Here you will enter information that you find in the form of text, video, audio, images, etc..
Venezuela before Columbus
The first Venezuelans lived about 15,000 years ago. These people went three different directions, East (today Guyanas), South (today Brazil) and North (today Antillas). In ancient times, Venezuela was paradise for the Indians who lived on its beaches, in its tropical forests, and on grassland of llanos. There were three main groups: the Carib, Arawak, and the Chibcha. The Carib are best known for being cannibals and their basketweaving, the Arawak were tribes that lived by farming and fishing. The third group, the Chibcha, lived in the Andes and were geographically separated from the other tribes. They lived in small groups and all of them farmed. The land had enough resources so that this was not always necessary. They could easily hunt, fish and gather their food. The most advanced of the three were the Chibcha who lived on the eastern slopes of the Andes. Though they never developed large cities, their farming skill was impressive - they terraced parts of the Andes and built sophisticated irrigation channels to water their crops.
Christopher Columbus
• In 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
• He was Italian, and born in 1451.
• He sailed to Caribbean islands, which he named the West Indies because he thought he was in India.
• He named the people Indians.
• In 1948 he went on his third voyage was to Venezuela, the first mainland he landed on.
• Even though he was Italian the country he sailed for was Spain.
• He fallowed the coast of Venezuela until he realized that is was a continent and not an island.
• Even though Venezuela was inhabited already, Columbus claimed it as Spanish territory.
• He was a navigator, colonizer, and explorer.
• Though he was given credit there were others who came to the Americas before him.
Amerigo Vespucci
(March 9, 1454 - February 22, 1512)
• He was a famous Italian merchant, an explorer and a cartographer
• Vespucci was a leader of two voyages that explored the eastern coast of South America during 1499 and 1502
• On the first voyage Vespucci found out that South America went much further south than other European explorers had believed
• These voyages became well known in Europe when two accounts attributed to Vespucci were published during 1502 and 1504
• America was then named after Amerigo
Spanish brutality during colonization (slavery is introduced)
Brian Mitchell
Spanish Colonization in the Americas
The year 1492 marks a watershed in modern world history. Columbus's voyage of discovery inaugurated a series of developments that would have vast consequences for both the Old World and the New. It transformed the diets of both the eastern and western hemispheres, helped initiate the Atlantic slave trade, spread diseases that had a devastating impact on Indian populations, and led to the establishment of European colonies across the Western Hemisphere.
There were major factors including rapid population growth, commerce, new learning, and the rise of competing nation that encouraged Europeans to explore and colonize new lands. It explains why Portugal and Spain were the first to become involved in overseas exploration and why England and France were slow to challenge Spain 's supremacy in the Americas. Basically, Spain was seemingly much too powerful for any other country to begin to think to of overthrowing their power. They had resources, as well as military power and the best means of transportation during this period in time.
During the mid- and late-15th century, Europe gained mastery over the world's ocean currents and wind patterns and began to create a European-centered world economy. Europeans developed advanced astronomy to plot the location of the sun and stars, replaced oarsmen with sails, and began to better understand wind patterns and ocean currents.
During the time in which Spain began to colonize, any rebellion resulted in bloodshed and mass murder. The Spanish army was the strongest, always on call during voyages and ready to take over the land in which they inhabited by any means necessary. Due to the amount of takeovers they began to enslave many of the men of the countries they conquered.
Christianity in Venezuela
The majority of Venezuelans identify as Roman Catholics, even if they don't necessarily practice their beliefs.
Roman Catholic
96%
Protestant
2%
Other
2%
Francisco de Miranda
Full Name: Sebastián Francisco de Miranda y Rodríguez
Birth-Death: March 28, 1750 – July 14, 1816
Miranda was a Venezuelan Revolutionary, however, His plans for Spanish American Colonies failed. He was the forerunner of Simon Bolivar, who liberated a large part of South America during the South American wars of independence. Miranda Developed a visionary plan to liberate and unify all of Spanish America, but his military initiatives failed in 1812, at which point he was handed over to his enemies. Four years later, he died in a Spanish Prison.
Simon Bolivar (Venezuela/South America)
• -Born in Caracas on July 24th of 1783. A descendant of a family of Basque origin established in Venezuela since the end of the XVI century and which occupied a distinguished social and economic position in the province. His parents died when he was young.
• -At 14, Bolivar joined the Battalion in the White Militia in the Aragua Valley, which had been commanded by his father, a Colonel years before.
