The Roots of Venezuela's Failing State

By

John Polga-Hecimovich

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A 2014 protest in Caracas, Venezuela against the government.

2014 Protest

A 2014 protest in Caracas, Venezuela against the government.

President Hugo Chávez in prison after his failed coup d’etat in 1992.

President Hugo Chávez in Prison

President Hugo Chávez in prison after his failed coup d’etat in 1992.

A sign at a anti-government protest in 2014.

Venezuela in Mourning

A sign at a anti-government protest in 2014 reading Venezuela in Mourning.

Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement-200

The logo of the Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement-200.

Graffiti in Caracas, Venezuela.

Away Imperialism

Graffiti in Caracas, Venezuela reading: "Get out imperialism. Only the people can save the people."

Aerial view of Plaza Venezuela in Caracas, Venezuela in 2010.

Plaza Venezuela

Aerial view of Plaza Venezuela in Caracas, Venezuela in 2010.

This sign from 2014 limits customers to only three packages of toilet paper per person.

Toilet Paper Shortage

Toilet paper is one of the basic necessities Venezuela has had a shortage of in recent years. This sign from 2014 limits customers to only three packages of toilet paper per person.

President Hugo Chávez greeting supporters ahead of his election as president in 1998.

President Hugo Chávez

President Hugo Chávez greeting supporters ahead of his election as president in 1998.

President Nicolás Maduro.

Nicolás Maduro

President Nicolás Maduro, President Hugo Chávez’s handpicked successor, wearing the presidential sash in 2015.

Venezuelan intellectual Arturo Uslar Pietri.

Arturo Uslar Pietri

Venezuelan intellectual Arturo Uslar Pietri urged his fellow citizens to use oil profits to develop the country and its people.

Petróleos de Venezuela, SA.

Petróleos de Venezuela, SA Building

Petróleos de Venezuela, SA, the state-run oil company’s building in 2008 with a sign reading “Fatherland, Socialism, or Death.”

Simón Bolívar.

Simón Bolívar

Simón Bolívar, known at El Libertador, was a military and political figure who played a leading role in bringing independence from Spain to Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Panama.

A 2014 military parade to commemorate President Hugo Chávez’s death in 2013.

Military Parade

A 2014 military parade to commemorate President Hugo Chávez’s death in 2013.

President Cipriano Castro.

Cipriano Castro

President Cipriano Castro ruled Venezuela from 1899 to 1908 after seizing power with his personal army.

President Juan Vicente Gómez.

Juan Vicente Gómez

President Juan Vicente Gómez seized power from his predecessor and ruled Venezuela from 1908 until his death in 1935.

President Eleazar López Contreras.

Juan Vicente Gómez

President Eleazar López Contreras served as President Juan Vicente Gómez’s War Minister before ruling Venezuela from 1935 to 1941.

President Isaías Medina Angarita.

Isaías Medina Angarita

President Isaías Medina Angarita served as Eleazar López Contreras’s War Minister and ruled Venezuela from 1941 until 1945.

President Rómulo Betancourt.

Rómulo Betancourt

President Rómulo Betancourt, the “Father of Venezuelan Democracy,” voting in 1946.

President Marcos Pérez Jiménez.

Marcos Pérez Jiménez

President Marcos Pérez Jiménez, who ruled as a military dictator from 1952 to 1958, receiving a commendation from U.S. Ambassador Fletcher Warren in 1954.

Rafael Caldera, Jóvito Villalba, and Rómulo Betancourt.

Pact of Punto Fijo

From left to right, Rafael Caldera, Jóvito Villalba, and Rómulo Betancourt at the signing of the Pact of Punto Fijo in 1958.

Social Christian Party Logo

Logo of the Social Christian Party (COPEI).

Members of the Social Christian Party, COPEI, marching for a mayoral candidate.

Social Christian Party

Members of the Social Christian Party, COPEI, marching for a mayoral candidate around 2010 in the party’s trademark green color.

Police patrolling after the riots, known as Caracazo.

Caracazo Riots

Police patrolling after the riots, known as Caracazo, in February and early March of 1989.

Campaign posters for Hugo Chávez’s reelection in 2012.

Hugo Chávez Reelection Campaign

Campaign posters for Hugo Chávez’s reelection in 2012.

