© MMXX V.1.0.0
by Morley Evans
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| Another son of a bitch who worked for the USA |
Early years
Gómez was born into a prominent family of Andean landowners who lived in the La Mulera.[1] He was the firstborn son of Pedro Cornelio Gomez and Hermenegilda Chacon Alarcon.[2] In 1899, he joined the private army of Cipriano Castro, with whom he had been friends since Castro's exile in Colombia. This army swept down on Caracas in 1899 and seized control of the country. He became Castro's vice president and, in 1902, head of the military, responsible for suppressing several major revolts against the government in the battle of Ciudad Bolivar on 21 July 1903. Gómez seized power from Castro on 19 December 1908, while Castro was in Europe for medical treatment.
As president, Gómez managed to deflate Venezuela's staggering debt by granting concessions to foreign oil companies after the discovery of petroleum in Lake Maracaibo in 1918. This, in turn, won him the support of the United States and Europe and economic stability. Though he used the money to launch an extensive public works program, he also received generous kickbacks, increasing his personal fortune enormously. Because of his contributions to the country's development, the Congress bestowed the title of El Benemérito ("the Meritorious One") on him. In contrast, his opponents, who disdained his brutal tactics at home, referred to him as El Bagre ("the Catfish"), a snide reference to his bushy moustache and outward appearance. They also called him "the Tyrant of the Andes" - a reference to his roots in the mountain state of Táchira.
On 19 April 1914, Gómez ostensibly stepped down from office in favour of provisional president Victorino Márquez, though he continued to rule the country from his home in Maracay. He returned to office in 1922, ruling until 22 April 1929. Though he was re-elected to a new term of office by the Congress, he declined to return to the capital, and Juan Bautista Pérez assumed the presidency, though Gómez remained the final authority in the country. On 13 June 1931, Congress forced Pérez to resign and elected Gómez president again. This time, he resumed office, ruling the country until his death.
The Generation of 1928 was a group of students who led protests in 1928 against Gómez in the capital city of Caracas. Members included Rómulo Betancourt, Jóvito Villalba, Joaquin Gabaldon Marquez, Juan Oropeza, Raúl Leoni, Andrés Eloy Blanco, Miguel Otero Silva, Pedro Sotillo, Isaac J Pardo, Juan Bautista Fuenmayor, Germán Suárez Flamerich, and Gustavo Machado.
Family
Gómez was never married; however, he had two mistresses. The first one was Dionisia Gómez Bello, with whom he had seven children: José Vicente, Josefa, Alí, Flor de María, Graciela, Servilia, and Gonzalo. The second one was Dolores Amelia Nunez Linares' de Cáceres, with whom he had nine children: Juan Vicente, Florencio, Rosa Amelia, Hermenegildo, Cristina, Belén, Berta, Manuel Antonio and Juan Crisóstomo Gómez.[3] Gómez also fathered many other children in brief relationships: at least 64 and possibly as many as 99. He appointed many of his children to public office, sparking charges of nepotism.
Legacy
Gómez and Eleazar López Contreras in 1934
Gómez's rule of Venezuela is a controversial period in the country's history. His cunning leadership brought enrichment to the country, particularly after the discovery of oil, which enabled the development of modern infrastructure. His insistence on road construction and the creation of jobs in the then-new oil industry promoted population mobility and more frequent social contact among Venezuelans of different regions – previously a rare occurrence – which permanently rooted a sense of national unity in the country.[4] He brought about the end of civil wars and political insurrections by exerting power over regional caudillos and, as a result, Venezuela became a peaceful country and would remain so for decades.[4] Ironically, the elimination of the caudillo problem and the choosing of Eleazar López Contreras as his last minister of war and marine paved the way to the emergence of modern democracy; see Generation of 1928. He repaid all foreign and internal debt using excess reserves; his fiscal conservatism helped the country get through the Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression, and led to an increase in the value of the bolívar to the point of becoming a hard currency.
On the debit side, he is considered by some as one of the prominent examples of alleged U.S. domination in Latin America. During his rule, most of the country's wealth ended up in the hands of Gómez and his henchmen, and, according to Woddis, Wall Street.[5] Indeed, at the time of his death, he was by far the richest man in the country. He did little for public education (believing that "an ignorant people is a docile people") and held basic democratic principles in disdain. Although cordial and simple in manner, his ruthless crushing of opponents through his secret police earned him the reputation of a tyrant. He was also accused of trying to make the country a personal fief.