• -Within a year he was promoted to Second Lieutenant. Bolivar combined the practical training in military duties with theoretical education on various subjects.
• -At nineteen married a woman of Spanish nobility, but she died less than a year after they had returned to Venezuela.
• -He left Venezuela and traveled all over France and Italy. He studied the mostly progressive philosophies of Rousseau, Voltaire, and Locke (individual rights), and also began to greatly admire the achievements of Napoleon I.
• -Traveled to the United States, which had recently won its independence from Britain. After arriving back in Venezuela, he now had the mindset of a revolutionary, and believed it was time for Venezuela to be free from Spain and he must lead the movement.
• -1810: Bolivar joined with Francisco de Miranda in a revolt against the Spanish, and occupied Caracas. The Caracas junta (military) declared its independence from Spain.
• -1811: With Bolivar’s leadership, Venezuela declared itself independent. However, Spain refused to be defeated and ended up defeating Miranda.
• -1813-1814: Bolivar fled to Colombia to escape capture, and continued the independence movement. Went back to Venezuela with his forces and took control of the country. He was able to defend the country until a combined force of Spanish royalists and anti-Bolivar forces defeated him.
• -He fled to Colombia once again, and then to Jamaica. He traveled to Haiti, in admiration of its hard earned independence from France.
• -Bolivar continued to try to invade South America but his efforts were unsuccessful until 1819, when he reinforced his forces with English and Irish mercenary veterans, received funds from Haiti, and secured a base at New Granada (Colombia). He liberated Bogota and proclaimed the establishment of the Republic of Colombia, made up of New Granada and Venezuela.
• -1821: Bolivar officially frees Venezuela from the Spanish and becomes president. He attempted to apply his vision of liberation to all of South America, but he was not as a successful ruler as he had been liberator.
• -His harsh, autocratic rule led to civil wars and independence movements against him. All the countries that Bolivar freed ended up separating themselves from him.
• -By 1828, Bolivar only ruled Colombia. He resigned soon after, and planned to exile himself to Europe, but died in 1830 of tuberculosis before he could leave.
• Conclusion: Bolivar organized and led military forces in small numbers to free Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, and Ecuador, which remain free today, and is still greatly admired for his complete devotion and determination for liberation by many of those living in these countries. However, he ruled as a dictator and moved away from his early belief in individual rights, and towards a very centralized government.
General José Antonio Páez
Jose Antonio Paez was General in Chief of the army fighting Spain during the Venezuelan Wars of Independence, in addition to becoming the President of Venezuela once it was independent of the Gran Colombia. He is considered the prime example of a 19th century South American caudillo. In 1830, Páez declared Venezuela independent from Gran Colombia and became president. He would also serve as president two more times, once, from 1839-1842 and again from 1861-1863. He was exiled from the country in 1850 and did not return until 1858. In 1861, he became supreme dictator and ruled only for two years before again returning to exile.
Páez had been mostly respected as a result of his military successes during the war. From now on he started to be seen as a politician with the power and the wit needed to pursue and defend any changes, or lack thereof, made under the constitutional order.
General Jose Tadeo
General Jose Tadeo (also known as José Tadeo Monagas) [10/28/1784 - 11/18/1868]
1847:Chosen by José Antonio Páez as President of Venezuela as a Conservative. àHe soon starts leaning towards the Liberals. à He Appoints Liberal Party ministers. à He abolishes capital punishment for political crimes. àPáez revolted, but Monagas crushes the insurrection. à He Attempts to emancipate slavery. 1851: Presidential term ends 1855: Elected president of Venezuela for 2nd term à He arranges for a new Constitution (passed in 1858) which grants him further powers. àThis new Constitution leads to a constitutional (and armed) crisis. 1858: Presidential term ends. *A hero of the Venezuelan War of Independence (1811-1823) . *He fought under Bolívar in the revolt against Spain.
*Extremely unpopular because he: èhad favoritism-bound policies èhad disregard for laws passed by Congress when he disagreed with them ègave too much power to the Executive branch. . 1858: José Tadeo is overthrown by Julian Castro. 1868:he heads a counterrevolution with forces called the Azules but he dies just after returning to power.
Ezeqiuel Zamore
-Venezuelan Solider in the Federal War of 1859-1863
-Born in Cúa, Miranda State and died in San Carlos, Cojedes.
