The History of Venezuela: A Fascinating Guide to Venezuelan History

By David Robbins

Discover the fascinating story of Venezuela.

 

Venezuela is a vibrant and incredible country, with rich natural resources and an environment backing the Amazon rainforest. This book takes a look at the country's history, from the Carib and the arrival of the Spanish to their cold war and political struggles.

 

Inside you'll find an insight into the regimes of both democracy and dictatorship, including José Antonio Páez, Hugo Chavez, and Nicolás Maduro. You'll also learn about the current issues the country faces, with skyrocketing inflation, economic crisis, and little end in sight.

 

Buy now to uncover the events which shaped Venezuela's history today!

• Language: English
• Publisher: David Robbins
• Release date: Jun 18, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393830795

David Robbins

David Robbins studied many areas of psychology and spirituality, evolving into the wisdom offered in Song of the Self Tarot Deck, books, and many screenplays. These divinely inspired works are designed to help the reader and viewer understand and grow into who we really are- divine human beings with the power to heal the Self and shine our divine qualities.

Book preview

Introduction    4

Pre-Spanish    4

Carib    4

Arawek Amerindian    5

Spain’s Arrival    5

Colonial Economics    6

Transition to Independence    7

First Venezuelan Republic    8

The Admirable Campaign    9

The Second Venezuelan Republic    9

República de Gran Colombia    10

An Independent Venezuela    11

Venezuela from 1830 to 1870    11

Antonio Guzmán Blanco: 1870-1889    12

Joaquín Crespo, Cipriano Castro, & Juan Vicente Gómez    13

Cipriano Castro    14

Juan Vicente Gómez    14

1935-1958    16

Democratic Action Leadership    16

Back to Dictatorship, For Now    17

Rómulo Betancourt    17

The Cold War in Venezuela    18

Leoni & Modernization    18

The First Presidency of Rafael Caldera Rodríguez    19

The First Presidency of Carlos Andrés Pérez    19

Luis Herrera Campíns    20

Jaime Ramón Lusinchi    21

Stalemate    21

The Second Presidency of Carlos Andrés Pérez    21

The Second Presidency Rafael Caldera    22

Venezuela under Hugo Chávez    23

President Chávez    24

President for Life    25

The Beginning of the End    26

Nicolás Maduro and Venezuela Today    27

President Maduro    28

A Country in Crisis    29

No Solution in Sight    30

Venezuela Today    31

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Introduction

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (or in Spanish, la República Bolivariana de Venezuela) is a medium-sized nation located in northern South America on the Caribbean Sea. It is bordered by Guyana, which is a former British Colony and Brazil and Colombia, which are both former Spanish colonies.

Twice the size of California, Venezuela is home to a large percentage of the world’s oil reserves, which, when they were discovered, vaulted Venezuela onto the world stage. Despite that economic advantage, since its independence from the Spanish Crown in the early 1800s, Venezuela has spent most of its history in periods of political conflict.

The nation’s economy and political life is centered on Caracas, which has been the capital of the nation since its sovereignty. 

While the nation has undergone significant demographic changes, most notably during the Spanish invasions of South America during the 17th and 18th centuries, it is now home to people from a wide variety of ancestries, including Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arab, German, and African, along with a small percentage of indigenous people.

Spanish remains the official language of the Venezuela and it is estimated that 92-96% of the population practices Roman Catholicism, though the nation does not recognize an official religion. Both of these facts candidly demonstrate the continued influence of Spanish colonization of the country.

Venezuela also boasts one of the highest literacy rates in South America, with an estimated 93.4 percent of the population over the age of 15 able to read and write. There is a slight .7% discrepancy between the male and female literacy rates and Venezuela, while underfunded, continues to commit to providing free education for all its citizens.

Pre-Spanish

Before Venezuela, before the Spanish exploration, it is important to remember that there were indigenous people living within the modern day borders of Venezuela.  The two best known of these groups are the Carib and Arawak Amerindian peoples.

Carib

You may first notice that the word Carib contains familiar letters. It is by no accident that the neighboring sea, the Caribbean, bears the same. Such is the influence of the Carib people. The word Carib also lent itself to English in the form of the word cannibal and the term Cariban, which describes a group of related native languages spoken by the Carib people and many neighboring indigenous groups in South America.

Beyond their name, the Carib have had a significant impact on the people of the region. The Carib were divided into many groups across the region but it is thought that they originated from the islands of Carib, a grouping of lands in the Lesser Antilles, located between present day Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. 

The Carib language was spoken only by the men while the women spoke Arawak. This divide may have contributed to a vast difference in gender roles. While the men were bellicose and aggressive—as noted by their many attacks on the Arawak people, driving them out