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This is the history of Venezuela. See also the history of South America and the history of present-day nations and states.
Spanish period
At the time of the Spanish arrival, the indigenous people were mainly agriculturists and hunters living in groups along the coast, the Andean mountain range, and along the Orinoco River. The first permanent Spanish settlement in South America, Nueva Cádiz was established in Venezuela in 1522.
An abortive plan for German settlement from German Habsburg lands, to be financed through the Fugger bankers never came to fruition. By the middle of the 16th century there were still few more than 2000 Europeans in what is now Venezuela. The opening of gold mines at Yaracuy led to the introduction of slavery, at first with the indigenes, then with imported Africans. Stock-raising formed the first real success of the colony, a use for which the llanos seemed a gift from the Deity. The archaic society that naturally developed, with a handful of Spanish landowners and widely-dispersed Indian herdsmen on Spanish-introduced horses, formed a primitive society that invites superficial comparison with feudalism, certainly a powerful concept in the 16th-century Spanish imagination, and perhaps more fruitful economic comparison to the latifundia of Antiquity.
A second Venezuelan society formed along the coast when cocoa plantations were established in the 18th century, this time manned by much larger importations of African slaves. Quite a number of black slaves were also to be found in the haciendas of the grassy llanos. (Brito Figueroa 1966)
The provinces which constitute today's Venezuela were relatively neglected, alternatively under the central authority of the Viceroyalties of New Spain and Peru, situated in the places where the great American Empires (mainly Aztecs and Incas) had had their capital cities. Those were the centers of interest for the Spaniards in the 1500s and 1600s because of the gold and silver mines.
In the 18th century, the province of Venezuela was under the jurisdiction of the Viceroyalty of New Granada (created in 1717), since 1777 as Captaincy General of Venezuela. The Compañía Guipuzcoana de Caracas held a close monopoly on trade with Europe.
- Brito Figueroa, Federico, Historia económica y social de Venezuela, vol I,1966
19th century: independence
The Venezuelans began to grow restive under colonial control toward the end of that century. They achieved home rule after a coup on April 19, 1810, and later declared independence from Spain on July 5, 1811. The war for independence ensued. On December 17, 1819 the Congress of Angostura established Gran Colombia's independence from Spain. After several more years of war, which killed half of Venezuela's white population, the country achieved independence from Spain in 1821 under the leadership of its most famous son, Simón Bolívar. Venezuela, along with what are now Colombia, Panama, and Ecuador, was part of the Republic of Gran Colombia until 1830, when Venezuela separated and became a sovereign country.
Much of Venezuela's 19th century history was characterized by periods of political instability, dictatorial rule of the caudillos, and revolutionary turbulence. The first half of the 20th century was marked by periods of authoritarianism--including dictatorships from 1908-35 and from 1950-58. The Venezuelan economy shifted after World War 1 from a primarily agricultural orientation to an economy centered on petroleum production and export.
Late 20th century, early 21st: democracy
Since the overthrow of Gen. Marcos Pérez Jiménez in 1958 and the military's withdrawal from direct involvement in national politics, Venezuela has enjoyed an unbroken tradition of civilian democratic rule, of which Rómulo Betancourt, president from 1958-1964, laid the foundation. Until the 1998 elections, the Social Democratic "Acción Democrática" (AD) and the Christian Democratic "Comité de Organización Política Electoral Independiente" (COPEI) parties dominated the political environment at both the state and federal level.
Hugo Chávez was elected President in December 1998 on a platform that called for the creation of a "Fifth Republic", a new constitution, a new name ("the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela"), and a new set of social relations between socioeconomic and racial classes. In 1999, voters approved a referedum on a new constitution, and in 2000, re-elected Chávez, also placing many members of his Movement for the Fifth Republic political party in the National Assembly. Supporters of Chávez call the process symbolised by him the Bolivarian Revolution, and organise themselves in open, local, participatory assemblies called Bolivarian Circles.
However, Chávez has also faced stiff opposition. A business-labor general work stoppages was called in December 2001, followed by an attempted coup in April 2002, another general work stoppage in December 2002, this one shutting down the state oil company PDVSA for two months and crippling the Venezuelan economy. In August, 2004, Chávez faced a recall referendum, but 59% of the voters voted to allow Chávez to remain in office.
The fairness of the vote count has been disputed by some elements of the political opposition and foreing goverments including the United States of America, Spain, Italy, the United Kingdom among others. Although the voting results were certified by the Organization of American States and the Carter Center, the voting process wasn't, raising serius doubts about the fairness of its results.
See also
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