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NoonIcarus (talk | contribs) Starting expansion. Copying content from Generation of 1928 and translationg from es:Manifestación del 14 de febrero de 1936. Trimming lead, since it now includes earlier protests. Tags: Reverted harv-error Visual edit |
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{{History of Venezuela}}Various protests occurred against governments in Venezuela in the twentieth century. |
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Various protests occurred against the government of the [[Republic of Venezuela]] in the twentieth century. Notable protests against the [[Democratic Action (Venezuela)|Democratic Action]] leaderships of [[Jaime Lusinchi]] and [[Carlos Andrés Pérez]] occurred in the 1980s into the 1990s. Violations of [[human rights]] occurred in response to dissent against the government. Dissatisfaction with the government led to the rise of [[Hugo Chávez]], who led the [[Bolivarian Revolution]] process that ended the Republic of Venezuela. |
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== History == |
== History == |
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=== |
=== Juan Vicente Gómez dictatorship === |
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During the dictatorship of Juan Vicente Gómez, a group of students later dubbed as the [[Generation of 1928]] led protests in 1928 in the capital city of Caracas. Many politicians prominent in Venezuela's transition to democracy took part in the protests. They include [[Rómulo Betancourt]], [[Jóvito Villalba]], [[Juan Oropeza]], {{ill|Joaquín Gabaldón Márquez|es}}, [[Raúl Leoni]], [[Andrés Eloy Blanco]], [[Miguel Otero Silva]], [[Pedro Sotillo]], [[Francisco Ignacio Romero]], [[Isaac J Pardo]], [[Juan Bautista Fuenmayor]], [[Germán Suárez Flamerich]], [[Iván Darío Maldonado Bello]], [[Gustavo Machado Morales|Gustavo Machado]], and [[Antonia Palacios]].{{sfn|Miranda|2001|p=265}} |
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Several members of the Generation went into exile. Political organizations in exile included the founding of {{ill|Agrupación Revolucionaria de Izquierda|es}} (ARDI) in Colombia in 1931 by [[Rómulo Betancourt]] and others. This later became the [[Partido Democrático Nacional]], a forerunner of [[Democratic Action (Venezuela)|Democratic Action]]. The [[Communist Party of Venezuela]], also founded in 1931, was initially led by {{ill|Francisco José Delgado (Venezuela)|lt=Francisco José "Kotepa" Delgado|es}} and Juan Bautista Fuenmayor.{{sfn|Miranda|2001|p=265}} |
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=== Eleazar López Contreras administration === |
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[[Archivo:Francisco_Antonio_Risquez_000.jpg|link=https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:Francisco_Antonio_Risquez_000.jpg|left|thumb|[[Francisco Antonio Rísquez|Francisco Antonio Risquez]], rector of the [[Central University of Venezuela]] and one of the leaders of the February 1936 march.]] |
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After [[Juan Vicente Gómez]]'s death on 17 December 1935, the Congress entrusted the interim presidency to the Minister of War and Navy, [[Eleazar López Contreras]].<ref>{{Cita web|url=https://bibliofep.fundacionempresaspolar.org/_custom/static/cronologia_hv/zoom/s20/1935-7.html|título=1935 - Cronología de historia de Venezuela|fechaacceso=2022-05-10|sitioweb=bibliofep.fundacionempresaspolar.org}}</ref> He was a moderate ''gomecista'', reason why he was received with sympathy upon his arrival in Caracas.<ref name=":24">{{Cita libro|apellidos=Mudarra|nombre=Miguel Angel|título=Manual de historia venezolana|año=1971|ubicación=Caracas|página=287}}</ref> On 28 January 1936, the then governor of the Federal District, Félix Galavís, created a Censorship Office in the governor's office. On 12 February, Governor Galavís issues a decree of censorship over the media, press and radio.<ref>{{Cita publicación|url=http://ve.scielo.org/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S1315-94962017000200008&lng=es&nrm=iso&tlng=es|título=Del gendarme al prestigio moral necesario: La transición en el gobierno de Eleazar López Contreras|apellidos=Padrón García|nombre=Rebeca Gerardina|fecha=2017-12|publicación=Tiempo y Espacio|volumen=27|número=68|páginas=129–149|fechaacceso=2022-07-12|idioma=es|issn=1315-9496}}</ref> |