Antonio Guzman Blanco
By: Colin Smith
-Born in Caracas in 1830
-his father, Antonio, was a Venezuelan journalist and politician
-he dominated the nation from 1870-1888
-he had considerable diplomatic and administrative abilities
-in 1870 he successfully ran a counterrevolution against the Monagas and was elected president
-he was a foe of civil liberties
-he made free education compulsory
-he was very egotistical and put statues and portaits of himself all over Venezuela
-in 1888 when he was abroad his power was destroyed by the revolution
-he did rule a a dictator
-there were several revolutionay uprisings
-in 1883 General Joaquin Crespo was declared president, and Guzman became ambassador to France
-in 1886 he reassumed power
-his government was responsible for making to modern currency, the Bolivar
-he was also responsible for the restoration of the national anthem, the second national census, and the promotion of agriculture and education
-Guzman significantly reduced the amount of power that the Roman Catholic Church had in Venezuela while he was in power
General Cipriano Castro
General Cipriano Castro was the President of Venezuela from 1899-1908. He marched on the Venezuelan province of Tachira along with Generals Segundo Prato, Macabeo Malonado and Carlos Rangel Garbiras. They defeated government forces and took control of the region. Cipriano Castro then became the governor of Tachria, emerging as a prominent figure in national politics until the Caracas Government was overthrown and he was exiled to Columbia. While in Columbia he amassed great wealth and recruited a private army. His small private army grew into a strong national army. In 1899 he marched on Caracas and made himself supreame military commander. Castro's rule was disrupted by many rebellions. In 1908 he left the country to seek medical treatment in Paris, leaving the Venezuela in the hands of his vice-president Juan Gomez. (See Below) Gomez seized power for himself and General Cipriano Castro spent the rest of his life in exile, plotting his return to power. He died in 1924 in Puerto Rico.
General Vicente Gomez
Juan Vicente Gomez was a military general and the ruler of Venezuela from 1908 to 1935. He was president on three occasions, and ruled as an unelected military strongman for the rest of his life until he died in 1935. Gomez was a cattle herder and a nearly full-blooded Native American. In 1899, he joined the private army of Cipriano Castro because he had a firendship with Castro. The army swept down on caracas in 1899 and established control of the country. Gomez became Castro's vice president until 1902 serving as the head of the military and was responsible for suppressing several major revolts against the government. Gomez seized power from Castro on December 19, 1908, during Castro’s medical treatment in Europe. Gomez managed to deflate Venezuela's stunning debt by granting concessions to foreign oil companies after the discovery of petroleum in Lake Maracaibo. Attacking the debt, won him the support of the United States and Europe along with economic stability. Gomez used the money to launch an extensive public works program, but also received generous kickbacks which increased his personal fortune tremendously.
On April 19, 1914, Gomez apparently stepped down from office in favor of president Victoriano Marques Bustillos. Gomez continued to rule the country from his home in Maracay. He returned to office in 1922 and ruled until 1929. Although he was re-elected to a new term of office by Congress, he declined the return to the capital. Juan Bautista Perez assumed the presidency, even though Gomez remained the final authority in the country. In June 1931, Congress forced Perez to resign, and elected Gomez to his third term as president. Gomez ruled Venezuela in a controversial period in the country's history. He became the richest person in the country, especially after the discovery of oil. He used that wealth to develop modern buildings.
Romulo Betancourt
Romulo Betancourt is a political activist and former president of Venezuela. Often referred to as “The Father of Venezuelan Democracy”, Betancourt was president of Venezuela from 1945 to 1948 and also from 1959 to 1964. In addition to his terms as president, Betancourt also served as leader of Accion Democratica, Venezuela’s dominant political party during most of the 20th century. As a young man, Betancourt was expelled from Venezuela for being seen as too radical. As a result of his expulsion, Betancourt moved to Costa Rica, where he founded multiple radical communist student groups. At age 22, Betancourt became leader of the Costa Rican Communist Party. In later years, Betancourt became president of Venezuela in 1945 as a result of coup d’etat in the country. While in office, Betancourt established universal suffrage, many social reforms, and secured half of profits generated by oil sales. Perhaps Betancourt’s most well known contribution was his nationalization of Venezuela’s massive oil industry, utilizing Venezuela’s natural resources to help the country become more self-sufficient. During this movement, Betancourt’s government was responsible for the founding of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which remains in existence today. In 1948, Betancourt was overthrown and forced into exile in New York City. During his time in exile, Betancourt planned an extensive political return based around democratic principles; a controversial idea at the time in Venezuela. About a decade later, Betancourt was reelected president of Venezuela. In addition to his significant impact on Venezuelan government, Betancourt was a great aide to U.S. President Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Welcome to Venezuela
Here you will enter information that you find in the form of text, video, audio, images, etc..
