The Story of Venezuela: Oil, Power, and Collapse — Fexingo History

Venezuela 1935: The Death of Gómez and the Struggle for a Nation

On December 17, 1935, Juan Vicente Gómez, Venezuela's iron-fisted dictator for 27 years, died in his sleep at age 78. His death unleashed a power struggle that would shape the country's modern history. This episode explores the chaotic week that followed: the popular uprising in Caracas, the jockeying among Gómez's cronies, the emergence of Eleazar López Contreras as interim president, and the brutal crackdown that preceded a fragile opening. We follow the story of the Generación del 28 exiles returning home, the first stirrings of organized labor and communist parties, and the delicate dance between reform and repression that defined Venezuela's transition out of gomecismo. Drawing on memoirs, diplomatic cables, and newspaper reports, we reconstruct a pivotal moment when the ghosts of Gómez's tyranny collided with the hopes of a generation hungry for democracy. #Venezuela #JuanVicenteGómez #EleazarLópezContreras #GeneraciónDel28 #Gomecismo #Caracas #LaRotunda #1935 #December17 #Dictatorship #OilPolitics #LaborMovement #CommunistParty #PuntoFijo #Democracy #LatinAmerica #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Venezuela 1810: The April 19 Revolution That Started It All

On April 19, 1810, Caracas declared an interim government, setting off a chain reaction that would lead to Venezuela's independence from Spain. Lucas and Luna revisit this pivotal moment, exploring the roles of José de las Llamozas, Francisco de Miranda, and the Supreme Junta. They discuss how the news of Napoleon's invasion of Spain triggered the move, the rapid spread of juntas across South America, and the complex social dynamics between mantuanos, pardos, and slaves. The episode also touches on the printing press's role in spreading revolutionary ideas and the British mediation that followed. This is the story of how Venezuela's first steps toward self-rule were both bold and fraught with contradictions. #Venezuela #Independence #April19 #Caracas #SupremeJunta #JosédelasLlamozas #FranciscoDeMiranda #Napoleon #Spain #ColonialHistory #SouthAmerica #Mantuanos #Pardos #PrintingPress #Revolution #History #FexingoHistory #LatinAmerica Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Venezuela 1982: The Night Carlos Andrés Pérez Faced the Mob

In December 1982, former Venezuelan president Carlos Andrés Pérez returned to his hometown of Rubio, Táchira, for a civic ceremony — and found himself trapped inside a church by an enraged crowd of farmers and students. The protest had been brewing for weeks over a new property tax law, the Ley Orgánica de Régimen Municipal, that threatened small landowners in the Andes. Pérez, then a senator and leader of Acción Democrática, had to be rescued by helicopter. This episode dives into the forgotten 'Rebellion of the Andes,' the role of local caudillo-like figures like José 'Pepe' Ledezma, the simmering tensions between central Caracas and the interior, and how this episode foreshadowed the collapse of the Punto Fijo system. We explore how a seemingly obscure tax revolt exposed the growing disconnect between the political elite and rural Venezuela, a fissure that would widen into the Caracazo and beyond. #CarlosAndrésPérez #RubioTáchira #LeyOrgánicaDeRégimenMunicipal #RebellionOfTheAndes #JoséLedezma #AcciónDemocrática #PuntoFijo #Venezuela1982 #TaxRevolt #RuralVenezuela #Andes #Táchira #Caudillismo #Caracazo #VenezuelanHistory #FexingoHistory #History #SouthAmerica Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Venezuela 1813: Bolívar's Admirable Campaign

In 1813, Simón Bolívar led a daring military campaign from New Granada into Venezuela, liberating the western provinces and capturing Caracas. This episode follows the Admirable Campaign step by step: Bolívar's declaration of war to the death, the brutal massacre at La Puerta, the key battles of Niquitao and Los Horcones, and the siege of Puerto Cabello. We explore how a small army of exiles and llaneros under José Félix Ribas and Rafael Urdaneta defeated Spanish forces against the odds, why Bolívar declared guerra a muerte, and how this campaign set the stage for the Second Republic of Venezuela — a republic that would last only a year before collapsing. We also examine the controversial role of deserters and the brutal reprisals on both sides, revealing the human cost of independence. #SimónBolívar #AdmirableCampaign #CampañaAdmirable #VenezuelanWarofIndependence #1813 #GuerraAMuerte #BattleofNiquitao #BattleofLosHorcones #JoséFélixRibas #RafaelUrdaneta #NewGranada #PuertoCabello #SecondRepublic #Llaneros #SouthAmerica #History #FexingoHistory #MilitaryHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Venezuela 1937: The Exile of Rómulo Betancourt

In 1937, Venezuela's dictator Eleazar López Contreras expelled Rómulo Betancourt and dozens of other leftist leaders, sending them into exile. This episode follows Betancourt's journey from Caracas to Chile, where he honed the political strategy that would shape twentieth-century Venezuela. We explore the crackdown on the Partido Democrático Nacional, the clandestine networks that kept the opposition alive, and how exile forged Betancourt's pragmatism — from his alliance with Acción Democrática to his role in the 1958 Pact of Punto Fijo. Featuring the police raid on the Casa del Estudiante, the secret press run by Juan Bautista Fuenmayor, and Betancourt's letters from Santiago. A story of repression, resilience, and the long road back to power. #Venezuela #RómuloBetancourt #LópezContreras #Exile #PartidoDemocráticoNacional #AcciónDemocrática #CasaDelEstudiante #JuanBautistaFuenmayor #1937 #SantiagoDeChile #GómezEra #PuntoFijo #History #FexingoHistory #SouthAmerica #PoliticalExile #Dictatorship #Resistance Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]