Abstract
In this chapter, we analyze the historical context of the crisis in Venezuela. The country was formerly regarded as a stable democracy and as an exception in a mostly autocratic region. By now, the situation is the opposite: Venezuela is in a state of crisis and autocratic rule, while the rest of Latin America is mostly democratic. The dramatic decline of the country is the result of populist misrule during the presidency of Hugo Chávez and his successor, Nicolás Maduro. However, the roots of the present crisis run deeper. After the end of the military dictatorship in 1958, the main political actors agreed on a transitional pact, which, over time, turned into an increasingly unrepresentative arrangement of power sharing. With the oil boom of the 1970s, corruption became endemic and disaffection with the political elites increased. When the oil-fueled economic model collapsed in the 1990s, the cracks in the democratic system became apparent. After the election of Hugo Chávez, Venezuelans hoped for a fresh start and for a renewal of the constitutional order. Instead, the country entered a path of economic decline and democratic regression.
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Muno, W., Kestler, T. (2023). The Quest for Democracy: Venezuela in the Twentieth and Twentyfirst Centuries. In: Latouche, M.A., Muno, W., Gericke, A. (eds) Venezuela – Dimensions of the Crisis. Contributions to Political Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-21889-7_4
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