VENEZUELA+-+History

=History of Venezuela=

Many things have changed and happened throughout the years of Venezuela. Indians lived in Venezuela. European explorers came to make a living. Venezuela started pumping oil. The government was established and independence was declared.

(picture) Europeans meeting the Indians.

The first people of Venezuela were Indians. The Carib lived in the east, and the Arawak lived in the west. The Indians survived by hunting, fishing, farming, and gathering wild plants. They died of disease brought by the Europeans.

In 1499, Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian, named Venezuela after Venice. Venezuela means " Little Venice." Venice had houses on stilts and transportation was by boat and water. That is just like Venezuela! Although Vespucci did not discover Venezuela, he started a search for valuable resources. Spanish explorers came to search for jewels and riches, in the early 1500's. Slaves worked for the Europeans on sugar, cotton, cacao, indigo, tobacco, and coffee fields. Venezuela was developing, and Spain was taking control of its new world. In the 1700's Venezuela became one of Spain's poorest countries. The Spaniards were spending more money on governing than they were collecting in taxes. In the 1800's, Venezuela's struggle for independence started. General Vicente Gomez was dictator of Venezuela from 1908 to 1935.

Modern Venezuelans have Spanish, African, or Native American descendants. Venezuela claimed two thirds of British Guyana in 1889 and is going to officially claim it. In the 1920's, Venezuela started pumping and exporting oil. Venezuela became the leading oil exporter in the mid 1900's. Venezuela's current president, Hugo Chavez Frias, won the election in December 1998.

Venezuela's current government is a federal republic. It has three branches similar to the United States, executive, legislative, and judicial. The government’s goal is to maintain a public order and preserving free and democratic institutions. Romulo Bertancourt was Venezuela's first full term president. The national congress, in the legislative branch, has 49 people in the Senate and 203 people in the Chamber of Deputies. Since 1811, Venezuela has 26 constitutions. Venezuela also has 20 states, one federal district, 2 federal territories, and 72 islands that are federal dependencies. There are 69,000 people in the navy, army, air force, and National Guard that are fighting for peace.

Many things have happened since Indians lived in Venezuela. Europeans came, independence was declared, and many other changes and events occurred.

=The Struggle For Independence=

Venezuela struggled for many years to achieve independence. Simon Bolivar and Francisco de Miranda were one of the main leaders in this struggle. Venezuela's people wanted a greater control on the economy. They also wanted to trade with other countries but the Spanish wouldn't allow it. This made the people mad and in 1802 they revolted.

(picture) Caracas, Venezuela

Francisco de Miranda was born in 1750 in Caracas, Venezuela. He was the one who started Venezuela's independence fight. Miranda had two independence efforts, but they were both unsuccessful. He participated in both the American Revolution and the French Revolution. In 1806, a invasion led by Miranda caused the Venezuelan flag to be raised for the first time. In 1812, Miranda became Venezuela' dictator. Miranda died three years later on July 14, 1816 as a prisoner in Cadiz, Spain.

(picture) Simon Bolivar

Simon Bolivar was born on July 24,1783 in Caracas, Venezuela. When he was young, Bolivar devoted himself to independence. In 1804, he joined the Venezuelan independence fight. Bolivar won many key battles. He became dictator of Peru and Angostra in 1822. On December 17, 1819, he became Columbia's first president. Bolivar and his troops defeated the Spanish at Carabo in 1821. He died nine years later in December of 1830.

The process of becoming independent took about 50-70 years. The main cause of this process was the citizens desire to be free. In 1811, the National Congress declared a Declaration of Independence and the first Constitution. The first republic failed in 1812 as Spain took Caracas. Simon Bolivar created the second republic in 1813. In 1814, Caracas was captured again and the Spanish rule was re-established. Bolivar defeated the Spaniards in Carabobo in 1821. Then the proud, free Venezuelans wrote the national anthem.

Why was it a struggle? The Venezuelans lacked money and trust. They had very little trust in the government run by the creoles. The creoles tried to overthrow the Spanish ruler. That made the Spanish stabilize their government. Then Venezuela's underclass troops tried to overthrow Miranda's government! After they were independent, Venezuelan's were poor and they were questioning how to govern themselves. It was a major struggle but they got through it and became independent.

Venezuela had a massive job before them if they wanted to be independent. They suffered many things but finally got through it. The citizens were happy after the struggle, so it was worth it!