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123-404: José Antonio Páez Herrera ( Spanish pronunciation: [xoˈse anˈtonjo ˈpaes eˈreɾa] ; 13 June 1790 – 6 May 1873) was a Venezuelan politician and military officer who served as the president of Venezuela three times. The first as the 5th president from 1830 to 1835, the second as the 8th president from 1839 to 1843, and the third as the 15th president from 1861 to 1863. He fought against

246-429: A recession , and in 2015, had the world's highest inflation, surpassing 100%. In 2017, Donald Trump 's administration imposed more economic sanctions against PDVSA and Venezuelan officials. Economic problems, as well as crime, were the causes of the 2014–present Venezuelan protests . Since 2014, roughly 5.6 million people have fled Venezuela . In January 2016, Maduro decreed an "economic emergency", revealing

369-561: A 1999 constituent assembly to write a new Constitution. The Revolution refers to a left-wing populism social movement and political process led by Chávez, who founded the Fifth Republic Movement in 1997 and the United Socialist Party of Venezuela in 2007. The "Bolivarian Revolution" is named after Simón Bolívar . According to Chávez and other supporters, the "Bolivarian Revolution" sought to build

492-546: A British population of 25 million. After a quarter-century of Continental wars—both the wars against Revolutionary France and the Napoleonic Wars —these men had no other employment history or trade and, therefore, often found themselves in poverty. South America's wars of independence from Spain provided many of them with an opportunity to continue their military careers and escape from the prospect of inactivity and poverty at home. Many Britons were still concerned by

615-651: A cavalry attack defeating naval forces. Páez was soon ordered to go back to the western plains, where he took from the Spanish the city of San Fernando in Apure . Páez won all of six major battles that he led by himself, the most celebrated one being the Battle of Las Queseras del Medio . Late in 1820, an armistice had been signed with the Spanish commander and a temporary suspension of hostilities had taken place. However, ongoing developments were making difficult to maintain

738-419: A clean slate and his political rights reinstated, allowing Chávez to win and maintain the presidency continuously from 1999 until his death in 2013. Chávez won the elections of 1998, 2000, 2006 and 2012 and the presidential referendum of 2004. A collapse in confidence in the existing parties led to Hugo Chávez being elected president in 1998 and the subsequent launch of a "Bolivarian Revolution", beginning with

861-622: A crime against the state. Páez welcomed Bolívar and accepted his authority, and Bolívar named him Supreme Civil and Military Commander of Venezuela. This action confused and disappointed both Santander in Bogotá and the few local officials in Venezuela who had not supported the La Cosiata. They were removed or transferred to other posts while those who had backed Páez remained or were promoted. Until La Cosiata, Páez had been mostly respected as

984-620: A heavy dependence on agricultural exports. It prompted a boom that lasted into the 1980s; by 1935, Venezuela's per capita gross domestic product was Latin America's highest. Gómez benefited handsomely from this, as corruption thrived, but at the same time, the new source of income helped him centralize the state and develop its authority. Gómez remained the most powerful man in Venezuela until his death in 1935. The gomecista dictatorship (1935–1945) system largely continued under Eleazar López Contreras , but from 1941, under Isaías Medina Angarita ,

1107-603: A large expeditionary force to come under general Pablo Morillo , with the goal to regain the lost territory in Venezuela and New Granada. As the war reached a stalemate on 1817, Bolívar reestablished the Third Republic of Venezuela on the territory still controlled by the patriots, mainly in the Guayana and Llanos regions. This republic was short-lived as only two years later, during the Congress of Angostura of 1819,

1230-462: A large quantity of fresh water being inside and in such close proximity to salt water; the very mild temperateness also corroborates this; and if the water of which I speak does not proceed from Paradise then it is an even greater marvel, because I do not believe such a large and deep river has ever been known to exist in this world. Spain's colonization of mainland Venezuela started in 1522, establishing its first permanent South American settlement in

1353-507: A living by trading cattle. Late in 1810, he joined a cavalry squadron, led by a former employer, set up with the purpose of fighting the colonial government. In 1813, he asked for leave from his squadron with the intent of setting and leading his own, which he did, joining the Western Republican Army with the rank of sergeant. Páez had an ingratiating personality which made him very much liked amongst those who knew him. He

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1476-706: A longstanding dispute with Great Britain about the Essequibo territory, which Britain claimed as part of British Guiana and Venezuela saw as Venezuelan territory, erupted into the Venezuela Crisis of 1895 . The dispute became a diplomatic crisis when Venezuela's lobbyist, William L. Scruggs , sought to argue that British behavior over the issue violated the United States ' Monroe Doctrine of 1823, and used his influence in Washington, D.C., to pursue

1599-566: A mass movement to implement Bolivarianism — popular democracy , economic independence, equitable distribution of revenues, and an end to political corruption. They interpret Bolívar's ideas from a populist perspective, using socialist rhetoric. This led to formation of the Fifth Republic of Venezuela , commonly known as the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , that continues to the present day. Venezuela has been considered

1722-486: A mechanism of political innovation. Venezuela decentralized its political system and diversified its economy, reducing the size of the state. COPRE operated as an innovation mechanism, also by incorporating issues into the political agenda, that were excluded from public deliberation by the main actors of the democratic system. The most discussed topics were incorporated into the public agenda: decentralization, political participation, municipalization, judicial order reforms and

1845-514: A militia regiment near London and who had sailed with Hippisley's expedition, returned to London to recruit. Amongst his recruits were some 110 Hanoverians, who were commanded by John Uslar who saw action at Waterloo with the King's German Legion . In June 1819 Elsom arrived at the mouth of the Orinoco with the first wave of British troops. They numbered some 2,200 men equipped and uniformed, under