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Around 15,000 to 20,000 people marched from the [[Bolívar Square (Caracas)|Bolivar Square in Caracas]] on their way to the [[Miraflores Palace]].<ref>{{Cita libro|título=Pérez Jiménez y su tiempo: 1930-1948|url=https://books.google.co.ve/books?id=iOgpAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA424&dq=Manifestaci%C3%B3n+del+14+de+febrero+de+1936&hl=es-419&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiK3KCH-Nn7AhUDZDABHVsIA60Q6AF6BAgEEAI#v=onepage&q=Manifestaci%C3%B3n%20del%2014%20de%20febrero%20de%201936&f=false|editorial=Consorcio de Ediciones Capriles|fecha=1988|fechaacceso=2022-12-02|isbn=978-980-6201-03-3|idioma=es|nombre=Carlos Capriles|apellidos=Ayala}}</ref> Shortly after arriving at the square, the demonstration was broken up with a three-minute burst of gunfire. The shots left 6 dead and 150 wounded. |
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Félix Galavís was attributed with the order to shoot, although he denied responsibility. Subsequently, looting was unleashed, mainly against known Gomecistas. One hundred houses and businesses were destroyed, and close relatives of Juan Vicente Gómez left Venezuela on a ship to [[Curaçao]].<ref name=":52">{{Cita libro|apellidos=Arraiz Lucca|nombre=Rafael|enlaceautor=|título=Historia Contemporánea de Venezuela|url=|fechaacceso=|año=|editorial=Larense|isbn=9-789802-112661|editor=|ubicación=|página=|páginas=122-124|idioma=|capítulo=LA HEGEMONÍA MILITAR TACHIRENSE (1899-1945)}}</ref> |
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The Student Federation of Venezuela organized a demonstration that left from the [[Central University of Venezuela]] (UCV) in the afternoon, headed by the rector of the university, [[Francisco Antonio Rísquez]], opposition leaders and student and union leaders of Caracas. The demonstrators protested against censorship and demanded the departure of the Gomecistas from power and democratization. The march stopped in front of the Miraflores Palace and a commission met with President Eleazar López Contreras. After the meeting, López Contreras agreed to revoke the suspension of constitutional guarantees within 15 days and to punish those responsible for the deaths that occurred that morning.<ref name=":5">{{Cita libro|apellidos=Arraiz Lucca|nombre=Rafael|enlaceautor=|título=Historia Contemporánea de Venezuela|url=|fechaacceso=|año=|editorial=Larense|isbn=9-789802-112661|editor=|ubicación=|página=|páginas=122-124|idioma=|capítulo=LA HEGEMONÍA MILITAR TACHIRENSE (1899-1945)}}</ref> |
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The newspaper La Esfera published an article stating that the march led by Rector Antonio Rísquez was "the most important civic demonstration ever held in our country".<ref>{{Cita web|url=http://efemeridesvenezolanas.com/sec/his/id/195/|título=Manifestación del 14 de febrero de 1936 : Efemérides Venezolanas|fechaacceso=2022-05-13|sitioweb=Efemérides Venezolanas}}</ref> |
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=== Lusinchi presidency === |
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Unprecedented protests against the government of [[Jaime Lusinchi]] occurred during a period of economic turmoil when the [[1980s oil glut]] affected Venezuela's economy, resulting with increased poverty, inflation and shortages of basic goods.<ref name=":102">{{Cite journal |last=Ewell |first=Judith |date=March 1989 |title=Debt and Politics in Venezuela |journal=[[Current History]] |volume=88 |issue=536 |pages=121–124, 147–149}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Neuman |first=William |date=2014-05-24 |title=Jaime Lusinchi, Ex-Leader of Venezuela, Dies at 89 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/24/world/americas/jaime-lusinchi-ex-leader-of-venezuela-dies-at-89.html |access-date=2024-02-23 |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Many citizens believed that the two-party system established in the [[Puntofijo Pact]] was no longer democratic and that the government grew less transparent as the nation's financial state grew worse.<ref name=":102" /> The economic decline saw increased student protests against the Lusinchi government and [[Democratic Action (Venezuela)|Democratic Action]], which accused demonstrators of destabilization attempts and deployed troops to crackdown on dissent.<ref name=":102" /><ref name=":0" /> Protests grew more severe in response to the repression by authorities, with citizen marches, university strikes, the [[Confederación de Trabajadores de Venezuela]] and local leaders of the Catholic Church condemning the government.<ref name=":102" /> |
