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Venezuela


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Topics | Themes | Questions | Bibliography

A Bolivarian Republic

Venezuela is above all a Caribbean country. Unlike the Andean capital of neighboring Colombia, Venezuela's capital city, Caracas, is near the Caribbean, as are its historically important agricultural regions. Most Venezuelan accents have a Caribbean sound, not too distant from that of Colombia's neighboring Caribbean coast. African descent is as common in Venezuela as on other Caribbean shores. Like Cuba, Central America, and the Dominican Republic, not to mention Puerto Rico, Venezuela's cityscapes demonstrate the powerful cultural and economic impact of the United States. The traditional Spanish layout of colonial Caracas has virtually disappeared under a U.S.-style freeway system. As on other Caribbean shores, baseball takes precedence over soccer for Venezuelan sports fans too.

Venezuela has other faces as well. The last, comparatively low ridges of the Andes give the country its own Andean region bordering Colombia. As in Colombia, coffee has been this region's greatest cash crop. And the interior llanos, sprawling flood plains of the great Orinoco river, constitute a third region of historical importance. It was here that Simón Bolívar formed one of the great armies of the struggle for Latin American independence. Venezuela's llanos are continued in Colombia, another commonality between the two countries. Yet, there are tensions between these neighbors with much in common. For example, Venezuela's oil-driven prosperity has long attracted immigrants from Colombia seeking a better life, and some enter Venezuela without the stipulated visa, creating immigration issues similar to those between Mexico and the United States.


Topics:
The Liberators and Their Legacy
African Background
Coffee


Themes:
Race (Key Theme)


Questions for Analysis and Further Reflection:

  1. What role did the llaneros—the cowboys of the llanos—play in the wars of independence, and how did Bolívar inspire them to side with the patriots?


  2. How has the current president Hugo Chávez made use of Bolívar's legacy, promoting Venezuela as the Bolivarian republic, capitalizing on the Liberator's actions there, in order to stimulate support for his policies? Put differently, how has ChÁvez made use of Venezuelan history?

Country Bibliography: (Titles with ** are good starting places.)

Lieuwen, Edwin. Venezuela. London: Oxford University Press, 1961.

This older survey of Venezuela is not the most complete, but it is succinct and very reader-friendly. In fact, Lieuwen recounts Venezuelan history from the colonial era up to the mid twentieth century in two chapters (roughly eighty pages), one of which deals solely with the twentieth century. It would be wise of undergraduates to keep in mind when the book was published, especially if they are searching to learn more about the twentieth century. Maps, a bibliography, and an index are included.

** Lombardi, John V. Venezuela: The Search for Order, the Dream of Progress. New York:
           Oxford University Press, 1982.

As part of the Oxford series of Latin American Histories, this well-balanced account is designed for the nonspecialist reader. It provides a thorough survey of Venezuelan history and will keep readers turning the pages. Lombardi is also careful to attend to more than just political and economic history, with an entire chapter on the narrative tradition in Venezuela and the theme of national identity. Numerous maps, tables, a bibliographical essay, an index, a thoroughly developed chronology, and statistical appendices complement the text.

** Morón, Guillermo. A History of Venezuela. Trans. and ed. John Street. New York: Roy
           Publishers, 1963.

Though dated, Morón's survey offers a concise introduction to Venezuelan history. It is clearly (one could say rigidly) organized, which will help readers who are eager to learn more about a particular moment in Venezuela. Undergraduate readers interested in colonial, nineteenth-century, and early-twentieth-century Venezuela history will find this historical overview useful. Those looking for more on contemporary Venezuela, especially since the mid twentieth century, would do best to consult Lombardi. Maps, numerous illustrations, a bibliography, and an index are included.


Maps:
Map of Venezuela