1968-551: A pivotal role however in the Battle of Vargas Swamp on July 25. During this action Bolivar found himself in a difficult position; the left flank of the Patriot army was outflanked and withdrew in disorder. Rooke then led the 2nd Rifles against the Spanish positions on the hills. A ferocious bayonet charge regained the positions for the Patriots. Rooke fell mortally wounded while Sandes was also wounded twice. Despite heavy casualties

2091-607: A place where they would be able to continue to earn a living. About 7,000 British men had volunteered and only about one third of these men had previous military experience. The others were restless, idealistic young men who were too young to participate in the Napoleonic wars and saw joining as a "culture of adventure." From May 1817, the British volunteers were mainly recruited in London by Bolivar's agent, Luis Lopez Mendez with

2214-464: A report documented enforced disappearances that occurred in 2018–19. 724 enforced disappearances of political detainees were reported. The report stated that security forces subjected victims to torture . The report stated the government used enforced disappearances to silence opponents and other critical voices. Maduro ran for a third consecutive term in the 2024 presidential election , while former diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia represented

2337-467: A result of demonstrations by poor Chávez supporters and actions by the military. Chávez remained in power after an all-out national strike that lasted from December 2002 to February 2003 , including a strike/lockout in the state oil company PDVSA . Capital flight before and during the strike led to the reimposition of currency controls . In the subsequent decade, the government was forced into currency devaluations. These devaluations did not improve

2460-400: A result of his military successes during the war. From that time, 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. Páez came out from La Cosiata with more power than he had before. In 1830, Páez declared Venezuela independent from Gran Colombia and became president. Although he was not

2583-403: A result, the center of power of the executive branch was in Bogotá under the leadership of Vice President Francisco de Paula Santander , from New Granada (modern-day Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama ). While some leaders saw Gran Colombia as only a military necessity, others considered it an active administrative entity. Confusion arose between the central government in Bogotá and the provinces and

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2706-498: Is entirely located in the tropics over the Equator to around 12° N. Its climate varies from humid low-elevation plains, where average annual temperatures range as high as 35 °C (95.0 °F), to glaciers and highlands (the páramos ) with an average yearly temperature of 8 °C (46.4 °F). Annual rainfall varies from 430 mm (16.9 in) in the semiarid portions of the northwest to over 1,000 mm (39.4 in) in

2829-461: The 1947 Venezuelan presidential election (the first free and fair elections in Venezuela). Gallegos governed until overthrown by a military junta led by the triumvirate Luis Felipe Llovera Páez  [ es ] , Marcos Pérez Jiménez , and Gallegos' Defense Minister, Carlos Delgado Chalbaud , in the 1948 Venezuelan coup d'état . The most powerful man in the military junta (1948–58)

2952-589: The 1968 election for COPEI, the first time a party other than Democratic Action took the presidency through a democratic election. The new democratic order had its antagonists. Betancourt suffered an attack planned by the Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo in 1960, and the leftists excluded from the Pact initiated an insurgency by organizing themselves into the Armed Forces of National Liberation, sponsored by

3075-702: The 2018 election with 68% of the vote. The result was challenged by Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, France and the US who deemed it fraudulent and recognized Juan Guaidó as president. Other countries continued to recognize Maduro, although China, facing financial pressure over its position, began hedging by decreasing loans, cancelling joint ventures, and signaling willingness to work with all parties. In August 2019, Trump imposed an economic embargo against Venezuela. In March 2020, Trump indicted Maduro and Venezuelan officials, on charges of drug trafficking, narcoterrorism , and corruption. In June 2020,

3198-595: The Battle of Junin in August and the Battle of Ayacucho in December which marked the end of Spanish rule in South America. The British Legions fought until the end of the wars, their number much depleted. Many of the survivors settled in the new states that they helped to create. For a long time they were largely forgotten to history. In the overall strategy British pressure by use of their navy and diplomacy

3321-543: The Battle of Pichincha . The battle could have turned into a rout if the British and Irish troops had not thwarted a dangerous flank attack by the veteran Spanish Aragón battalion. The victory at Pichincha for the Patriot army secured independence for Ecuador . They took part in the last major campaign of the Independence wars in Peru during 1824; British volunteers, including the 1st Rifles under Sandes, were present at

3444-766: The Caracas Cathedral . In 1847 President José Tadeo Monagas , who was put into power by Páez, dispersed the Congress and proclaimed himself dictator. Páez led a rebellion against him but was defeated by General Santiago Mariño in the 'Battle of the Araguatos', imprisoned, and eventually exiled. Páez was exiled from the country in 1850 and did not return until 1858. In 1861, Páez returned to power as president and supreme dictator, but ruled for only two years before again returning to exile. During this period, Erastus D. Culver , an attorney and judge from New York,

3567-537: The Caribbean Sea . It comprises an area of 916,445 km (353,841 sq mi), and its population was estimated at 29 million in 2022. The capital and largest urban agglomeration is the city of Caracas . The continental territory is bordered on the north by the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean , on the west by Colombia , Brazil on the south, Trinidad and Tobago to the north-east and on

3690-594: The Essequibo area and with Colombia concerning the Gulf of Venezuela . In 1895, after years of diplomatic attempts to solve the border dispute, the dispute over the Essequibo River border flared up. It was submitted to a "neutral" commission (composed of British, American, and Russian representatives and without a direct Venezuelan representative), which in 1899 decided mostly against Venezuela's claim. Venezuela

3813-717: The Indigenous inhabitants . Native caciques (leaders) such as Guaicaipuro ( c.  1530–1568 ) and Tamanaco (died 1573) attempted to resist Spanish incursions, but the newcomers ultimately subdued them. In the 16th century, during the Spanish colonization, indigenous peoples such as the Mariches , themselves descendants of the Kalina, were converted to Roman Catholicism . Some resisting tribes or leaders are commemorated in place names, including Caracas, Chacao and Los Teques . The early colonial settlements focused on