Unprecedented protests against the government of [[Jaime Lusinchi]] occurred during a period of economic turmoil when the [[1980s oil glut]] affected Venezuela's economy, resulting with increased poverty, inflation and shortages of basic goods.<ref name=":102">{{Cite journal |last=Ewell |first=Judith |date=March 1989 |title=Debt and Politics in Venezuela |journal=[[Current History]] |volume=88 |issue=536 |pages=121–124, 147–149}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Neuman |first=William |date=2014-05-24 |title=Jaime Lusinchi, Ex-Leader of Venezuela, Dies at 89 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/24/world/americas/jaime-lusinchi-ex-leader-of-venezuela-dies-at-89.html |access-date=2024-02-23 |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Many citizens believed that the two-party system established in the [[Puntofijo Pact]] was no longer democratic and that the government grew less transparent as the nation's financial state grew worse.<ref name=":102" /> The economic decline saw increased student protests against the Lusinchi government and [[Democratic Action (Venezuela)|Democratic Action]], which accused demonstrators of destabilization attempts and deployed troops to crackdown on dissent.<ref name=":102" /><ref name=":0" /> Protests grew more severe in response to the repression by authorities, with citizen marches, university strikes, the [[Confederación de Trabajadores de Venezuela]] and local leaders of the Catholic Church condemning the government.<ref name=":102" /> |
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Following the death of Lusinchi in 2014, his response to the demonstrations were described by ''[[The New York Times]]'' as being similar to the actions of [[Nicolás Maduro]] during [[Protests against Nicolás Maduro|protests against his government]].<ref name=":0" /> |
Following the death of Lusinchi in 2014, his response to the demonstrations were described by ''[[The New York Times]]'' as being similar to the actions of [[Nicolás Maduro]] during [[Protests against Nicolás Maduro|protests against his government]].<ref name=":0" /> |
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=== Andrés Pérez |
=== Andrés Pérez presidency === |
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{{Further|Caracazo}} |
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Shortly after taking office in early 1989, President [[Carlos Andrés Pérez]] reversed from his position of strongly criticizing the [[International Monetary Fund|International Monetary Fund (IMF)]] and instead accepted the IMF's recommendations.<ref name=":47">{{Cite book |last=Velasco |first=Alejandro |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1525/9780520959187/html |title=Barrio Rising: Urban Popular Politics and the Making of Modern Venezuela |date=2015-07-24 |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |isbn=978-0-520-95918-7 |pages=194 |language=en |chapter=7. Killing Democracy’s Promise: A Massacre of People and Expectations |doi=10.1525/9780520959187}}</ref><ref name=":54">{{Citation |last=Strønen |first=Iselin Åsedotter |title=Understanding the Bolivarian Revolution from Below |date=2017 |work=Grassroots Politics and Oil Culture in Venezuela |pages=57–83 |url= |access-date= |place=Cham |publisher=[[Springer International Publishing]] |language=en |doi= |isbn=978-3-319-59506-1 |quote=the el Caracazo massacre in 1989}}</ref> He instituted [[neoliberal]] economic policies prescribed by the [[Washington Consensus]], which included the adoption of [[austerity measures]] and implementing [[Shock therapy (economics)|shock therapy]] on the economy.