Venezuela before Columbus
The first Venezuelans lived about 15,000 years ago. These people went three different directions, East (today Guyanas), South (today Brazil) and North (today Antillas). In ancient times, Venezuela was paradise for the Indians who lived on its beaches, in its tropical forests, and on grassland of llanos. There were three main groups: the Carib, Arawak, and the Chibcha. The Carib are best known for being cannibals and their basketweaving, the Arawak were tribes that lived by farming and fishing. The third group, the Chibcha, lived in the Andes and were geographically separated from the other tribes. They lived in small groups and all of them farmed. The land had enough resources so that this was not always necessary. They could easily hunt, fish and gather their food. The most advanced of the three were the Chibcha who lived on the eastern slopes of the Andes. Though they never developed large cities, their farming skill was impressive - they terraced parts of the Andes and built sophisticated irrigation channels to water their crops.Christopher Columbus
• In 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue.• He was Italian, and born in 1451.
• He sailed to Caribbean islands, which he named the West Indies because he thought he was in India.
• He named the people Indians.
• In 1948 he went on his third voyage was to Venezuela, the first mainland he landed on.
• Even though he was Italian the country he sailed for was Spain.
• He fallowed the coast of Venezuela until he realized that is was a continent and not an island.
• Even though Venezuela was inhabited already, Columbus claimed it as Spanish territory.
• He was a navigator, colonizer, and explorer.
• Though he was given credit there were others who came to the Americas before him.
Amerigo Vespucci
(March 9, 1454 - February 22, 1512)
• He was a famous Italian merchant, an explorer and a cartographer
• Vespucci was a leader of two voyages that explored the eastern coast of South America during 1499 and 1502
• On the first voyage Vespucci found out that South America went much further south than other European explorers had believed
• These voyages became well known in Europe when two accounts attributed to Vespucci were published during 1502 and 1504
• America was then named after Amerigo
Spanish brutality during colonization (slavery is introduced)
Brian MitchellSpanish Colonization in the Americas
The year 1492 marks a watershed in modern world history. Columbus's voyage of discovery inaugurated a series of developments that would have vast consequences for both the Old World and the New. It transformed the diets of both the eastern and western hemispheres, helped initiate the Atlantic slave trade, spread diseases that had a devastating impact on Indian populations, and led to the establishment of European colonies across the Western Hemisphere.
There were major factors including rapid population growth, commerce, new learning, and the rise of competing nation that encouraged Europeans to explore and colonize new lands. It explains why Portugal and Spain were the first to become involved in overseas exploration and why England and France were slow to challenge Spain 's supremacy in the Americas. Basically, Spain was seemingly much too powerful for any other country to begin to think to of overthrowing their power. They had resources, as well as military power and the best means of transportation during this period in time.
During the mid- and late-15th century, Europe gained mastery over the world's ocean currents and wind patterns and began to create a European-centered world economy. Europeans developed advanced astronomy to plot the location of the sun and stars, replaced oarsmen with sails, and began to better understand wind patterns and ocean currents.
During the time in which Spain began to colonize, any rebellion resulted in bloodshed and mass murder. The Spanish army was the strongest, always on call during voyages and ready to take over the land in which they inhabited by any means necessary. Due to the amount of takeovers they began to enslave many of the men of the countries they conquered.
Christianity in Venezuela
The majority of Venezuelans identify as Roman Catholics, even if they don't necessarily practice their beliefs.
Francisco de Miranda
Full Name: Sebastián Francisco de Miranda y RodríguezBirth-Death: March 28, 1750 – July 14, 1816
Miranda was a Venezuelan Revolutionary, however, His plans for Spanish American Colonies failed. He was the forerunner of Simon Bolivar, who liberated a large part of South America during the South American wars of independence. Miranda Developed a visionary plan to liberate and unify all of Spanish America, but his military initiatives failed in 1812, at which point he was handed over to his enemies. Four years later, he died in a Spanish Prison.
Simon Bolivar (Venezuela/South America)
• -Born in Caracas on July 24th of 1783. A descendant of a family of Basque origin established in Venezuela since the end of the XVI century and which occupied a distinguished social and economic position in the province. His parents died when he was young.• -At 14, Bolivar joined the Battalion in the White Militia in the Aragua Valley, which had been commanded by his father, a Colonel years before.
