also born in Europe), had many educational opportunities. Below the peninsulares were the creoles, or Venezuelans of Spanish descent. Creoles owned much of the land, but they were considered inferior to the peninsulares. Like the bourgeoisie in France, creoles had to pay high taxes and were subject to strict regulation. Creoles were disappointed in what they saw as social and political inequality, and desired to obtain self-representation in the government. At first hesitant, creoles declared their independence amid the weakening of the Spanish crown and the spread of the Enlightenment ideas. The Venezuelan Revolution was influenced by the French Revolution by the spread of Enlightenment ideas, social inequality, the discontent of creoles, and their desire to gain independence from France and form a new democratic government.
Glusing, Jens. "Venezuela President Maduro Faces Economic Distress and Protests." SPIEGEL ONLINE. Der Spiegel, 26 Feb. 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
The accounts of Ernesto Che Guevara on his nine month long motorcycle journey through Latin America exhibited the necessity for change and prompted him to become involved in the Cuban revolution. At the height of his passion he showed this by stating, “The future belongs to the people, and gradually, or in one strike, they will take power, here and in every country. The terrible thing is the people need to be educated, and this they cannot do before taking power, only after” (Guevara).
Filmmaker Oliver Stone embarked on a journey across the Latin American continent pursuant to the filling of gaps left by mainstream media about the social and political movements in the southern continent. Through a series of interviews he conducted with Presidents Hugo Chávez of Venezuela, Cristina Kirchner and former president Nėstor Kirchner of Argentina, Evo Morales of Bolivia, Fernando Lugo of Paraguay, Lula da Silva of Brazil, Rafael Correa of Ecuador and Raúl Castro of Cuba, Stone was able to compare firsthand information from the leaders themselves with that reported and published by the media (“Synopsis,” n.d.). It gives light to the measures these leaders had to take in order to initiate change in their respective countries, even if their public identities were at stake. Several instances in the film showed the mismatch between these two sources, pointing at the US government’s interests for greatly influencing the media for presenting biased, groundless views.
Venezuela was one of the richest countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Colombia and Ecuador). For most of the first half of the 20th century, Venezuela was ruled by generally benevolent military strongmen, who promoted the oil industry and allowed for some social reforms. Democratically elected governments have held sway since 1959. Current concerns include: a polarized political environment, a politicized military, drug-related violence along the Colombian border, increasing internal drug consumption, overdependence on the petroleum industry with its price fluctuations, and irresponsible mining operations that are endangering the rain forest and indigenous peoples.
The Venezuelan people had become accustomed to governing themselves during the “capture” of Ferdinand II and rule of Joseph Bonaparte. The people of Venezuela set up Junta’s to govern themselves during the rule of Joseph Bonaparte. Parliament in Spain ran to the British for their help and set up the Constitution
Hugo Chavez was a powerful and positive force in addressing social issues, however, his singular focus on social issues at the expense of other matters of the country left the Venezuelan economy in tatters. In 1998, 50.4% of the Venezuelan population was living below the poverty line, where as in 2006 the numbers dropped to 36.3% (Chavez leaves). Although he aggressively confronted the issue of poverty in Venezuela, many other problems were worsened. Some Chavez critics say he used the state oil company like a piggy bank for projects: funding homes, and healthcare while neglecting oil infrastructure and production. Without growth in the oil ind...
Throughout the fourteen years that remained in power Chávez followed strategy of introducing a socialist government in Venezuela in stages. According to Enrique Standish in the article titled “Venezuela Finally Turns Communist” it happened in four stages. The first stage consisted of obtaining t...