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3936-631: The Maracaibo lowlands in the northwest, the northern mountains extending in a broad east–west arc from the Colombian border along the northern Caribbean coast, the wide plains in central Venezuela, and the Guiana Highlands in the southeast. The northern mountains are the extreme northeastern extensions of South America's Andes mountain range. Pico Bolívar , the nation's highest point at 4,979 m (16,335 ft), lies in this region. To

4059-570: The Plains of Apure towards the end of 1818 but saw no serious action until March 19, 1819, in a skirmish in the woods of Gamarra. They would soon become an important part of Bolívar's army to liberate the Viceroyalty of New Granada . They had to endure the secretive and brutal crossing of the Andes from May to June during which the Patriot army suffered greatly including the British. They played

4182-702: The Spanish Crown for Simón Bolívar during the Venezuelan War of Independence . Páez later led Venezuela's independence from Gran Colombia . Páez dominated the country's politics for most of the next three decades once the country had achieved independence from Gran Colombia, serving either as president or as the power behind puppet presidents. He is considered a prime example of a 19th-century South American caudillo . He lived in Buenos Aires and New York City during his years in exile and died in

4305-506: The Unitary Platform ( Spanish : Plataforma Unitaria Democrática ; PUD), the main opposition political alliance. Polls conducted before the election indicated that González would win by a wide margin. After the government-controlled National Electoral Council (CNE) announced partial results showing a narrow Maduro victory on 29 July, world leaders predominantly expressed skepticism of the claimed results and did not recognize

4428-698: The Venezuela Crisis of 1902–1903 , in which Britain, Germany and Italy imposed a naval blockade before international arbitration at the new Permanent Court of Arbitration was agreed. In 1908, another dispute broke out with the Netherlands, which was resolved when Castro left for medical treatment in Germany and was promptly overthrown by Juan Vicente Gómez (1908–35). The discovery of massive oil deposits in Lake Maracaibo during World War I proved pivotal for Venezuela and transformed its economy from

4551-480: The aftermath of the announcement of results by the election authorities, protests broke out across the country . Venezuela is located in the north of South America; geologically, its mainland rests on the South American Plate . It has a total area of 916,445 km (353,841 sq mi) and a land area of 882,050 km (340,560 sq mi), making Venezuela the 33rd largest country in

4674-513: The arepa , a staple in Venezuelan cuisine . After the conquest, the population dropped markedly, mainly through the spread of infectious diseases from Europe. Two main north–south axes of pre-Columbian population were present, who cultivated maize in the west and manioc in the east. Large parts of the llanos were cultivated through a combination of slash and burn and permanent settled agriculture. In 1498, during his third voyage to

4797-609: The arts in Venezuela and the United States . It is named in honor of José Antonio Páez , leader of the Independence of Venezuela , who lived in exile the last years in New York , where he became a philanthropist. Venezuela Venezuela , officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a country on the northern coast of South America , consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in

4920-409: The 1860s as a golden era in Venezuela's history, in contrast to previous and future dictatorships. But, the constitution was supported by Páez, a military caudillo, and the rule by law was dependent on his personal prestige. Paez generally respected the law and was not interested in personal gain, as demonstrated by the common conditions in which he lived. Between 1830 and 1848 under the power of Páez and

5043-599: The Americas, Christopher Columbus sailed near the Orinoco Delta and landed in the Gulf of Paria . Amazed by the great offshore current of freshwater which deflected his course eastward, Columbus expressed in a letter to Isabella and Ferdinand that he must have reached Heaven on Earth (terrestrial paradise): Great signs are these of the Terrestrial Paradise... for I have never read or heard of such

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5166-476: The Bolivarian Republic following the adoption of the new Constitution of 1999 . Following Chávez's election, Venezuela developed into a dominant-party system , dominated by the United Socialist Party of Venezuela . In April 2002, Chávez was briefly ousted from power in the 2002 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt following popular demonstrations by his opponents, but Chavez returned after two days as

5289-406: The British troops distinguished themselves. At the Battle of Boyacá on August 7, 1819, Sandes' Rifles Battalion led a bayonet charge on the royalist artillery which turned the tide of the battle. After the triumphal entry into Santa Fe de Bogota Bolivar credited them with the victory saying "those soldier-liberators are the men who deserve these laurels" They were awarded with the ' Order of

5412-558: The CNE claims with only some exceptions. Both González and Maduro proclaimed themselves winners of the election. The results of the election were not recognized by the Carter Center and Organization of American States due to the lack of granular results, and disputed by the opposition, which claimed a landslide victory and released access to vote tallies collected by poll watchers from a majority of polling centers as proof. In

5535-680: The Communist Party and Fidel Castro . In 1962 they tried to destabilize the military corps, with failed revolts. Betancourt promoted a foreign policy, the Betancourt Doctrine , in which he only recognized elected governments by popular vote. The 1973 Venezuelan presidential election of Carlos Andrés Pérez coincided with an oil crisis , in which Venezuela's income exploded as oil prices soared; oil industries were nationalized in 1976. This led to massive increases in public spending, but also increases in external debts, until

5658-525: The Granadian army; leading it, he liberated several countries and founded the Republic of Colombia ( Gran Colombia ). Sucre went on to liberate Ecuador and become the second president of Bolivia . Venezuela remained part of Gran Colombia until 1830, when a rebellion led by José Antonio Páez allowed the proclamation of a newly independent Venezuela, on 22 September; Páez became the first president of

5781-470: The Liberator ' one of the rare occasions during the war when this decoration was bestowed onto an entire unit. At the victory of Carabobo the legion troops were led by Colonel Thomas Ilderton Ferrier. They fought in the battle as part of the 1st Division, led by General Jose Antonio Paez . They defended strategically important hills while being greatly outnumbered and low on supplies; their heroic stand