John Gunther described Gómez as follows: "The Catfish was—let us not gloss over the fact—a murderous blackguard. He made use of tortures of inconceivable brutality; political prisoners, of which there were thousands, dragged out their lives bearing
leg irons (grillos) that made them permanent cripples if they were not hung upside down—by the testicles—until they died. Others became human slime, literally. Gómez was quite capable of choosing one out of every ten by lot, and hanging them—by meathooks through their throats!"
Former Venezuelan President Rómulo Betancourt said in his book Venezuela: Oil and Politics that "(...) Gomez was something more than a local despot, he was the instrument of foreign control of the Venezuelan economy, the ally and servant of powerful outside interests." This is in reference to Royal Dutch Shell and Standard Oil's appeasement of the dictator in return for exploration rights to the country's oil fields.
In Venezuelan politics, Juan Vicente Gómez has come to symbolize political endurance and a caudillo mentality. He was quoted as saying he needed a lifetime to fulfil his political work.
A chronology of key Venezuelan events:
1498-99 - Christopher Columbus and Alonso de Ojeda visit Venezuela, which is inhabited by Carib, Arawak and Chibcha peoples.
Marcos Perez Jimenez, right, who was ousted by Admiral Wolfgang LarrazabalImage copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image caption
The coup leader of 1948, Marcos Perez Jimenez (r), was himself ousted 10 years on by Admiral Wolfgang Larrazabal (l) who restored civilian rule
1521 - Spanish colonisation begins.
1749 - First rebellion against Spanish colonial rule.
1810 - Venezuelans take advantage of Napoleon's invasion of Spain to declare independence.
1829-30 - Venezuela secedes from Gran Colombia.
1870-88 - Ruler Antonio Guzman Blanco attracts foreign investment, modernises infrastructure and develops agriculture and education.
1908-35 - Under dictator Juan Vicente Gomez, Venezuela becomes the world's largest oil exporter.
1945 - Coup establishes civilian government after decades of military rule.
1948 - President Romulo Gallegos, Venezuela's first democratically-elected leader, overthrown within eight months in a military coup led by Marcos Perez Jimenez.
Democratic rule
1958 - Admiral Wolfgang Larrazabal ousts Marcos Perez Jimenez; leftist Romulo Betancourt of the Democratic Action Party (AD) wins the presidential election.
1973 - Venezuela benefits from the oil boom and its currency peaks against the US dollar; oil and steel industries nationalised.
1999 flood disaster
Destroyed buildings in the northern La Guaira coastal region of Venezuela - the area worst hit by the floods of 1999Image copyright AFP
Tens of thousands perished in the 1999 flood disaster
Venezuela disaster 'worst this century'
Venezuela: Rebuilding after the devastation
1989 - Carlos Andres Perez (AD) elected president amid an economic depression, launches austerity programme with IMF loan. Riots, martial law and general strike follow, with hundreds killed in street violence.
1992 - Colonel Hugo Chavez and supporters make two coup attempts. Some 120 people killed in the suppression of coups, Col Chavez jailed for two years before being pardoned.
1993-95 - President Perez impeached on corruption charges.
Rise of Chavez
1998 - Hugo Chavez elected president amid disenchantment with established parties, launches 'Bolivarian Revolution' that brings in a new constitution, socialist and populist economic, and social policies funded by high oil prices, alongside increasingly anti-US foreign policy.
2001 - President Chavez uses enabling act to pass laws aimed at redistributing land and wealth. Concern grows in business and some labour circles that he is trying to concentrate economic and political power.
View of CaracasImage copyright AFP
Image caption
The capital Caracas sprawls along the foot of high mountains
2002 April - Armed forces rebel over a violent stand-off between the government and state oil monopoly after the appointment of a new board.
President Chavez was taken into military custody, but the interim government of business leader Pedro Carmona collapses and Hugo Chavez returns to the office.