<ref name=":47"/><ref name=":54"/><ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last=Lander |first=Edgardo |last2=Fierro |first2=Luis A. |date=Jul 1996 |title=The Impact of Neoliberal Adjustment in Venezuela, 1989-1993 |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0094582X9602300304 |journal=Latin American Perspectives |language=en |volume=23 |issue=3 |pages=50–73 |doi=10.1177/0094582X9602300304 |issn=0094-582X}}</ref> The distance between the impoverished populace and the ruling elite, according to Strønen, led to dissent from citizens.<ref name=":54"/> Shortly after Pérez's unveiling of the economic measures, economist Héctor Silva Michelena said that a "grave social explosion" was imminent.<ref name=":47"/> |
Shortly after taking office in early 1989, President [[Carlos Andrés Pérez]] reversed from his position of strongly criticizing the [[International Monetary Fund|International Monetary Fund (IMF)]] and instead accepted the IMF's recommendations.<ref name=":47">{{Cite book |last=Velasco |first=Alejandro |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1525/9780520959187/html |title=Barrio Rising: Urban Popular Politics and the Making of Modern Venezuela |date=2015-07-24 |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |isbn=978-0-520-95918-7 |pages=194 |language=en |chapter=7. Killing Democracy’s Promise: A Massacre of People and Expectations |doi=10.1525/9780520959187}}</ref><ref name=":54">{{Citation |last=Strønen |first=Iselin Åsedotter |title=Understanding the Bolivarian Revolution from Below |date=2017 |work=Grassroots Politics and Oil Culture in Venezuela |pages=57–83 |url= |access-date= |place=Cham |publisher=[[Springer International Publishing]] |language=en |doi= |isbn=978-3-319-59506-1 |quote=the el Caracazo massacre in 1989}}</ref> He instituted [[neoliberal]] economic policies prescribed by the [[Washington Consensus]], which included the adoption of [[austerity measures]] and implementing [[Shock therapy (economics)|shock therapy]] on the economy.<ref name=":47"/><ref name=":54"/><ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last=Lander |first=Edgardo |last2=Fierro |first2=Luis A. |date=Jul 1996 |title=The Impact of Neoliberal Adjustment in Venezuela, 1989-1993 |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0094582X9602300304 |journal=Latin American Perspectives |language=en |volume=23 |issue=3 |pages=50–73 |doi=10.1177/0094582X9602300304 |issn=0094-582X}}</ref> The distance between the impoverished populace and the ruling elite, according to Strønen, led to dissent from citizens.<ref name=":54"/> Shortly after Pérez's unveiling of the economic measures, economist Héctor Silva Michelena said that a "grave social explosion" was imminent.<ref name=":47"/> |
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[[Hugo Chávez]] recognized the Caracazo as the beginning of his [[Bolivarian Revolution]].<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |date=2013-02-28 |title=Hugo Chavez death reports wrong, says vice-president |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/venezuela/9900083/Hugo-Chavez-death-reports-wrong-says-vice-president.html |access-date=2024-01-21 |website=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |language=en |quote='Caracazo', the massacre of hundreds of people in 1989}}</ref> In 1992, two attempted coups against Pérez in [[Venezuelan coup attempt of 1992|February and November]]. Chávez, an organiser of one of the coups, was found guilty of [[sedition]] and incarcerated. |
[[Hugo Chávez]] recognized the Caracazo as the beginning of his [[Bolivarian Revolution]].<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |date=2013-02-28 |title=Hugo Chavez death reports wrong, says vice-president |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/venezuela/9900083/Hugo-Chavez-death-reports-wrong-says-vice-president.html |access-date=2024-01-21 |website=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |language=en |quote='Caracazo', the massacre of hundreds of people in 1989}}</ref> In 1992, two attempted coups against Pérez in [[Venezuelan coup attempt of 1992|February and November]]. Chávez, an organiser of one of the coups, was found guilty of [[sedition]] and incarcerated. |
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=== Caldera |
=== Caldera presidency === |