5904-550: The Orinoco Delta of the far east and the Amazonian Jungle in the south. The precipitation level is lower in the period from August through April. These periods are referred to as hot-humid and cold-dry seasons. Another characteristic of the climate is this variation throughout the country by the existence of a mountain range called "Cordillera de la Costa" which crosses the country from east to west. The majority of

6027-869: The Spanish conquest; it has been estimated at one million. In addition to Indigenous peoples known today, the population included groups such as the Kalina (Caribs), Auaké , Caquetio , Mariche , and Timoto–Cuicas . The Timoto–Cuica culture was the most complex society in Pre-Columbian Venezuela, with pre-planned permanent villages, surrounded by irrigated, terraced fields. Their houses were made of stone and wood with thatched roofs. They were peaceful and depended on growing crops. Regional crops included potatoes and ullucos . They left behind art, particularly anthropomorphic ceramics, but no major monuments. They spun vegetable fibers to weave into textiles and mats for housing. They are credited with having invented

6150-510: The Spanish out of Peru and Ecuador. They marched over the mountains again this time to a land of high volcanoes where they managed to force the Spanish to withdraw at the Battle of Bomboná on April 7, 1822. The following month the Legions assisted Sucre's army and marched higher still to Quito standing at 9,300 feet in the mountains. There on 24 May 1822, they fought on the flanks of a volcano at

6273-677: The Vespucci and Ojeda crew, gave a different account. In his work Summa de geografía , he states that the crew found Indigenous peoples who called themselves the Veneciuela. Thus, the name "Venezuela" may have evolved from the native word. Previously, the official name was Estado de Venezuela (1830–1856), República de Venezuela (1856–1864), Estados Unidos de Venezuela (1864–1953), and again República de Venezuela (1953–1999). Evidence exists of human habitation in

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6396-462: The Welsers the right to explore, rule and colonize the territory, as well as to seek the mythical golden town of El Dorado . The first expedition was led by Ambrosius Ehinger , who established Maracaibo in 1529. After the deaths of first Ehinger (1533), then Nikolaus Federmann , and Georg von Speyer (1540), Philipp von Hutten persisted in exploring the interior. In absence of von Hutten from

6519-481: The area now known as Venezuela from about 15,000 years ago. Tools have been found on the high riverine terraces of the Rio Pedregal in western Venezuela. Late Pleistocene hunting artifacts, including spear tips, have been found at a similar series of sites in northwestern Venezuela; according to radiocarbon dating , these date from 13,000 to 7,000 BC. It is unknown how many people lived in Venezuela before

6642-491: The armistice and, consequently, it was agreed it would lapse on 28 April 1821. All five major fighting groups of the Venezuelan army were to start moving towards a central area. Some with the purpose of joining together in one single group and others with the intention of guarding the approach to that region to prevent royalists units from other far away areas from converging and reinforcing the main Spanish army stationed in

6765-557: The battle. The Foreign Enlistment Act 1819 was passed to uphold British neutrality in the Spanish American wars of independence and made it a crime punishable by fines and imprisonment for British subjects to serve in foreign militaries. The 1819 act was almost never enforced. With the independence of Colombia and Venezuela secured, Bolivar and his patriot army along with the British Legions moved South to drive

6888-636: The bipartisanship governments, used the growing anger at economic austerity measures to justify a coup attempt in February 1992 ; a second coup d'état attempt occurred in November . President Carlos Andrés Pérez (re-elected in 1988) was impeached under embezzlement charges in 1993, leading to the interim presidency of Ramón José Velásquez (1993–1994). Coup leader Chávez was pardoned in March 1994 by president Rafael Caldera (1994–1999, his second term), with

7011-550: The campaign of the Venezuelan Llanos in 1818 and fought at the battles of El Sombrero, La Puerta, Ortiz , Rincón de los Toros and Calabozo . These first recruits from Britain made a good impression on Bolivar who was anxious to secure the services of more British volunteers. In March 1819, Bolivar combined most of his foreign volunteers into a brigade of 250 men named the British Legions, with James Rooke as commander. George Elsom, who had formerly been an ensign with

7134-530: The capital of the province, the crown of Spain claimed the right to appoint a governor. On Hutten's return to the capital, Santa Ana de Coro , in 1546, the Spanish governor Juan de Carvajal had Hutten and Bartholomeus VI. Welser executed. Subsequently, Charles V revoked Welser's concession. The Welsers transported German miners to the colony, in addition to 4,000 African slaves to plant sugar cane plantations. Many German colonists died from tropical diseases, to which they had no immunity , or through wars with

7257-507: The central government. While all this was happening, Páez wrote to Bolívar, asking him to come back to take charge and solve the imbroglio. While Páez and his supporters were willing to have Bolívar as supreme leader, they were reluctant to follow Santander. While they wanted changes to be made to the constitution, they initially wanted to do it under Bolívar as part of the Gran Colombia. Bolívar, finally returned from his campaigns in

7380-518: The collapse of oil prices during the 1980s crippled the economy. As the government started to devalue the currency in 1983 to face its financial obligations, standards of living fell dramatically. Failed economic policies and increasing corruption in government led to rising poverty and crime, worsening social indicators, and increased political instability. In the 1980s, the Presidential Commission for State Reform (COPRE) emerged as

7503-452: The colonial government. His mother Maria Violante Herrera is said she was born in Quíbor , Lara as 1 of the descendants of Welser German settlers. She had a nickname "La Catira de los ojos azules" (The blue-eyed blonde [The term "catira" is a feminine form of "catire", a Venezuelan slang of "blond."]) As a boy he was forced to work like a slave. By the age of 20 Páez was married and earning

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7626-526: The command of Captain George Gibson and twenty officers. This Second British Legion' as it became known consisted of the 1st British Legion led by Colonel James Towers English , the 2nd British Legion led by Colonel John Blossett , and the Irish Legion, led by Colonel William Aylmer (1772–1820). The Legion adopted the motto Morir o vencer (Die or Conquer), as well as an anthem, composed to

