Backround History

During the past, Venezuela was paradise for the Indians who lived on its beaches, in its tropical forests, and on the gentle grassland of the llanos. The were 3 different esthnic groups the Carib, Arawak, and the Chibcha. They lived in small groups and all of them practiced farming; the land, this was bountiful enough so that this was not always a necessity.

When the Spaniards discovered Venezuela, the natives in Venezuela were agriculturists and hunters living in groups along at the coast. The first permanent Spanish settled in South America at Nuevo Toledo, was established in Venezuela in 1522. Venezuela was a relatively colony in the 1500s and 1600s as the Spaniards focused on getting gold and silver from other areas of the Americas.

At the 18th century, the Venezuelans began to grow under colonial control. In 1821, after several unsuccessful uprisings, the country had the independence from Spain, The leader was Simon Bolivar. Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, and Ecuador, were part of the Republic of Gran Colombia until 1830.

In the 19th century history was classified in periods of political instability, dictatorial rule, and revolutionary turbulence. The first half of the 20th century consisted of dictatorships from 1908-1935 and from 1950-1958. Venezuelan economy grew after WWI from agriculture to an economy centered on petroleum production and export.

Since the overthrow of Marcos Perez Jimenez in 1958 and the military from direct involvement in national politics, Venezuela has enjoyed democratic rule. This earned Venezuela a reputation as one of the more stable democracies in Latin America. Until the 1998 elections, the Democratic Action and the Christian Democratic parties dominated the political environment at both the state and federal level.

Backround History in Venezuela

Backround Information