Venezula essays

Venezula essays The history of Venezuela has been a long and often turbulent one. It is filled with exploration, religion, and shifts of government. But, the movement from dictatorship to democracy is the most significant. The move from dictatorship to democracy is the most significant point in Venezuelas history because of the peoples extreme opposition of the dictators, the time period when the first election of a democratic president, and the election of Romulo Betancourt. If the people of a country are opposed to the government, it will not be successful. A main reason why dictatorship didnt work was because of the peoples hate of the form of government and the dictators that run it. Between 1908 and 1935, General Juan Gomez ruled by repression and terror. The government had been a dictatorship since the 19th century (Gomez died in 1935. Venezuelans danced in the streets when they heard of his death. Johan Kohen Winter, 24). Nineteen thirty-six through 1948 marked the first time the country of Venezuela was ruled democratically. These years were times of political unrest. Then from 1950 to 1958 another dictator, General Marcos Perez Jimenez, came into power. His term is remembered by corruption and brutal suppression of the opposition as well as taking a step back in the progress toward democracy. This is great because it marked the first time that the people began to organize to oppose and try to change the government (For the first time, between the 1930s and 50s the people began to organize themselves into unions and political parties, uniting in opposition to Jimenez. Marion Morrison, 48). The election of Romulo Betancourt was the most important move toward democracy. This set the stage for democratic presidents as well as the countries first major political party, Accion Democratica. This party, along with the Christian Democratic ...