President Hugo Chávez in his trademark red beret.

Hugo Chávez

President Hugo Chávez in his trademark red beret and Venezuelan flag tracksuit in 2013.

President Hugo Chávez memorabilia.

Chávez Memorabilia

Beloved by many, street vendors in Venezuela sold action figures of President Hugo Chávez and hats in the president’s trademark red color in 2006.

President Hugo Chávez at a meeting of the Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela.

Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela Meeting

President Hugo Chávez at a meeting of the Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela in 2008.

A 2007 rally to celebrate the fifth anniversary of President Hugo Chávez surviving the 2002 coup attempt.

Chávez Rally

A 2007 rally to celebrate the fifth anniversary of President Hugo Chávez surviving the 2002 coup attempt.

A social mission class in northern Venezuela.

Social Mission Class

A social mission class in northern Venezuela teaching reading and writing in 2004.

President Hugo Chávez befriended Fidel Castro in the 1990s.

Castro and Chávez

President Hugo Chávez befriended Fidel Castro in the 1990s and supplied Cuba with oil at a reduced rate.

The Presidents of Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Venezuela.

Bank of the South

The Presidents of Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Venezuela signing an agreement in 2007 to establish the Bank of the South, a monetary fund and lending organization to support left-leaning South American nations with infrastructure and social projects.

Many stores like this one in 2013 had empty shelves.

Empty Shelves

Unable to obtain sufficient stock, many stores like this one in 2013 had empty shelves.

A line of customers outside a grocery store in 2014.

Shortage of Goods

A line of customers hoping to buy some of the few goods available stretches outside a grocery store in 2014.

Protestors demonstrating while people seeking to buy basic goods in short supply line up outside a store.

Protesting Shortages

Protestors demonstrating while people seeking to buy basic goods in short supply line up outside a store in 2015.

The sign reads: 'Chávez, I swear, my vote is for Maduro.'

Vote for Maduro

President Nicolás Maduro courted voters in 2013 via the popularity of the late President Hugo Chávez. The sign reads: “Chávez, I swear, my vote is for Maduro.”

President Nicolás Maduro—wearing Chávez’s iconic tracksuit—attended a commemoration for the late president.

Remembering Chávez

In 2016, on the third anniversary of President Hugo Chávez’s death, President Nicolás Maduro—wearing Chávez’s iconic tracksuit—attended a commemoration for the late president.

A protest against the arrest of protestors.

Protesting Political Prisoners

A protest against the arrest of protestors, particularly Leopoldo Lopez—a popular politician arrested in 2014.

An anti-Maduro protestor in 2014.

Liberty Protestor

An anti-Maduro protestor in 2014 with “Liberty” written on his hands.

A child protestor asking for freedom for her mother, a political prisoner.

Child Protestor

A child protestor asking for freedom for her mother, a political prisoner.

A 2014 sign detailing why Venezuelans protest.

Why Venezuelans Protest

A 2014 sign detailing why Venezuelans protest: insecurity, injustice, shortages, censorship, violence, and corruption. The red box at the bottom declares: “Protesting is not a crime. It is a right.”

A massive protest against President Hugo Chávez in 2004.

Mass Protest

A massive protest against President Hugo Chávez in 2004.

A newspaper headline the day after President Hugo Chávez lost a referendum.

Venezuela Says No

A newspaper headline the day after President Hugo Chávez lost a referendum to change the constitution in 2007.

Protesters and National Guard troops clashed during an anti-Maduro protest in 2014.

Protesters and National Guard Clash

Protesters and National Guard troops clashed during an anti-Maduro protest in 2014.

Protestors during the Caracazo riots in 1989.

Caracazo Riots

Protestors during the Caracazo riots in 1989.

The Venezuelan flag unfurled at a peaceful protest against Nicolás Maduro in 2014.

Venezuelan Flag

The Venezuelan flag unfurled at a peaceful protest against Nicolás Maduro in 2014.

Protestors in Caracas during the "mother of all marches" in April 2017.

2017 Protest

Protestors in Caracas during the "mother of all marches" in April 2017.

A protestor attempting to block the police during a 2017 demonstration against the government.

Protestors and Police

A protestor attempting to block the police during a 2017 demonstration against the government.

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