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Through the 1990s, Chávez's [[Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement-200|MBR-200]] participated in anti-austerity protests.<ref name=":13">{{cite book |last1=Almeida |first1=Paul |title=Collective Resistance to Neoliberalism |last2=Pérez Martín |first2=Amalia |date=2022 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=9781108981873 |quote=Caracazo anti-neoliberal uprising}}</ref> Pérez's successor, [[Rafael Caldera]], pardoned Chávez for his actions in 1994.<ref name="HELLINGER">{{Cite book |last=Hellinger |first=Daniel |title=Comparative Politics of Latin America: Democracy at Last? |publisher=Routledge |year=2014 |isbn=9781134070077}}</ref>{{page needed|date=February 2021}} MBR-200, [[Radical Cause]] and [[Movement Towards Socialism (Venezuela)|Movement Towards Socialism]] consolidated their political objectives into the [[Fifth Republic Movement]],<ref name=":13"/> with Chávez winning the [[1998 Venezuelan presidential election]]. |
Through the 1990s, Chávez's [[Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement-200|MBR-200]] participated in anti-austerity protests.<ref name=":13">{{cite book |last1=Almeida |first1=Paul |title=Collective Resistance to Neoliberalism |last2=Pérez Martín |first2=Amalia |date=2022 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=9781108981873 |quote=Caracazo anti-neoliberal uprising}}</ref> Pérez's successor, [[Rafael Caldera]], pardoned Chávez for his actions in 1994.<ref name="HELLINGER">{{Cite book |last=Hellinger |first=Daniel |title=Comparative Politics of Latin America: Democracy at Last? |publisher=Routledge |year=2014 |isbn=9781134070077}}</ref>{{page needed|date=February 2021}} MBR-200, [[Radical Cause]] and [[Movement Towards Socialism (Venezuela)|Movement Towards Socialism]] consolidated their political objectives into the [[Fifth Republic Movement]],<ref name=":13"/> with Chávez winning the [[1998 Venezuelan presidential election]]. |
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Revision as of 17:57, 2 March 2024
Various protests occurred against governments in Venezuela in the twentieth century.
History
Juan Vicente Gómez dictatorship
During the dictatorship of Juan Vicente Gómez, a group of students later dubbed as the Generation of 1928 led protests in 1928 in the capital city of Caracas. Many politicians prominent in Venezuela's transition to democracy took part in the protests. They include Rómulo Betancourt, Jóvito Villalba, Juan Oropeza, Joaquín Gabaldón Márquez , Raúl Leoni, Andrés Eloy Blanco, Miguel Otero Silva, Pedro Sotillo, Francisco Ignacio Romero, Isaac J Pardo, Juan Bautista Fuenmayor, Germán Suárez Flamerich, Iván Darío Maldonado Bello, Gustavo Machado, and Antonia Palacios.[1]
Several members of the Generation went into exile. Political organizations in exile included the founding of Agrupación Revolucionaria de Izquierda (ARDI) in Colombia in 1931 by Rómulo Betancourt and others. This later became the Partido Democrático Nacional, a forerunner of Democratic Action. The Communist Party of Venezuela, also founded in 1931, was initially led by Francisco José "Kotepa" Delgado and Juan Bautista Fuenmayor.[1]
Eleazar López Contreras administration
[[Archivo:Francisco_Antonio_Risquez_000.jpg|link=https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:Francisco_Antonio_Risquez_000.jpg%7Cleft%7Cthumb%7CFrancisco Antonio Risquez, rector of the Central University of Venezuela and one of the leaders of the February 1936 march.]] After Juan Vicente Gómez's death on 17 December 1935, the Congress entrusted the interim presidency to the Minister of War and Navy, Eleazar López Contreras.[2] He was a moderate gomecista, reason why he was received with sympathy upon his arrival in Caracas.[3] On 28 January 1936, the then governor of the Federal District, Félix Galavís, created a Censorship Office in the governor's office. On 12 February, Governor Galavís issues a decree of censorship over the media, press and radio.[4]
Around 15,000 to 20,000 people marched from the Bolivar Square in Caracas on their way to the Miraflores Palace.[5] Shortly after arriving at the square, the demonstration was broken up with a three-minute burst of gunfire. The shots left 6 dead and 150 wounded.
