2. 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.
3. 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
4. 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
5. 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
6. 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.
7. 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)
8. 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
9. 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
10. 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
11. 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
12. 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
13. 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
14. 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
15. 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
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. 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
19. 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