7749-419: The early 18th century, and was then reorganized as an autonomous Captaincy General starting in 1777. Caracas, founded in the central coastal region in 1567, was well-placed to become a key location, being near the coastal port of La Guaira and in a valley, in a mountain range, providing defensive strength against pirates and a more fertile and healthy climate. After unsuccessful uprisings, Venezuela, under

7872-413: The early years of the regime. However, poverty began to rapidly increase in the 2010s. The 2013 Venezuelan presidential election was widely disputed leading to widespread protest , which triggered another nationwide crisis that continues to this day. Venezuela has experienced democratic backsliding , shifting into an authoritarian state . It ranks low in international measurements of freedom of

7995-458: The east by Guyana . Venezuela is a presidential republic consisting of 23 states , the Capital District and federal dependencies covering Venezuela's offshore islands. Venezuela is among the most urbanized countries in Latin America; the vast majority of Venezuelans live in the cities of the north and in the capital. The territory of Venezuela was colonized by Spain in 1522 amid resistance from Indigenous peoples. In 1811, it became one of

8118-458: The enemy in the center. On seeing Páez's men move, the Spanish commander, Miguel de la Torre , orders one of his elite battalions, the Burgos, to reinforce and defend the north flank. Initially, the Spanish so fiercely engage the Bravos de Apure battalion that it had to fall back on two occasions. Páez sent his Cazadores Britanicos to help the Bravos and together they fought back the Spanish, now reinforced themselves by two additional battalions. As

8241-466: The engagement in the north, on seeing how their comrades are faring, decide to disobey orders and retreat. As it becomes evident that the republicans were winning the battle, the other divisions moved forward, but by now the bulk of the work had already been done by Páez and his men. With the Battle of Carabobo , the military fate of the Spanish army in Venezuela was sealed. The victory was carried by Páez. Bolívar promoted him on site to General in Chief of

8364-400: The existing parties saw the 1998 Venezuelan presidential election , the catalyst for the Bolivarian Revolution , which began with a 1999 Constituent Assembly , where a new Constitution of Venezuela was imposed. The government's populist social welfare policies were bolstered by soaring oil prices, temporarily increasing social spending, and reducing economic inequality and poverty in

8487-581: The exportation of oil, with crude accounting for 86% of exports, and a high price per barrel to support social programs. Beginning in 2014 the price of oil plummeted from over $ 100 to $ 40. This placed pressure on the economy, which was no longer able to afford vast social programs. The Government began taking more money from PDVSA , the state oil company, resulting in a lack of reinvestment in fields and employees. Production decreased from its height of nearly 3 to 1 million barrels (480 to 160 thousand cubic metres ) per day. In 2014, Venezuela entered

8610-455: The extent of the crisis and expanding his powers. In July 2016, Colombian border crossings were temporarily opened to allow Venezuelans to purchase food and basic health items. In September 2016, a study indicated 15% of Venezuelans were eating " food waste discarded by commercial establishments". 200 prison riots had occurred by October 2016. The Maduro-aligned Supreme Tribunal , which had been overturning National Assembly decisions since

8733-414: The fighting in the plains while Simón Bolívar was busy with the eastern part of the country. Early in 1818, both men met to discuss better coordination of their efforts. They briefly combined their forces to fight Pablo Morillo . This campaign included an incident wherein Páez and fifty of his men swam on horseback across the alligator-ridden Apure River , seizing fourteen enemy boats in a rare instance of

8856-446: The fighting intensified, de la Torre sent more troops to the north. Páez then sent his cavalry further north to outflank the Spanish and come down on the plain from behind. At this moment, the battle is obviously going against the Spanish, who in desperation kept sending reinforcements. In the meantime, Páez's men were gaining terrain and closing on falling Spanish from all sides. Some of the Spanish battalions supposed to join and reinforce

8979-460: The first Spanish-American territories to declare independence from the Spanish and to form part of the first federal Republic of Colombia ( Gran Colombia ). It separated as a full sovereign country in 1830. During the 19th century, Venezuela suffered political turmoil and autocracy, remaining dominated by regional military dictators until the mid-20th century. From 1958, the country had a series of democratic governments, as an exception where most of

9102-404: The first president of Venezuela (which declared its independence from Spain in 1811 and named Cristóbal Mendoza as president), he was the first head of government after the dissolution of Gran Colombia. From 1830 to 1847, Páez was the most powerful man in Venezuela. He served as president only twice during this time (1830–1835 and 1839–1842), but ruled as the power behind puppet presidents when he

9225-495: The forced recruitment of men for the army. The Congress in Bogotá, including several of the Venezuelans among it, received complaints coming from Venezuela. They alleged that Páez had not properly understood the extent of his orders and had exceeded them in his implementation. Congress decided that it alone could judge Páez for his actions, and ordered him to go to Bogotá for trial. Páez was initially willing to go. But, some of

9348-443: The incumbent government led to the collapse of Venezuela's entire economy. The country struggles with record hyperinflation , shortages of basic goods , unemployment, poverty, disease, high child mortality, malnutrition , environmental issues , severe crime and corruption. These factors have precipitated the Venezuelan refugee crisis in which more than 7.7 million people had fled the country by June 2024. By 2017, Venezuela

9471-495: The independentist forces, launched his Admirable Campaign in 1813 from New Granada , retaking most of the territory and being proclaimed as El Libertador ("The Liberator"). A Second Republic of Venezuela was proclaimed on 7 August 1813, but lasted only a few months before being crushed by royalist caudillo José Tomás Boves and his personal army of llaneros . The end of the French invasion of homeland Spain in 1814 allowed