Félix Galavís was attributed with the order to shoot, although he denied responsibility. Subsequently, looting was unleashed, mainly against known Gomecistas. One hundred houses and businesses were destroyed, and close relatives of Juan Vicente Gómez left Venezuela on a ship to Curaçao.[6]
The Student Federation of Venezuela organized a demonstration that left from the Central University of Venezuela (UCV) in the afternoon, headed by the rector of the university, Francisco Antonio Rísquez, opposition leaders and student and union leaders of Caracas. The demonstrators protested against censorship and demanded the departure of the Gomecistas from power and democratization. The march stopped in front of the Miraflores Palace and a commission met with President Eleazar López Contreras. After the meeting, López Contreras agreed to revoke the suspension of constitutional guarantees within 15 days and to punish those responsible for the deaths that occurred that morning.[7]
The newspaper La Esfera published an article stating that the march led by Rector Antonio Rísquez was "the most important civic demonstration ever held in our country".[8]
Lusinchi presidency
Unprecedented protests against the government of Jaime Lusinchi occurred during a period of economic turmoil when the 1980s oil glut affected Venezuela's economy, resulting with increased poverty, inflation and shortages of basic goods.[9][10] Many citizens believed that the two-party system established in the Puntofijo Pact was no longer democratic and that the government grew less transparent as the nation's financial state grew worse.[9] The economic decline saw increased student protests against the Lusinchi government and Democratic Action, which accused demonstrators of destabilization attempts and deployed troops to crackdown on dissent.[9][10] Protests grew more severe in response to the repression by authorities, with citizen marches, university strikes, the Confederación de Trabajadores de Venezuela and local leaders of the Catholic Church condemning the government.[9]
The Lusinchi government announced austerity measures on 27 February 1986, saying "I am convinced that the normalization of relations with our foreign creditors solves an important obstacle in the country's affairs and clears the way for economic recovery."[9] Weeks later on 11 March 1986, about 4,000 protesters marched in Caracas, criticizing the government's promise of economic recovery.[9] Following the detention of seventeen students protesting against increased bus prices in Cumaná in May 1986, nationwide protests were organized in support of the arrested students the following year.[11]
Between 13 and 15 March 1987, students in Mérida began large scale protests after a student who recently graduated was killed by an attorney linked to the police shot the student for allegedly urinating near his home.[12] The March 1987 protests in Mérida resulted with $2 million in damages and the arrests of 180 people, who were transported to be imprisoned at the El Dorado penal colony.[9][12] Protests were then banned in Caracas by Lusinchi, which fueled further dissent at the Central University of Venezuela and led to protests on 19 March 1987; police fired tear gas at the demonstration, 20 were injured and one university security guard died of a heart attack.[12] Central University students clashed with police again on 30 April 1987 and thirty individuals were reported injured; the government blamed the violence on left-wing groups, reporting that students stole over a dozen buses and used makeshift weapons to attack authorities following the rise of bus fares.[13] On 2 July 1987, student protests began in the cities of Mérida, San Cristobal and Trujillo, resulting with one dead student in Trujillo, sixteen injured and over one hundred people arrested.[11] In Mérida, looting occurred and government offices were set ablaze.[11] The Lusinchi government deployed 300 troops to Mérida and Trujillo.[11] The following day, over 1,000 students at the Central University of Venezuela began demonstrations in response to the death of the student in Trujillo, with the government reporting that five police officers were injured by gunfire from "professional agitators."[11] On 5 July 1987, Lusinchi made an address on Independence Day, accusing protesters of being involved in a plot to destabilize the nation.[9] By the end of July 1987, two protesters were dead and 73 were injured.[9]
A university strike began in January 1988 when faculty demanded wage increases to counter the 40% inflation rate of 1987.[9] The Lusinchi government also began to attack press freedom after his controversial affair with his mistress Blanca Ibáñez began to be disseminated by the media, with journalists being forced into self-censorship and a popular radio host having their program shut down by the government.[14] On 21 January 1988, more than 2,000 press workers participated in a march in Caracas to protest against the censorship of the Lusinchi government.[14][15]