Coup attempt
Hugo Chavez addressing the nation after surviving the 2002 coup attempt
Hugo Chavez makes an emotional televised address after surviving a coup attempt
Profile: Hugo Chavez
2005 January - President Chavez signs decree on land reform to eliminate Venezuela's large estates and benefit rural poor. Ranchers say the move is an attack on private property.
2005 March - New media regulations provide stiff fines and prison terms for slandering public figures.
2005 December - Parties loyal to President Chavez dominate parliament after opposition parties boycott election.
Russian alliance
2006 July - President Chavez signs a $3bn (£1.6bn) arms deal with Russia, including an agreement to buy fighter jets and helicopters, marking a re-orientation away from US arms supplies.
2006 December - Hugo Chavez wins a third term in presidential elections with 63% of the vote, the largest margin since the 1947 election.
2007 January - President Chavez announces key energy and telecommunications companies will be nationalised under the 18-month enabling act approved by parliament.
Chavez loss
Opposition supporters celebrate victory in the 2007 referendum in giving President Chavez more power image copyright AFP
Opposition supporters celebrate a rare poll defeat for President Chavez in the 2007 referendum
Chavez puts brave face on defeat
2007 June - Two leading US oil companies, Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhilips, refuse to hand over majority control of their operations in the Orinoco Belt to the Venezuelan government, which then expropriates them.
2007 December - President Chavez suffers his first defeat at the ballot box when a referendum narrowly rejects proposals to increase government control over the Central Bank and the power to expropriate property.
Caracas shantytown, 2008Image copyright AFP
Image caption
Poor district in Caracas - President Chavez poured money into social programmes
2008 September - Venezuela and Russia sign oil and gas cooperation accord. Russian warplanes visit Venezuela, with Russian warships heading there for November joint exercises - the first return of Russian navy to Americas since Cold War.
2008 October - First Venezuelan telecommunications satellite launched from China.
2009 February - Voters in a referendum approve plans to abolish limits on the number of terms in office for elected officials. This allows President Chavez to stand again when his term expires in 2012.
View of a table mountain in Canaima National Park, southern VenezuelaImage copyright AFP
Image caption
Much of southern Venezuela is a tropical wilderness
Economic problems
2010 January - President Chavez devalues the bolivar currency to boost revenue from oil exports after the economy shrank 5.8% in the last quarter of 2009.
2010 September - Parliamentary elections. Opposition makes significant gains.
Young Orinoco crocodile being released into the wild in Venezuela's Guarico province in June 2005Image copyright AFP
Image caption
Endangered species: the Orinoco Crocodile
2012 April - Government extends price controls on more basic goods in the battle against inflation. President Chavez threatens to expropriate companies that do not comply with the price controls.
2012 July -After a six-year wait, Venezuela becomes a full member of regional trading bloc Mercosur, and is given four years to comply with the bloc's trading regulations.
2012 October - President Chavez wins a fourth term in office.
President Chavez dies
2013 April - President Hugo Chavez dies at age 58 in March after a battle with cancer. Nicolas Maduro, his chosen successor, is elected president by a narrow margin. The opposition contests the result.
People cry as the coffin of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez passes by them in Caracas on 15 March 2013Image copyright AFP
Image caption
Chavez supporters thronged the streets of Caracas during the funeral cortege of the late president in March 2013
2014 February-March - At least 28 people die in the suppression of anti-government protests.
2014 November - Government announces cuts in public spending as oil prices reach a four-year low.
2015 December - Opposition Democratic Unity coalition wins a two-thirds majority in parliamentary elections, ending 16 years of Socialist Party control.
2016 September - Hundreds of thousands of people take part in a protest in Caracas calling for the removal of President Maduro, accusing him of responsibility for the economic crisis.
Anti-government demonstrators clash with riot police at Altamira Square in Caracas on 24 February 2014
Some Venezuelans' dissatisfaction with the Maduro government grew into protests in 2014
2017 July - Controversial constituent assembly elected in the face of an opposition boycott and international condemnation.
2018 May - Opposition contests the official victory of President Maduro at presidential elections.
2018 August - UN says two million Venezuelans have fled abroad to neighbouring countries since 2014.
2019 January-February - Opposition leader Juan Guaidó declares himself interim president, appeals to military to oust President Maduro on the grounds that the 2018 election was rigged.
European Union, United States, and most Latin American countries recognise Mr Guaidó.