9594-629: The largest and most important river system of the country; it originates in one of the largest watersheds in Latin America. The Caroní and the Apure are other major rivers. Venezuela borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south. Caribbean islands such as Trinidad and Tobago , Grenada , Curaçao , Aruba , and the Leeward Antilles lie near the Venezuelan coast. Venezuela has territorial disputes with Guyana, formerly United Kingdom, largely concerning

9717-590: The latter in 1873. Páez was born in Curpa (now part of Acarigua ), Portuguesa State in the Captaincy General of Venezuela  – part of the Spanish Empire . His paternal grandmother, Luisa Antonia de Mendoza y Mota, was daughter of Luís Rodríguez de Mendoza, a native of Icod de los Vinos , Tenerife ( Canary Island ). He was of humble origins, his father being a low level employee of

9840-531: The leadership of Francisco de Miranda , a Venezuelan marshal who had fought in the American and French Revolutions , declared independence as the First Republic of Venezuela on 5 July 1811. This began the Venezuelan War of Independence . A devastating 1812 Caracas earthquake , together with the rebellion of the Venezuelan llaneros , helped bring down the republic. Simón Bolívar , new leader of

9963-452: The liberated Spanish provinces into a single great country: La Gran Colombia . This was made up of present-day Colombia , Venezuela, Ecuador , and Panama . As the war against Spain came to an end, federalist and regionalist sentiments began to arise in these areas. While Bolívar was engaged in military campaigns in Peru , he was unable to carry on his duties as president of Gran Colombia. As

10086-593: The local figures who had complained of Paez's actions now felt insulted that their leader was being forced to go to Bogotá to be tried. After a few days of uncertainty and tension in the streets, the municipality of Valencia broke with Bogotá and claimed Páez as military commander. In the following days, leaders of more municipalities followed suit, including Caracas (they had been among the first to accuse him of exceeding his orders.) Other municipalities and local officials did not join in this change of opinion. In July, Santander declared Páez to be in open rebellion against

10209-790: The matter. Then, U.S. president Grover Cleveland adopted a broad interpretation of the doctrine that declared an American interest in any matter within the hemisphere. Britain ultimately accepted arbitration, but in negotiations over its terms was able to persuade the U.S. on many details. A tribunal convened in Paris in 1898 to decide the issue and in 1899 awarded the bulk of the disputed territory to British Guiana. In 1899, Cipriano Castro , assisted by his friend Juan Vicente Gómez , seized power in Caracas. Castro defaulted on Venezuela's considerable foreign debts and declined to pay compensation to foreigners caught up in Venezuela's civil wars . This led to

10332-462: The most popular and accepted version, in 1499, an expedition led by Alonso de Ojeda visited the Venezuelan coast. The stilt houses in the area of Lake Maracaibo reminded the Italian navigator, Amerigo Vespucci , of the city of Venice , Italy, so he named the region Veneziola , or "Little Venice". The Spanish version of Veneziola is Venezuela . Martín Fernández de Enciso , a member of

10455-608: The municipalities. Páez and some Venezuelan politicians became uncomfortable. In 1826, after the Congress in Santa Fe de Bogotá under Santander found a Venezuelan hero from the independence war guilty of assassinating the French Colonel Emanuel Roergas Serviez in Colombia, Páez initiated and led a movement that became known as " La Cosiata ." (This word did not exist in the Spanish language; it

10578-554: The new State of Venezuela . Between one-quarter and one-third of Venezuela's population was lost during these two decades of war (including about half the Venezuelans of European descent ), which by 1830, was estimated at 800,000. In the Flag of Venezuela , the yellow stands for land wealth, the blue for the sea that separates Venezuela from Spain, and the red for the blood shed by the heroes of independence. Slavery in Venezuela

10701-581: The northern coast, but in the mid-18th century, the Spanish pushed farther inland along the Orinoco River . Here, the Ye'kuana organized resistance in 1775–76. Spain's eastern Venezuelan settlements were incorporated into New Andalusia Province . Administered by the Royal Audiencia of Santo Domingo from the early 16th century, most of Venezuela became part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada in

10824-546: The notable exception of the Communist Party of Venezuela ), signed the Puntofijo Pact power-sharing agreement. AD and COPEI dominated the political landscape for four decades. During the presidencies of Rómulo Betancourt (1959–64, his second term) and Raúl Leoni (1964–69), substantial guerilla movements occurred. Most laid down their arms under Rafael Caldera 's first presidency (1969–74). Caldera had won

10947-433: The oligarchy, the economic power of the church was broken and its dominance destroyed. From then on, the conflict between church and state ended, unlike in other countries in Latin America. In 1842, Páez arranged to have the remains of Simón Bolívar repatriated from Santa Marta, Colombia, to the Liberator's hometown of Caracas. His funeral procession was accompanied by exuberant honors before Bolivar's remains were entombed in

11070-525: The opposition took control, took over the functions of the assembly, creating the 2017 Venezuelan constitutional crisis . In August 2017, the 2017 Constituent National Assembly was elected and stripped the National Assembly of its powers. The election raised concerns of an emerging dictatorship. In December 2017, Maduro declared opposition parties barred from the following year's presidential vote after they boycotted mayoral polls. Maduro won

11193-421: The plain of Carabobo . With the royalists well entrenched in the center and the south, on the morning of 21 June, Páez was given command of an additional cavalry regiment and ordered to take it together with his own division through the hills on the north side and into the plain and to engage the Spanish, while the 2nd division would stay behind Páez and the 3rd would remain in a defensive position waiting to engage

11316-431: The poor. Poverty began to increase into the 2010s. Nicolás Maduro was picked by Chavez as his successor, appointing him vice president in 2013. Maduro has been president of Venezuela since 14 April 2013, when he won the presidential election after Chavez' death, with 51% of the vote, against Henrique Capriles on 49%. The Democratic Unity Roundtable contested Maduro's election as fraud, but an audit of 56% of