Following the death of Lusinchi in 2014, his response to the demonstrations were described by The New York Times as being similar to the actions of Nicolás Maduro during protests against his government.[10]
Andrés Pérez presidency
Shortly after taking office in early 1989, President Carlos Andrés Pérez reversed from his position of strongly criticizing the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and instead accepted the IMF's recommendations.[16][17] He instituted neoliberal economic policies prescribed by the Washington Consensus, which included the adoption of austerity measures and implementing shock therapy on the economy.[16][17][18] The distance between the impoverished populace and the ruling elite, according to Strønen, led to dissent from citizens.[17] Shortly after Pérez's unveiling of the economic measures, economist Héctor Silva Michelena said that a "grave social explosion" was imminent.[16]
Anti-neoliberal protests occurred in mid-February 1989, denouncing Pérez's economic proposals.[19] Larger protests and rioting began on the morning of 27 February 1989 in Guarenas, a town in Miranda State about 30 kilometres (19 mi) east of Caracas, due to the increase in public transportation prices.[16][20] Protests then spread to Caracas and nationwide. Rioters destroyed properties indiscriminately, with no motives related to initial protests, and many had to line up at government food distribution centers since markets were destroyed by rioters.[21] Pérez dismissed the first protests and warnings from multiple ministers throughout the day, choosing to fly to Barquisimeto for a meeting of the Venezuelan Executives Association and describing news footage of looting occurring as outdated.[16] While meeting with the business executives, Pérez told his audience, "There is nothing to be alarmed about, ... We are going to take advantage of the crisis to generate well-being."[16]
The Pérez government's response to the protests was described as a massacre.[16][17][22] Venezuelan anthropologist Fernando Coronil described the Caracazo as "the largest and most violently repressed revolt against austerity measures in Latin American history."[17] According to Amnesty International and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR), tactics used by security forces included enforced disappearances, the use of torture, and extrajudicial killings.[23][20] Members of the National Directorate of Intelligence and Prevention Services (DISIP) were reported to have beaten protesters with baseball bats and pipes while they performed interrogations.[24] The IACHR said that a "disproportionate use of force" was especially used in impoverished areas.[16] Poor areas faced increased violence during the riots, with authorities firing indiscriminately throughout neighborhoods and dragging some individuals out of their homes for summary executions.[17][19] By the time protesting ended on 5 March 1989, the initial official pronouncements stated that 276 people had died,[20] though the Pérez administration attempted to block investigations.[17] Of the deaths, two soldiers and one police officer were reported dead.[16] After hundreds of unmarked graves were found in the following months,[16] many estimates put the number at above 2,000[25] and up to 5,000.Shortages of coffins were reported[17][21] and morgues were so overfilled with dead that workers had to explain to family members searching for loved ones that bodies were simply discarded in trash bags.[17]
Hugo Chávez recognized the Caracazo as the beginning of his Bolivarian Revolution.[26] In 1992, two attempted coups against Pérez in February and November. Chávez, an organiser of one of the coups, was found guilty of sedition and incarcerated.
Caldera presidency
Through the 1990s, Chávez's MBR-200 participated in anti-austerity protests.[27] Pérez's successor, Rafael Caldera, pardoned Chávez for his actions in 1994.[28][page needed] MBR-200, Radical Cause and Movement Towards Socialism consolidated their political objectives into the Fifth Republic Movement,[27] with Chávez winning the 1998 Venezuelan presidential election.
See also
References
- ^ a b Miranda 2001, p. 265.
- ^ "1935 - Cronología de historia de Venezuela". bibliofep.fundacionempresaspolar.org. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
- ^ Manual de historia venezolana. Caracas. 1971. p. 287.
{{cite book}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ Pérez Jiménez y su tiempo: 1930-1948 (in Spanish). Consorcio de Ediciones Capriles. 1988. Retrieved 2022-12-02.
{{cite book}}
:|first=
missing|last=
(help); Unknown parameter|apellidos=
ignored (|last=
suggested) (help) - ^ "LA HEGEMONÍA MILITAR TACHIRENSE (1899-1945)". Historia Contemporánea de Venezuela. Larense. pp. 122–124.
{{cite book}}
:|first=
missing|last=
(help); Unknown parameter|apellidos=
ignored (|last=
suggested) (help) - ^ "LA HEGEMONÍA MILITAR TACHIRENSE (1899-1945)". Historia Contemporánea de Venezuela. Larense. pp. 122–124.
