6. El CaudillismoIn 1830
Jose Antonio Paez assumed his first presidency. This period was the prelude of the so-called "Caudillismo", featuring a series of changes in power from one commander to another which engendered the civil war (1859-1863), between centralists (conservatives) and federalists (liberals) being won by the latter.Among the winning leaders emerged the new Venezuelan ruler Antonio Guzman Blanco. In his period many public buildings and monuments (The Capitol, Bolivar Square, The Municipal Theatre, The National Pantheon) were built and the communicational infrastructure (Caracas-Valencia road, Ports of La Guaira and Puerto Cabello, first railroad system) was improved. His successor Cipriano Castro came to power on October 22nd 1899 by a coup and after modifying the constitution (1904) became president for the period 1904-1911, designating Juan Vicente Gomez his "compadre" as vice-president.
In 1908 while Castro was in Paris, Gomez overthrew him becoming the most powerful, personal and absolute "caudillo" in Venezuelan history. The main aspects of Gomez administration were the clearance of the public economy, the creation of the military school and the beginning of the oil exploitation. This dictatorship, which lasted until Gomez death, was both the climax and the epilogue of the "caudillismo" age.
7. Transition to democracy
After the Gomez death, General Eleazar Lopez Contreras, who had been his War and Naval Minister, took over and began the transition towards democracy. Contreras remained in charge until 1941. On April 28th, 1941 the National Congress elected General Isaias Medina Angarita as president for the next period. His government promoted fundamental changes in political, social and economical structure. Being a democrat by nature, he ruled with totally open political criteria. Unfortunately, on October 18th, 1945 this mature, prudent and intelligent transition was to be brusquely interrupted by a coup planned by a newly formed political party and a group of young military.
This coup caused serious disarrangements and stumbles to the raising democracy. It
brought back the violence, pugnacity and conspiracy; political imprisonment and exile, which had been abolished during Lopez and Medina governments, were back and the atmosphere of social and political uprightness vanished away. A quick glance at the events that followed can easily show the fragility and instability of the new regimen.Beginning with Romulo Gallegos who won the 1948 elections summoned by the Governing Council (Junta de Gobierno), a series of overthrows and their typical "juntas" ended in the dictatorship of Marcos Perez Jimenez who ruled the country from 1952 until 1958.
8. Democracy
After the fall of Perez Jimenez, Venezuela resumed its pursuit for Democracy and on December 7th 1958, the Governing Council carried out free elections won by the social democrat Romulo Betancourt whose ruling elapsed amid a tumultuous and violent climate under the ever-present threat of communist guerrillas.His fellow party Raul Leoni, winner for the following presidential period, started the pacification of the guerrillas, which was successfully consolidated by next president the Christian democrat Rafael Caldera.
Jose Antonio Paez assumed his first presidency. This period was the prelude of the so-called "Caudillismo", featuring a series of changes in power from one commander to another which engendered the civil war (1859-1863), between centralists (conservatives) and federalists (liberals) being won by the latter.Among the winning leaders emerged the new Venezuelan ruler Antonio Guzman Blanco. In his period many public buildings and monuments (The Capitol, Bolivar Square, The Municipal Theatre, The National Pantheon) were built and the communicational infrastructure (Caracas-Valencia road, Ports of La Guaira and Puerto Cabello, first railroad system) was improved. His successor Cipriano Castro came to power on October 22nd 1899 by a coup and after modifying the constitution (1904) became president for the period 1904-1911, designating Juan Vicente Gomez his "compadre" as vice-president.
In 1908 while Castro was in Paris, Gomez overthrew him becoming the most powerful, personal and absolute "caudillo" in Venezuelan history. The main aspects of Gomez administration were the clearance of the public economy, the creation of the military school and the beginning of the oil exploitation. This dictatorship, which lasted until Gomez death, was both the climax and the epilogue of the "caudillismo" age.
7. Transition to democracy
After the Gomez death, General Eleazar Lopez Contreras, who had been his War and Naval Minister, took over and began the transition towards democracy. Contreras remained in charge until 1941. On April 28th, 1941 the National Congress elected General Isaias Medina Angarita as president for the next period. His government promoted fundamental changes in political, social and economical structure. Being a democrat by nature, he ruled with totally open political criteria. Unfortunately, on October 18th, 1945 this mature, prudent and intelligent transition was to be brusquely interrupted by a coup planned by a newly formed political party and a group of young military.
This coup caused serious disarrangements and stumbles to the raising democracy. It
brought back the violence, pugnacity and conspiracy; political imprisonment and exile, which had been abolished during Lopez and Medina governments, were back and the atmosphere of social and political uprightness vanished away. A quick glance at the events that followed can easily show the fragility and instability of the new regimen.Beginning with Romulo Gallegos who won the 1948 elections summoned by the Governing Council (Junta de Gobierno), a series of overthrows and their typical "juntas" ended in the dictatorship of Marcos Perez Jimenez who ruled the country from 1952 until 1958.8. Democracy
After the fall of Perez Jimenez, Venezuela resumed its pursuit for Democracy and on December 7th 1958, the Governing Council carried out free elections won by the social democrat Romulo Betancourt whose ruling elapsed amid a tumultuous and violent climate under the ever-present threat of communist guerrillas.His fellow party Raul Leoni, winner for the following presidential period, started the pacification of the guerrillas, which was successfully consolidated by next president the Christian democrat Rafael Caldera.
No comments:
Post a Comment