11439-476: The poorest. Hugo Chávez's socioeconomic policies of relying on oil sales and importing goods resulted in large amounts of debt, no change to corruption in Venezuela and culminated into a crisis in Venezuela . As a result, the Venezuelan refugee crisis , the largest emigration of people in Latin America's history, occurred, with over 7 million – about 20% of the country's population – emigrating. Chávez initiated Bolivarian missions , programs aimed at helping

11562-651: The population lives in these mountains. British Legions Their greatest achievements were at the Boyacá (1819), Carabobo (1821), Pichincha (1822) and Battle of Ayacucho (1824) which secured independence for Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru from Spanish rule respectively. At the end of the Napoleonic Wars the British Empire no longer required a large standing army. In April 1817, The Times calculated that there were 500,000 ex-soldiers in

11685-643: The present-day city of Cumaná . In the 16th century, the king of Spain granted a concession to the German Welser family . Klein-Venedig became the most extensive initiative in the German colonization of the Americas from 1528 to 1546. The Welsers were bankers to the Habsburgs and financiers of Charles V , Holy Roman Emperor , who was King of Spain and had borrowed heavily from them to pay bribes for his Imperial election . In 1528, Charles V granted

11808-431: The press and civil liberties and has high levels of perceived corruption . Venezuela is a developing country having the world's largest known oil reserves and has been one of the world's leading exporters of oil . Previously, the country was an underdeveloped exporter of agricultural commodities such as coffee and cocoa, but oil quickly came to dominate exports and government revenues. The excesses and poor policies of

11931-651: The probable approval of the Duke of Wellington . The recruits were encouraged by promises of pay equivalent to the British army and by promotion to one rank above that which they had held in the army. Pay was to commence upon arrival in Venezuela and when the call was heard on the streets of London thousands began to volunteer for the expedition and soon the first five detachments were formed as follows: The soldiers used Margarita Island as their base. Conditions there were poor and some died of disease. To replace losses they recruited 100 locals into their ranks. They took part in

12054-402: The region was ruled by military dictatorships, and the period was characterized by economic prosperity. Economic shocks in the 1980s and 1990s led to major political crises and widespread social unrest, including the deadly Caracazo riots of 1989, two attempted coups in 1992 , and the impeachment of a President for embezzlement of public funds charges in 1993. The collapse in confidence in

12177-494: The republican army. In the battle, the Spanish lost over 65% of their men; the survivors took refuge in the castle of Puerto Cabello . Until it was taken by Páez and his men in 1823, this was the last Spanish stronghold in Venezuela territory. Following the Battle of Carabobo, Páez was named General Commander of the provinces of Caracas and Barinas (at the time they included the important regions of Caracas, Barquisimeto , Barinas and Apure). It had been Bolivar's dream to unite

12300-513: The role of the state in a new economic strategy. The social reality made the changes difficult to apply. Economic crises in the 1980s and 1990s led to a political crisis. Hundreds of people were killed by security forces and the military in the Caracazo riots of 1989, during the second presidential term of Carlos Andrés Pérez (1989–1993) and after the implementation of economic austerity measures. Hugo Chávez , who in 1982 had promised to depose

12423-523: The same area. In early June 1821, the 6,500 men republican army was divided and organized in three divisions. The 1st division, made up of 2,500 men, was under Páez's command and formed by two battalions: Bravos de Apure (Apure Braves) and Cazadores Britanicos (British Hunters or as more often translated to English, the British Legions ) and seven cavalry regiments. By 20 June, all three republican divisions converge from different directions in

12546-456: The same month which saw Bolivar reorganise his forces. The Rifles, reinforced by another 350 British troops who had recently arrived in South America, were then formed into two battalions. The first was to be commanded by Colonel Arthur Sandes and the second by Major John Mackintosh who would later become a military aide-de-camp to Simon Bolivar and Antonio Jose de Sucre . The British Legions after months of inactivity joined Bolivar's army on

12669-430: The situation of the people who rely on imported products or locally produced products that depend on imported inputs, while dollar-denominated oil sales account for the majority of exports. The profits of the oil industry have been lost to "social engineering" and corruption, instead of investments needed to maintain oil production. Chávez survived further political tests, including an August 2004 recall referendum . He

12792-547: The south, the dissected Guiana Highlands contain the northern fringes of the Amazon Basin and Angel Falls , the world's highest waterfall, as well as tepuis , large table-like mountains. The country's center is characterized by the llanos , which are extensive plains that stretch from the Colombian border in the far west to the Orinoco River delta in the east. The Orinoco, with its rich alluvial soils , binds

12915-444: The south, took command of the executive towards the end of 1826. He assumed the extraordinary powers granted to him by the Congress. Conflicting letters between Santander and Bolívar, and Bolívar and Páez, created a degree of uncertainty as to what he would do. He finally declared a general amnesty to all those who were involved in La Cosiata. But, he put them on notice that from then on, any disobedience of his orders would be considered

13038-508: The threat that Spain, as a restored world power, potentially posed to Britain. Despite Spain and Britain having been allies in the Peninsular War just a few years before, many Britons' image of the Spanish in the Americas was influenced by the now-disputed Black Legend . The motivations of volunteers for the British Legions varied. Volunteers were also motivated by the liberal propaganda of Simon Bolívar 's supporters that portrayed

13161-464: The tune of Ye Gentlemen of England which was continually played by the Legion's band. The uniforms were similar to those worn by the British army which had been supplied by the firm of Herring and Richardson who had also fitted out the ships. In Ireland a similar recruiting process took place. Led by John D'Evereux who enlisted 1700 men which became known as the Irish Legion. The Rifle Battalion joined

13284-404: The union of Venezuela with New Granada was decreed to form the Republic of Colombia. The war continued until full victory and sovereignty was attained after the Battle of Carabobo on 24 June 1821. On 24 July 1823, José Prudencio Padilla and Rafael Urdaneta helped seal Venezuelan independence with their victory in the Battle of Lake Maracaibo . New Granada's congress gave Bolívar control of

13407-511: The unrest between Chavistas and opposition protesters and opposition leaders, including Leopoldo López and Antonio Ledezma were arrested. Human rights groups condemned the arrest of López. In the 2015 Venezuelan parliamentary election , the opposition gained a majority. Venezuela devalued its currency in February 2013 due to rising shortages, which included milk and other necessities. This led to an increase in malnutrition, especially among children. The economy had become dependent on

13530-529: The vote showed no discrepancies, and the Supreme Court of Venezuela ruled Maduro was the legitimate president. Opposition leaders and some international media consider Maduro's government a dictatorship. Since February 2014, hundreds of thousands have protested over high levels of criminal violence, corruption, hyperinflation, and chronic scarcity of basic goods due to government policies. Demonstrations and riots have resulted in over 40 fatalities in

13653-511: The war as bringing freedom and rights to people under Spanish tyranny. For these reasons, particularly the former, the recruiting of British volunteers received tacit government support, even if in principle the British Crown discontinued its support to the insurgents after the Congress of Vienna in 1814. Mercenary interests also played a large part in motivating potential recruits, who were often unemployed, and perceived South America as

13776-472: The world . The territory it controls lies between latitudes 0° and 16°N and longitudes 59° and 74°W . Shaped roughly like a triangle, the country has a 2,800 km (1,700 mi) coastline in the north, which includes numerous islands in the Caribbean and the northeast borders the northern Atlantic Ocean. Most observers describe Venezuela in terms of four fairly well defined topographical regions:

13899-460: Was First Lady again from 1861 until 1863. Páez suffered from epilepsy , even experiencing a seizure during the Battle of Carabobo in 1821. The Paez Medal of Arts is a condecoration awarded by The Venezuelan American Endowment for the Arts (VAEA) that is presented once a year to an individual or group that has had an impact and contributed to excellence, growth, support and the proliferation of

14022-458: Was Pérez Jiménez and he was suspected of being behind the death of Chalbaud, who died in a bungled kidnapping in 1950. When the junta unexpectedly lost the 1952 presidential election , it ignored the results and Jiménez was installed as president Jiménez was forced out on 23 January 1958. In an effort to consolidate a young democracy, the three major political parties ( Acción Democrática (AD), COPEI and Unión Republicana Democrática (URD), with

14145-539: Was abolished in 1854. Much of Venezuela's 19th-century history was characterized by political turmoil and dictatorial rule, including the Independence leader José Antonio Páez, who gained the presidency three times and served 11 years between 1830 and 1863. This culminated in the Federal War (1859–63). In the latter half of the century, Antonio Guzmán Blanco , another caudillo , served 13 years, between 1870 and 1887, with three other presidents interspersed. In 1895,

14268-504: Was also looked up to for his skills as a horseman and for his physical capabilities. Páez, a soldier at heart, started moving up the ranks by winning year after year several engagements against the royalists with his band of marauding llaneros (plainsmen). He came to be known by the nicknames of "El Centauro de los Llanos" (The Centaur of the Plains), and "El León de Payara" (The Lion of Payara) or (The Lion of Apure). Páez had been leading

14391-635: Was appointed as American Minister to Venezuela in 1862. He presented himself to Páez, not realizing that the United States did not officially recognize the dictator. He and Culver established amicable relations nonetheless. Páez lived in New York City during his years in exile. He returned in 1863 Boarding Pass , living there for another decade before his death in 1873. Páez was married to Dominga Ortiz Orzúa , who served as First Lady of Venezuela from 1830 until 1835, and 1839 until 1843. She

14514-565: Was coined to refer to this movement, meaning something along the lines of "that weird thing without a name"). La Cosiata started in April 1826 as a quasi-spontaneous movement (historical interpretations differ) of local politicians and figures supporting Páez. There was pressure in favor of Páez's removal from his office by some locals in Venezuela; they accused him of abusing his authority in relation to implementing orders coming from Bogotá. Páez himself allegedly disagreed with these, which called for

14637-422: Was declared to be in default regarding debt payments by credit rating agencies . The crisis in Venezuela has contributed to a rapidly deteriorating human rights situation. The 2024 presidential election were not recognized by the Carter Center and Organization of American States due to the lack of granular results, and disputed by the opposition, leading to protests across the country . According to

14760-555: Was elected for another term in December 2006 and for a third term in October 2012. However, he was never sworn in due to medical complications; he died in March 2013. The presidential election that took place in April 2013, was the first since Chávez took office in 1999 in which his name did not appear on the ballot. Under the Bolivarian government, Venezuela went from being one of the richest countries in Latin America to one of

14883-400: Was not in office. The government, dominated by the oligarchy, followed a constitution that had largely been written by Páez in 1830. Páez and the conservative oligarchy were conveniently allied because the oligarchy controlled a great amount of the country's wealth but was not popular with the masses, whereas Páez was very much liked by the masses. Historians consider the period of the 1830s to

15006-526: Was relaxed. Angarita granted a range of reforms, including the legalization of all political parties. After World War II, immigration from Southern Europe and poorer Latin American countries markedly diversified Venezuelan society. In 1945, a civilian-military coup overthrew Medina Angarita and ushered in a period of democratic rule (1945–1948) under the mass membership party Democratic Action , initially under Rómulo Betancourt , until Rómulo Gallegos won

15129-536: Was the decisive moment of the day. They suffered 119 casualties, of those were two officers with Ferrier among the dead. Bolívar described the Legions and all who served in them as "the saviours of my country". As a reward for their service, they were given the Carabobo battle honour by the general staff of the Patriot forces, and all its personnel rewarded with the Liberators' Star by Bolívar himself, 20 days after

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