• -Within a year he was promoted to Second Lieutenant. Bolivar combined the practical training in military duties with theoretical education on various subjects.
• -At nineteen married a woman of Spanish nobility, but she died less than a year after they had returned to Venezuela.
• -He left Venezuela and traveled all over France and Italy. He studied the mostly progressive philosophies of Rousseau, Voltaire, and Locke (individual rights), and also began to greatly admire the achievements of Napoleon I.
• -Traveled to the United States, which had recently won its independence from Britain. After arriving back in Venezuela, he now had the mindset of a revolutionary, and believed it was time for Venezuela to be free from Spain and he must lead the movement.
• -1810: Bolivar joined with Francisco de Miranda in a revolt against the Spanish, and occupied Caracas. The Caracas junta (military) declared its independence from Spain.
• -1811: With Bolivar’s leadership, Venezuela declared itself independent. However, Spain refused to be defeated and ended up defeating Miranda.
• -1813-1814: Bolivar fled to Colombia to escape capture, and continued the independence movement. Went back to Venezuela with his forces and took control of the country. He was able to defend the country until a combined force of Spanish royalists and anti-Bolivar forces defeated him.
• -He fled to Colombia once again, and then to Jamaica. He traveled to Haiti, in admiration of its hard earned independence from France.
• -Bolivar continued to try to invade South America but his efforts were unsuccessful until 1819, when he reinforced his forces with English and Irish mercenary veterans, received funds from Haiti, and secured a base at New Granada (Colombia). He liberated Bogota and proclaimed the establishment of the Republic of Colombia, made up of New Granada and Venezuela.
• -1821: Bolivar officially frees Venezuela from the Spanish and becomes president. He attempted to apply his vision of liberation to all of South America, but he was not as a successful ruler as he had been liberator.
• -His harsh, autocratic rule led to civil wars and independence movements against him. All the countries that Bolivar freed ended up separating themselves from him.
• -By 1828, Bolivar only ruled Colombia. He resigned soon after, and planned to exile himself to Europe, but died in 1830 of tuberculosis before he could leave.
• Conclusion: Bolivar organized and led military forces in small numbers to free Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, and Ecuador, which remain free today, and is still greatly admired for his complete devotion and determination for liberation by many of those living in these countries. However, he ruled as a dictator and moved away from his early belief in individual rights, and towards a very centralized government.
General José Antonio Páez
Jose Antonio Paez was General in Chief of the army fighting Spain during the Venezuelan Wars of Independence, in addition to becoming the President of Venezuela once it was independent of the Gran Colombia. He is considered the prime example of a 19th century South American caudillo. In 1830, Páez declared Venezuela independent from Gran Colombia and became president. He would also serve as president two more times, once, from 1839-1842 and again from 1861-1863. He was exiled from the country in 1850 and did not return until 1858. In 1861, he became supreme dictator and ruled only for two years before again returning to exile.
Páez had been mostly respected as a result of his military successes during the war. From now on he started to be seen as a politician with the power and the wit needed to pursue and defend any changes, or lack thereof, made under the constitutional order.
General Jose Tadeo
1847: Chosen by José Antonio Páez as President of Venezuela as a Conservative.
àHe soon starts leaning towards the Liberals.
à He Appoints Liberal Party ministers.
à He abolishes capital punishment for political crimes.
à Páez revolted, but Monagas crushes the insurrection.
à He Attempts to emancipate slavery.
1851: Presidential term ends
1855: Elected president of Venezuela for 2nd term
à He arranges for a new Constitution (passed in 1858) which grants him further powers.
àThis new Constitution leads to a constitutional (and armed) crisis.
1858: Presidential term ends.
*A hero of the Venezuelan War of Independence (1811-1823) .
* He fought under Bolívar in the revolt against Spain.
*Extremely unpopular because he:
èhad favoritism-bound policies
èhad disregard for laws passed by Congress when he disagreed with them
ègave too much power to the Executive branch.
.
1858: José Tadeo is overthrown by Julian Castro.
1868: he heads a counterrevolution with forces called the Azules but he dies just after returning to power.
Ezeqiuel Zamore
-Venezuelan Solider in the Federal War of 1859-1863
-Born in Cúa, Miranda State and died in San Carlos, Cojedes.
