Misael Morales

Andrea Rusic

Pedro Rojas

DECADE OF DICTATORSHIP

A DECADE OF DICTATORSHIP

• After president Romulo Gallegos left office, a period of social and political repression started

• This finally ended in January 23, 1958 when a Military Junta was establish through a coup.

• The junta was formed by Carlos Delgado Chalbaud, Marcos Perez Jimenez, Luis Felipe Llovera Paez.

• Two years later, Delgado Chalbaud was killed

• After that, a Junta de Gobierno was reestablished with German Suarez Flamerich, a normal civilian and lawyer, as president of the country.

A DECADE OF DICTATORSHIP

• In 1950 elections were done. The participating parties were URD and COPEI

• (Accion Democratica and Partido Socialista de Venezuela didn’t participate)

• URD won, but the militaries of COPEI didn’t recognize the results and put Carlos Perez Jimenez as provisional president

• Eventually, he started a dictorial rule

• During this period, human rights and legal ordainments were violated, there was ne freedom of speech, most of the media was censured greatly, syndicates were eliminated, and high chiefs of political organizations were jailed

MILITARY JUNTA (1948-1950)

• A military group called Union Patriotica Militar, leaded by Delgado Chalbaud, Perez Jimenez, and Llovera Paez, took over Romulo Gallegos’ government on November 24, 1948

• Some medinistas helped the junta, while COPEI and URD stayed neutral

• Jovito Villalba and Rafael Caldera made a movement in order to make the National Assembly elect the president instead of a democratic vote

• However, these elections were suspended due to the death of Delgado Chalbaud

MILITARY JUNTA (1948-1950)

• Some measures taken were:

• Suspension of Gallegos’ guarantees

• Deporting the ex-president and all his allies

• Illegalization of AD and detention of its leaders

• Dissolution of the National Congress, Municipal Councils, Legislative Assembly of the states, and the syndicates

• Reestablishment of diplomatic relations with dictorial governments like Spain, Nicaragua, and Dominican Republic

• The junta also closed several newspapers

• illegalized the PCV (Partido Comunista de Venezuela).

• Shut down oil syndicates that did the “paros”

• Stopped student protest

DELGADO CHALBAUD’S DEATH

• November 13, 1950: an armed group under the command of Rafael Simon Urnbina kidnapped Delgado Chalbaud right outside his house. That same day they killed him in a lonely street in Caracas

• That same day, Urbina, who was hiding in the Nicaraguan embassy, was killed by the National Security.

• Investigations were done, and they came to the conclusion that Perez Jimenez was the one who planned the assassination.

MILITARY JUNTA

• During its time, the Junta created:

• National Sports Institute

• National Agrarian Institute

• Institute of Social Prevision of the National Armed Forces

• Institute of Social Prevision and Social Assistance for the personnel of the education ministry

• Insurance of the Elderly and the Handicapped

• National Institute of Nutrition

(all this shows how Delgado Chalbaud worked for social protection and security)

THE NEW MILITARY JUNTA (1950-1952)

• November 27, 1950: after lots of discussions, the high ranked military named German Suarez Flamerich as the president of the Junta

• They still kept Perez Jimenez and Luis Felipe Llovera Paez in their respective positions

THE NEW MILITARY JUNTA (1950-1952)

• The new Military Junta intensified the political repression

• 446 politicians were detained and sent to Guasina Jail, making it kind of like a concentration camp

• New jails were made. Political fighter were killed in the streets

• The Ministry of Mines and Hydrocarbons was made December 30, 1950, along with the Bank of Regional Foment of Los Andes and the National Institute of Canalizations

• A hydroelectric plant was constructed were the Orinoco and Caroni Rivers met

• Roads, highways, avenues, and popular houses were built.

• After a year in government, Suarez Flamerich announced the legalization of national elections in order to return to legal democracy

ELECTORAL FRAUD OF NOVEMBER 30, 1952

• Despite the political repression, the electoral campaign carried out pretty normally

• URD and Copei (opposition) vs. Frente Electoral Independiente (government)

• AD abstained and PCV called to vote for legal opposition

• The noon on November 30, 1952, the word spread that the URD won the elections

• Opposition won the majority of the congress and deputies, and Jovito Villalba (the party’s leader) was to chose the next president

ELECTORAL FRAUD OF NOVEMBER 30, 1952

• However, the Junta suspended the counting of the votes and altered the result to make the FEI win.

• Some URD leaders were detained and the Junta ordered Villalba to leave the country

• December 2, 1952: the high militaries chose Marcos Perez Jimenez to become the provisional president after the unfair elections of November 30

PEREZJIMENISM

• April 19, 1953: Marcos Perez Jimenez gave a speech in which he announce his New National Ideals, which were influenced by militarism, the new national defense, and geopolitics

NEW NATIONAL IDEALS• Militarism:

• The militaries were to play a big role in the politics of the country.

• National Defense:

• The state should be able to jump in and intervene in the production and development of the riches and industries along with the social development

• Geopolitics:

• The US helped Venezuela achieve its goal of becoming a honorable and highly developed country of the Americas

REPRESSION AND CORRUPTION

• During the Perezjimenism, the radio and press were censured

• Syndicates were closed and their leaders jailed

• Inhumane jails reopened (like Guasina), where opposition leaders were jailed and tortured

• The National Security (political police of Perezjimenism) arrested without reasons, tortured, and killed the detainees.

• Many of these resources were used to execute social and urban plans

REPRESSION AND CORRUPTION

• Many high functionaries of the government took the money for their pocket

• The acts of corruption favored people and businesses that were closely linked to the government. Many of them put their money in international banks.

• His regime was supervised by Laureano Vallenila Lanz and Pedro Estrada, the chief of the police

GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND WORKS

• Military:

• army officials’ lives became better

• Armed Forces became more professional and specialized

• Acquired new modern war equipment and materials

• Oil:

• 1951 Korean War and 1956 closing of the Suez Canal made the oil prices and exports increase

• New oil companies came in and were granted over 800,000 additional hectares for exploration and exploitation

• With the incomes, the Instituto Venezolano de Petroquimica was created.

GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND WORKS• Industrial:

• A new policy was implemented. It stated that there should not be much imports on a good or product that was produced sufficiently in the country.

• Investments were done in national and international grounds

• The motto “compre venezolano” spread

• Venezuelan Iron and Steel Institute was established. It brought in Italian companies like Fiat and Innocenti. They worked on the iron industry in mines in Bolivar state and satisfied the national demand and exported the spare steel and iron.

GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND WORKS

• Housing:

• In Caracas, a plan was done to eliminate the “ranchos” and give decent houses to the lower classes

• Over 60,000 people now live in different blocks of housings

• Construction:

• The Carretera Panamericana and autopista Caracas-La Guaira

• Teleferico del Avila and Guarico Dam,

• Ciudad Universitaria and Hospital Clinico

• Ciudad Vacacional Los Caracas and Turen Agricultural Colony

• Several hotels, avenues, and military circles/clubs

GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND WORKS

• Exterior:

• In a meeting of all American presidents in Panama (1956), Venezuela proposed that the countries deposited money and kept in safe for when it was really needed in any country of the continents. However, this did not carry through because of the lack of support

• The National Corporation of Hotels was created in order to attract more foreign tourists

• In 1952, Venezuela was invaded by Colombia in Los Monjes. Perez Jimenez ordered and intense mobilization of troops and the navy.

• He then placed a complain against Colombia, and they eventually stepped back and let Venezuela have their land