{{cite book}}
:|first=
missing|last=
(help); Unknown parameter|apellidos=
ignored (|last=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Manifestación del 14 de febrero de 1936 : Efemérides Venezolanas". Efemérides Venezolanas. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Ewell, Judith (March 1989). "Debt and Politics in Venezuela". Current History. 88 (536): 121–124, 147–149.
- ^ a b c Neuman, William (2014-05-24). "Jaime Lusinchi, Ex-Leader of Venezuela, Dies at 89". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
- ^ a b c d e "Sniper wounds 5 policemen in Venezuelan student protest". Vancouver Sun. 4 July 1987. pp. A5.
- ^ a b c Collett, Merrill (22 March 1987). "Student Protests Pressure Venezuela;Economic, Political Problems Threaten Lusinchi Government". The Washington Post. p. A28.
- ^ "Venezuelan students fight police". Vancouver Sun. 1 May 1987. pp. A4.
- ^ a b Riding, Alan (1988-01-23). "Caracas Journal; A President, a Liaison and a Lot of Political Clout". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-02-23.
- ^ Bamrud, Joachim (October 1988). "Free elections, unfree press". Index on Censorship.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Velasco, Alejandro (2015-07-24). "7. Killing Democracy's Promise: A Massacre of People and Expectations". Barrio Rising: Urban Popular Politics and the Making of Modern Venezuela. University of California Press. p. 194. doi:10.1525/9780520959187. ISBN 978-0-520-95918-7.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Strønen, Iselin Åsedotter (2017), "Understanding the Bolivarian Revolution from Below", Grassroots Politics and Oil Culture in Venezuela, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 57–83, ISBN 978-3-319-59506-1,
the el Caracazo massacre in 1989
- ^ Lander, Edgardo; Fierro, Luis A. (Jul 1996). "The Impact of Neoliberal Adjustment in Venezuela, 1989-1993". Latin American Perspectives. 23 (3): 50–73. doi:10.1177/0094582X9602300304. ISSN 0094-582X.
- ^ a b López Maya, Margarita (February 2003). "The Venezuelan "Caracazo" of 1989: Popular Protest and Institutional Weakness". Journal of Latin American Studies. 35 (1). Cambridge University Press: 117–137. doi:10.1017/S0022216X02006673. S2CID 145292996.
In this regard, the Caracazo was not such a spontaneous outburst as is commonly believed. We have found that anti-neoliberal student protest had been building in the previous days in Merida as well as other cities.
- ^ a b c El Caracazo Case, Judgment of 11 November 1999, Inter-American Court of Human Rights, accessed 1 May 2007
- ^ a b "Riots leave Venezuela short of coffins; Up to 700 reported dead while hospitals say most of the injured were shot: B1". The Gazette. 5 March 1989.
- ^ Massacres in Venezuela: Los Maniceros Massacre, Caracazo, Massacre of El Amparo, Yumare Massacre. 2010. ISBN 9781158269556.
- ^ Amnesty International, March 1990, Reports of Arbitrary Killings and Torture:, February/March 1989, AI Index: AMR 53/02/90, https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr53/002/1991/en/
- ^ López Maya, Margarita (February 2003). "The Venezuelan "Caracazo" of 1989: Popular Protest and Institutional Weakness". Journal of Latin American Studies. 35 (1). Cambridge University Press: 117–137. doi:10.1017/S0022216X02006673. S2CID 145292996.
In this regard, the Caracazo was not such a spontaneous outburst as is commonly believed. We have found that anti-neoliberal student protest had been building in the previous days in Merida as well as other cities.
- ^ Crisp, Brian F. (1998), "Presidential Decree Authority in Venezuela", in John M. Carey and Matthew Soberg Shugart (eds, 1998), Executive decree authority, Cambridge University Press. p157
- ^ "Hugo Chavez death reports wrong, says vice-president". The Telegraph. 2013-02-28. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
'Caracazo', the massacre of hundreds of people in 1989
- ^ a b Almeida, Paul; Pérez Martín, Amalia (2022). Collective Resistance to Neoliberalism. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781108981873.
Caracazo anti-neoliberal uprising
- ^ Hellinger, Daniel (2014). Comparative Politics of Latin America: Democracy at Last?. Routledge. ISBN 9781134070077.