Before Spanish colonization in 1521, Venezuela was inhabited by Carib, Arawak, and Chibcha indigenous peoples. After a long period of Spanish oppression, Venezuelans rebelled against colonial rule in 1749, but did not succeed until 1810, when Spain was weakened by Napoleon Bonaparte’s invasion; in 1811, Venezuela’s Independence Act was signed. In 1829, Venezuela seceded from Gran Colombia to become its own independent state. It goes through several presidents before Antonio Guzman Blanco is elected; he modernized infrastructure, built foreign economic relations, and established agriculture and education programs. The country goes into foreign debt, and in 1902 its ports are blockaded by British, Italian, and German warships due to unpaid loans.
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Jimenez formed a new government with military and US backing, but ten years later, was overthrown by Admiral Wolfgang Larrazabal thus launching the country back into democracy. Romulo Betancourt of the Democratic Action Party was elected president. In 1964, Dr Raul Leoni was elected president. During his presidency, Venezuela profited from an international oil boom, and the oil and steel industries were nationalized. After a fall in world oil prices, though, the country experienced an economic depression. In 1989, Carlos Andres Perez was elected president; his administration furthered unrest among Venezuelans. During his presidency, there were large riots in which up to 2,000 people are killed, and martial law was …show more content…
After Perez was charged with corruption and embezzlement in 1993, Ramon Jose Velasquez became interim president. Rafael Caldera was elected president. In 1998, Hugo Chavez was elected president. A year after his election, severe water-related natural disasters killed tens of thousands of Venezuelans. In 2000, Chavez was reelected to another six year term of presidency. Although discouraged by the US, Chavez visits Iraq; he was the first foreign head of state to do so since 1991. In 2001, he sparked controversy when he announced 49 reform laws in a way that did not need approval by the National Assembly. The next year, the national currency dropped 25% against the US dollar. Trade unions and a major business association held a general strike against Chavez. Later that year, the military announced that Chavez resigned, but Chavez denies this. He was taken into military custody. Pedro Carmona, appointed by the military, became head of state, but after two days, his administration collapsed and Chavez returned to office. Unions protested, thus crippling the oil industry. Despite opposition, Chavez won reelection again in 2004, and electoral authorities and international observers confirmed the outcome. Over 3.4 million citizens signed a petition demanding referendum on the rule of Chavez. Their request was
Jimenez formed a new government with military and US backing, but ten years later, was overthrown by Admiral Wolfgang Larrazabal thus launching the country back into democracy. Romulo Betancourt of the Democratic Action Party was elected president. In 1964, Dr Raul Leoni was elected president. During his presidency, Venezuela profited from an international oil boom, and the oil and steel industries were nationalized. After a fall in world oil prices, though, the country experienced an economic depression. In 1989, Carlos Andres Perez was elected president; his administration furthered unrest among Venezuelans. During his presidency, there were large riots in which up to 2,000 people are killed, and martial law was …show more content…
After Perez was charged with corruption and embezzlement in 1993, Ramon Jose Velasquez became interim president. Rafael Caldera was elected president. In 1998, Hugo Chavez was elected president. A year after his election, severe water-related natural disasters killed tens of thousands of Venezuelans. In 2000, Chavez was reelected to another six year term of presidency. Although discouraged by the US, Chavez visits Iraq; he was the first foreign head of state to do so since 1991. In 2001, he sparked controversy when he announced 49 reform laws in a way that did not need approval by the National Assembly. The next year, the national currency dropped 25% against the US dollar. Trade unions and a major business association held a general strike against Chavez. Later that year, the military announced that Chavez resigned, but Chavez denies this. He was taken into military custody. Pedro Carmona, appointed by the military, became head of state, but after two days, his administration collapsed and Chavez returned to office. Unions protested, thus crippling the oil industry. Despite opposition, Chavez won reelection again in 2004, and electoral authorities and international observers confirmed the outcome. Over 3.4 million citizens signed a petition demanding referendum on the rule of Chavez. Their request was