Antonio Guzman Blanco
By: Colin Smith-Born in Caracas in 1830
-his father, Antonio, was a Venezuelan journalist and politician
-he dominated the nation from 1870-1888
-he had considerable diplomatic and administrative abilities
-in 1870 he successfully ran a counterrevolution against the Monagas and was elected president
-he was a foe of civil liberties
-he made free education compulsory
-he was very egotistical and put statues and portaits of himself all over Venezuela
-in 1888 when he was abroad his power was destroyed by the revolution
-he did rule a a dictator
-there were several revolutionay uprisings
-in 1883 General Joaquin Crespo was declared president, and Guzman became ambassador to France
-in 1886 he reassumed power
-his government was responsible for making to modern currency, the Bolivar
-he was also responsible for the restoration of the national anthem, the second national census, and the promotion of agriculture and education
-Guzman significantly reduced the amount of power that the Roman Catholic Church had in Venezuela while he was in power
General Cipriano Castro
General Cipriano Castro was the President of Venezuela from 1899-1908. He marched on the Venezuelan province of Tachira along with Generals Segundo Prato, Macabeo Malonado and Carlos Rangel Garbiras. They defeated government forces and took control of the region. Cipriano Castro then became the governor of Tachria, emerging as a prominent figure in national politics until the Caracas Government was overthrown and he was exiled to Columbia. While in Columbia he amassed great wealth and recruited a private army. His small private army grew into a strong national army. In 1899 he marched on Caracas and made himself supreame military commander. Castro's rule was disrupted by many rebellions. In 1908 he left the country to seek medical treatment in Paris, leaving the Venezuela in the hands of his vice-president Juan Gomez. (See Below) Gomez seized power for himself and General Cipriano Castro spent the rest of his life in exile, plotting his return to power. He died in 1924 in Puerto Rico.
General Vicente Gomez
Juan Vicente Gomez was a military general and the ruler of Venezuela from 1908 to 1935. He was president on three occasions, and ruled as an unelected military strongman for the rest of his life until he died in 1935. Gomez was a cattle herder and a nearly full-blooded Native American. In 1899, he joined the private army of Cipriano Castro because he had a firendship with Castro. The army swept down on caracas in 1899 and established control of the country. Gomez became Castro's vice president until 1902 serving as the head of the military and was responsible for suppressing several major revolts against the government. Gomez seized power from Castro on December 19, 1908, during Castro’s medical treatment in Europe. Gomez managed to deflate Venezuela's stunning debt by granting concessions to foreign oil companies after the discovery of petroleum in Lake Maracaibo. Attacking the debt, won him the support of the United States and Europe along with economic stability. Gomez used the money to launch an extensive public works program, but also received generous kickbacks which increased his personal fortune tremendously.
On April 19, 1914, Gomez apparently stepped down from office in favor of president Victoriano Marques Bustillos. Gomez continued to rule the country from his home in Maracay. He returned to office in 1922 and ruled until 1929. Although he was re-elected to a new term of office by Congress, he declined the return to the capital. Juan Bautista Perez assumed the presidency, even though Gomez remained the final authority in the country. In June 1931, Congress forced Perez to resign, and elected Gomez to his third term as president. Gomez ruled Venezuela in a controversial period in the country's history. He became the richest person in the country, especially after the discovery of oil. He used that wealth to develop modern buildings.
Romulo Betancourt
Romulo Betancourt is a political activist and former president of Venezuela. Often referred to as “The Father of Venezuelan Democracy”, Betancourt was president of Venezuela from 1945 to 1948 and also from 1959 to 1964. In addition to his terms as president, Betancourt also served as leader of Accion Democratica, Venezuela’s dominant political party during most of the 20th century. As a young man, Betancourt was expelled from Venezuela for being seen as too radical. As a result of his expulsion, Betancourt moved to Costa Rica, where he founded multiple radical communist student groups. At age 22, Betancourt became leader of the Costa Rican Communist Party. In later years, Betancourt became president of Venezuela in 1945 as a result of coup d’etat in the country. While in office, Betancourt established universal suffrage, many social reforms, and secured half of profits generated by oil sales. Perhaps Betancourt’s most well known contribution was his nationalization of Venezuela’s massive oil industry, utilizing Venezuela’s natural resources to help the country become more self-sufficient. During this movement, Betancourt’s government was responsible for the founding of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which remains in existence today. In 1948, Betancourt was overthrown and forced into exile in New York City. During his time in exile, Betancourt planned an extensive political return based around democratic principles; a controversial idea at the time in Venezuela. About a decade later, Betancourt was reelected president of Venezuela. In addition to his significant impact on Venezuelan government, Betancourt was a great aide to U.S. President Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis.