Editing Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

{{Infobox country
| name                          = Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
| native_name                   = República Bolivariana de Venezuela
| image_flag                    = Flag_of_Venezuela.svg
| image_coat                    = Coat of arms of Venezuela.svg
|capital=Caracas|largest_city=Caracas|mode_of_production=[[Capitalism]] (ruled by a [[socialist]] party)|leader_title1=President|leader_name1=[[Nicolás Maduro]]|leader_title2=Vice President|leader_name2=[[Delcy Rodríguez]]| image_map                     = Venezuela Map.svg
| image_map_size                = 260px
|map_caption=Map of Venezuela according to the 2023 referendum. Light green territories are not recognized by the UN.| official_languages            = Spanish
| recognized_national_languages = 26 indigenous languages
| area_km2                      = 916,445
| population_estimate           = 28,887,118
| population_estimate_year      = 2018
}}

'''Venezuela''', officially the '''Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela''',<ref>{{News citation|date=15 December 1999|title=Constitución de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela|url=http://www.me.gob.ve/media/contenidos/2006/d_269_8.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001032323/http://www.me.gob.ve/media/contenidos/2006/d_269_8.pdf}}</ref> is a country on the northern coast of [[South America]], sharing borders on the west with [[Colombia]], [[Federative Republic of Brazil|Brazil]] to the south, [[Republic of Trinidad and Tobago|Trinidad and Tobago]] to the northeast, and to the east with [[Co-operative Republic of Guyana|Guyana]]. It consists of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in the [[Caribbean Sea]].

In 1960, Venezuela produced 30% of the world's [[Petroleum politics|oil]].<ref name=":122" /><sup>:184</sup> Venezuela has been the target of hostility from the [[United States imperialism|US imperialists]] due to its significant reserves of oil, as well as its recent trend of electing left-leaning progressive governments which prioritize [[Bolivarian missions|social programs]] and the implementation of what some observers describe as [[Socialism of the 21st century]].<ref>https://pt.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Resolucoesdo3oCongressoPT.pdf</ref>

Under the anti-imperialist government of [[Hugo Chávez]], unemployment decreased by almost half, GDP per capita more than doubled, infant mortality decreased, and extreme poverty dropped from 23.4% to 8.5%.<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|title=How did Venezuela change under Hugo Chávez?|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/oct/04/venezuela-hugo-chavez-election-data|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424073050/https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/oct/04/venezuela-hugo-chavez-election-data|archive-date=2023-04-24}}</ref>

== History ==

=== Spanish colonialism ===
In 1777, a treaty between the [[Kingdom of Spain (1700–1808)|Spanish]] and the [[Kingdom of the Netherlands|Dutch]] defined the Esequibo River as the eastern border of the Captaincy General of Venezuela.
[[File:Venezuela map 1777.png|thumb|282x282px|Map of Venezuela under the 1777 treaty, which includes territory now occupied by [[Federative Republic of Brazil|Brazil]], [[Republic of Colombia|Colombia]], [[Co-operative Republic of Guyana|Guyana]], and [[Republic of Trinidad and Tobago|Trinidad and Tobago]]]]
After [[Statesian Revolution|losing control of its Thirteen Colonies]] in North America in 1776, the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–1922)|British Empire]] sought to take over parts of South America. In the early 19th century, it annexed the [[Guayana Esequiba]] region from [[Kingdom of Spain (1813–1873)|Spanish]]-occupied Venezuela and the Tigri region from Dutch-occupied [[Republic of Suriname|Suriname]]. Around the same time, Venezuela became independent from the Spanish.

In 1797, the British seized the island of [[Republic of Trinidad and Tobago|Trinidad]] from Venezuela. The Spanish [[Colonialism|colonizers]] recognized it as British territory five years later with the Treaty of Amiens.<ref name=":2">{{Web citation|author=Saheli Chowdhury|newspaper=[[Orinoco Tribune]]|title=Essequibo and Other Border Issues: Venezuela’s Territorial Losses to Imperialist Powers Through the Centuries (Part 1)|date=2023-12-01|url=https://orinocotribune.com/essequibo-and-other-border-issues-venezuelas-territorial-losses-to-imperialist-powers-through-the-centuries-part-1/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231202012125/https://orinocotribune.com/essequibo-and-other-border-issues-venezuelas-territorial-losses-to-imperialist-powers-through-the-centuries-part-1/|archive-date=2023-12-02}}</ref>

=== Early republic ===
In 1815, Britain recognized the 1777 borders of Venezuela. In 1822, under the orders of [[Simón Bolívar]], Ambassador [[José Rafael Revenga]] criticized British intrusions west of the Esequibo. After [[Gran Colombia]] broke apart, the Michelena-Pombo Treaty of 1833 divided the Guajira Peninsula roughly in half between Colombia and Venezuela. The Venezuelan parliament rejected the treaty and continued to dispute the region until 1883.<ref name=":2" />

In 1840, the Royal Geographic Society of London sent [[Robert Schomburgk]], a [[Holy Roman Empire (800–1806)|German]] geographer, to map the border between Venezuela and British Guyana. His map claimed the sparsely populated Guayana Esequiba and Tigri regions as part of Guyana. In 1841, [[Alejo Fortique]], the Venezuelan ambassador to the UK, argued the Esequibo issue and made the British agree to future negotiations on the border. After he died in 1845, Venezuela agreed to postpone border negotiations.<ref name=":3">{{Web citation|author=Saheli Chowdhuri|newspaper=[[Orinoco Tribune]]|title=Essequibo and Other Border Issues: Venezuela’s Territorial Losses to Imperialist Powers Through the Centuries (Part 2)|date=2023-12-03|url=https://orinocotribune.com/essequibo-and-other-border-issues-venezuelas-territorial-losses-to-imperialist-powers-through-the-centuries-part-2/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204033538/https://orinocotribune.com/essequibo-and-other-border-issues-venezuelas-territorial-losses-to-imperialist-powers-through-the-centuries-part-2/|archive-date=2023-12-04}}</ref>

General [[Ezequiel Zamora]] led the [[peasantry]] in the [[Federal War]] (1859–1863). He fought against the [[ruling class]] while trying to redistribute land and wealth.<ref name=":1">{{Web citation|date=2023-02-28|title=The Strategic Revolutionary Thought and Legacy of Hugo Chávez Ten Years After His Death|url=https://thetricontinental.org/dossier-61-chavez/|newspaper=[[Tricontinental]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230429215204/https://thetricontinental.org/dossier-61-chavez/|archive-date=2023-04-29}}</ref>

=== United States of Venezuela (1864–1953) ===
After the Federal War, Juan Cristósomo Falcón became President and appointed [[Antonio Guzmán Blanco]] as representative to Britain. Britain rejected Guzmán Blanco's attempts to solve the border dispute in the 1870s and 1880s. In 1883, [[Kingdom of Spain (1874–1931)|Spain]] also ended the Guajira dispute in favor of Colombia, and President Guzmán Blanco recognized the result. Venezuela ended relations with the UK in 1887 and mistakenly asked for the USA's help against Britain.[[File:Guyana Disputed Areas.svg.png|thumb|253x253px|Venezuela claims the Guayana Esequiba region, which Guyana currently controls.]]

In 1895, the United States asserted the [[Monroe Doctrine]], which considers the Americas to be territory for colonization by the USA rather than colonization by [[Europe]]. The UK initially refused to negotiate until the USA threatened war. In 1897, after the UK refused to negotiate with Venezuela, which it considered uncivilized, the USA decided to negotiate on Venezuela's behalf without taking its interests into account. The UK and USA created a tribunal of five people: two from the UK and three from the USA. The last member, [[Frederick Fyodor Martens]], was a [[Russian Empire (1721–1917)|Russian]] diplomat who wanted Russia and Britain to cooperate in invading Central Asia. In 1899, the tribunal created the Paris Arbitration Award, which surrendered Guayana Esequibo the British.<ref name=":3" /> The affair was an early instance of the Monroe Doctrine being invoked and the U.S. asserting itself as an imperial power.<ref>[https://history.state.gov/milestones/1866-1898/venezuela “Milestones: 1866–1898 - Office of the Historian.”] 2023. State.gov. 2023.</ref><ref name=":0">Wilkins, Brett. [https://www.telesurenglish.net/opinion/The-History--and-Hypocrisy--of-US-Meddling-in-Venezuela--20190128-0016.html “The History - and Hypocrisy - of US Meddling in Venezuela.”] Telesurenglish.net. teleSUR. 2018. [https://web.archive.org/web/20230307033238/https://www.telesurenglish.net/opinion/The-History--and-Hypocrisy--of-US-Meddling-in-Venezuela--20190128-0016.html Archived] 2023-03-07.</ref>

From 1902 to 1903, Venezuela was blockaded by [[Europe|European]] navies.<ref>{{News citation|title=US Imperialism in Nicaragua and the Making of Sandino|date=2020-02-21|url=https://www.telesurenglish.net/analysis/sandino-us-imperialism-making-20200219-0029.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305215145/https://www.telesurenglish.net/analysis/sandino-us-imperialism-making-20200219-0029.html|archive-date=2021-03-05|retrieved=2022-06-25}}</ref> 

During the [[Dutch-Venezuelan crisis of 1908]], the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] helped Venezuelan Vice President [[Juan Vicente Gomez]] seize power in a coup. Gomez endeared himself to [[Government of the United States of America|Washington]] and [[Wall Street]] by granting highly lucrative concessions to foreign oil companies including [[ExxonMobil|Standard Oil]] (ExxonMobil today) and [[Royal Dutch Shell]].<ref name=":0" />

In December 1936, the oil [[Proletariat|workers]] of Maracaibo went on [[Strike action|strike]].<ref name=":122">{{Citation|author=[[Vijay Prashad]]|year=2008|title=The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World|chapter=Caracas|page=|pdf=https://cloudflare-ipfs.com/ipfs/bafykbzaceascnzh26r5d6uitjjs2z7rflhaxlt7rboz5whzdf76qg6xxvecqq?filename=%28A%20New%20Press%20People%27s%20history%29%20Vijay%20Prashad%20-%20The%20darker%20nations_%20a%20people%27s%20history%20of%20the%20third%20world-The%20New%20Press%20%282008%29.pdf|publisher=The New Press|isbn=9781595583420|lg=https://libgen.rs/book/index.php?md5=9B40B96E830128A7FE0E0E887C06829F}}</ref><sup>:176</sup>

In 1949, the Statesian Judge [[Otto Schoenrich]] published the [[Mallet-Prevost Memorandum]]. [[Severo Mallet-Prevost]] had been one of the Statesian lawyers at the 1899 Paris tribunal along with former [[President of the United States|U.S. president]] [[Benjamin Harrison]] and others. The memorandum described the tribunal in detail and said that the British had forced the U.S. jurors to accept an unequal treaty towards Venezuela.<ref name=":3" />

=== Fourth Republic (1953–1999) ===
Oil production increased after [[Mexican United States|Mexico]] nationalized its oil in 1938, doubling in the 1950s. The dictator [[Marcos Pérez Jiménez]], who ruled from 1952 to 1958, used oil revenues to fund construction projects that did not help the workers. In 1958, a new progressive government led by the [[Democratic Action (Venezuela)|Democratic Action]] party planned to nationalize the oil industry.<ref name=":122" /><sup>:176–9</sup> [[Juan Pablo Pérez Alfonso|Juan Pérez]] helped establish [[Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries|OPEC]] in 1960.<ref name=":122" /><sup>:184</sup>

When Guyana became independent from the British in 1966, Venezuela agreed to temporarily leave the Esequibo region under Guyana's control until they could reach a permanent solution. However, Venezuela did not recognize Guyananese authority over the disputed region. In 1970, with the Port of Spain Protocol, Prime Minister [[Eric Williams]] of Trinidad and Tobago made an agreement that Guyana and Venezuela would maintain bilateral ties and that Venezuela would not claim the Esequibo until 1982.<ref name=":3" /> 

[[Carlos Andrés Pérez]] ruled Venezuela from 1974 to 1979 and again from 1989 to 1993. He implemented the [[Neoliberalism|neoliberal]] Great Turnaround in 1989, causing [[Caracazo|mass protests]]. His successor, [[Rafael Caldera]], continued neoliberal rule and allowed foreign [[Imperialism|imperialists]] to own the economy. In 1992, [[Hugo Chávez]] and the [[MBR-200]] attempted to overthrow the neoliberal government and start a revolution.<ref name=":1" />

=== Bolivarian government (1999–present) ===

==== Chávez presidency ====
[[File:CastroChavez.jpg|thumb|Chávez, right, with Cuban leader [[Fidel Castro]]]]
The Bolivarian Revolution refers to a left-wing [[Populism|populist]] social movement and political process in Venezuela led by Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez who founded the [[Fifth Republic Movement]] and later the [[United Socialist Party of Venezuela]]. The "Bolivarian Revolution" is named after [[Simón Bolívar]], an early 19th-century Venezuelan and Latin American revolutionary leader. According to Chávez and other supporters, the "Bolivarian Revolution" seeks to build a mass movement to implement [[Bolivarianism]]—[[popular democracy]], economic independence, equitable distribution of revenues, and an end to political [[corruption]]—in Venezuela. They interpret Bolívar's ideas from a populist perspective, using [[Socialism|socialist]] rhetoric.<ref>https://www.mintpressnews.com/bolivarianism-vs-fake-us-democracy/38258/</ref>

In 2004, Venezuela began the [[Bolivarian missions|National System of Missions]] to address [[poverty]], [[illiteracy]], and health and housing problems. It also formed the [[Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America]] with [[Republic of Cuba|Cuba]].<ref name=":1" /> The Venezuelan and Cuban governments also teamed up for [[Operation Miracle]], which provided treatment for people with eye problems in the [[Global North and South|Global South]]. The [[Great Housing Mission Venezuela]] has constructed over 4.2 million homes for poor and working class Venezuelans, with a goal of 5 million by 2025.<ref>https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Venezuelan-Government-Has-Built-4.2-Million-Homes-So-Far-20221028-0002.html</ref> In 2006, construction began on a planned socialist community, [[Ciudad Caribia]], which was the brainchild of Chávez.

On March 5, 2013, Chavez died after 14 years in office. His vice president [[Nicolás Maduro]] took over the office of the presidency.

==== Maduro presidency ====
The US maintains a blockade against Venezuela to try to strangle their independent economy. In August of 2021, Peru announced it would no longer participate in the blockade.<ref>[https://orinocotribune.com/peru-will-no-longer-support-blockade-on-venezuela/?fbclid=IwAR3ccbSE2XbDbpEYHe1XtQB4h3QiG6nIbOGH9dgoO0A6AlPnubvnUrEKBio Peru Will no Longer Support Blockade on Venezuela]</ref> The blockade against Venezuela even negatively affects US businesses<ref>[https://orinocotribune.com/blockade-against-venezuela-makes-us-businesses-suffer-us-exports-dropped-by-93-from-2012-to-2020/ Blockade Against Venezuela Makes US Businesses Suffer: US Exports Dropped by 93% from 2012 to 2020] by [[Orinoco Tribune]]</ref> and has caused 40,000 deaths due to lack of food and medicine.<ref>{{News citation|journalist=Andrew Buncombe|date=2019-04-26|title=US sanctions on Venezuela responsible for 'tens of thousands' of deaths, claims new report|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/venezuela-sanctions-us-excess-death-toll-economy-oil-trump-maduro-juan-guaido-jeffrey-sachs-a8888516.html|newspaper=Independent|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219184503/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/venezuela-sanctions-us-excess-death-toll-economy-oil-trump-maduro-juan-guaido-jeffrey-sachs-a8888516.html|archive-date=2022-02-19|retrieved=2022-03-11}}</ref> Venezuelan capitalists have burned food<ref>{{News citation|newspaper=[[TeleSur]]|title=Venezuela Protesters Set 40 Tons of Subsidized Food on Fire|date=2017-06-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180514115445/http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Venezuela-Protesters-Set-40-Tons-of-Subsidized-Food-on-Fire-20170630-0017.html|archive-date=2018-05-14}}</ref> and buried it underground.<ref>{{News citation|newspaper=[[TeleSur]]|title=Venezuela's Economic War: Tons of Food Found Buried Underground|date=2015-08-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926075944/http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Venezuelas-Economic-War-Tons-of-Food-Found-Buried-Underground-20150817-0024.html|archive-date=2015-09-26}}</ref> Despite this, Venezuela's malnutrition rate has decreased from 13.2% in 2001 to 8.2% in 2017.<ref>{{News citation|author=Food and Agriculture Organization|newspaper=[[World Bank]]|title=Prevalence of undernourishment (% of population)|url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SN.ITK.DEFC.ZS?page=4&year_high_desc=false|retrieved=2022-04-15}}</ref>

In 2021, president [[Nicolás Maduro|Maduro]] spoke to the [[United Nations|UN]] General Assembly saying that 'we must build a "new world without imperialism"'<ref>[https://benjaminnorton.substack.com/p/venezuela-at-un-we-must-build-new Venezuela at UN: We must build 'new world without imperialism'] by [[Ben Norton]] of [[Moderate Rebels]] on Substack Sep 22, 2021</ref>

Despite their elections being declared democratic by the US-based Carter Center<ref>[https://www.cartercenter.org/countries/venezuela.html Carter Center > Venezuela > Monitoring Elections]</ref>, and not having the death penalty<ref>Roger G. Hood. ''The death penalty: a worldwide perspective'', [[Oxford University Press]], 2002. p10</ref><ref>''Determinants of the death penalty: a comparative study of the world'', Carsten Anckar, Routledge, 2004, ISBN [tel:0-415-33398 0-415-33398], p.17</ref>, the US media insists that Venezuela is a dictatorship with no regard for human rights, thus trying to lay the groundwork for "[[Humanitarian intervention|humanitarian interventions]]"<ref>[https://orinocotribune.com/venezuelas-strange-dictatorship/ Venezuela’s Strange Dictatorship] by [[Orinco Tribune|Orinoco Tribune]]</ref>

Despite attempts at economic isolation, the US was forced to re-engage the Venezuelan economy for its oil.<ref>{{News citation|author=Francisco Dominguez|newspaper=Morning Star, Popular Resistance|title=MADURO’S SUCCESS: PRINCIPLED RESISTANCE TO IMPERIALISM PAYS OFF|date=2022-06-01|url=https://popularresistance.org/maduros-success-principled-resistance-to-imperialism-pays-off/}}</ref>

On March 17, 2022, President Maduro announced a new social media app called [[Ven App]] which will be used as a means of direct communication with the government, in an effort to help the government reach citizens with better services. It has been inspired by [[Russian Federation|Russia]]'s [[VK]] and [[People's Republic of China|China]]'s [[WeChat]].<ref>{{News citation|title=Ven App: Venezuela’s New Social Media|date=2022-03-27|url=https://orinocotribune.com/ven-app-venezuelas-new-social-media/}}</ref>
== Imperialist aggression ==

=== US coup attempts ===
[[Chavismo]] has attracted repeated attacks from the US imperialists to the north, including coup attempts in 2002, [[2019 Venezuelan uprising attempt|2019]], and [[Operation Gideon|2020]],<ref>{{News citation|journalist=[[Benjamin Norton]]|date=2022-02-06|title=CIA backed failed 2020 invasion of Venezuela, top coup-plotter says|url=https://youtu.be/v5K4ktRw0Ps|newspaper=[[Multipolarista]]}}</ref> among others.<ref>https://elpais.com/diario/2002/04/17/internacional/1018994403_850215.html</ref><ref>https://www.rt.com/usa/497111-trump-ruined-venezuela-coup/</ref>

In his 2020 memoir ''The Room Where It Happened'', [[John Bolton]], former National Security Advisor under U.S. President [[Donald Trump]], wrote regarding Venezuela:<blockquote>Shortly after the drone attack [on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on August 4, 2018]<ref>{{News citation|author=Joe Parkin Daniels|newspaper=The Guardian|title=Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro survives apparent assassination attempt|date=2018-08-05|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/04/nicolas-maduros-speech-cut-short-while-soldiers-scatter|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220715064109/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/04/nicolas-maduros-speech-cut-short-while-soldiers-scatter|archive-date=2022-07-15|retrieved=2022-07-15}}</ref>, during an unrelated meeting on August 15, Venezuela came up, and Trump said to me emphatically, “Get it done," meaning get rid of the Maduro regime. “This is the fifth time I've asked for it,” he continued. [...] Trump insisted he wanted military options for Venezuela and then keep it because “it's really part of the United States.”<ref>{{Citation|author=John Bolton|year=2020|title=The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir|title-url=https://books.google.co.kr/books?id=QjTMDwAAQBAJ&lpg=PP1&hl=ko&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false|chapter=Chapter 9: Venezuela Libre|quote=Shortly after the drone attack, during an unrelated meeting on August 15, Venezuela came up, and Trump said to me emphatically, “Get it done," meaning get rid of the Maduro regime. “This is the fifth time I've asked for it,” he continued. I described the thinking we were doing, in a meeting now slimmed down to just Kelly and me, but Trump insisted he wanted military options for Venezuela and then keep it because “it's really part of the United States.”|publisher=Simon and Schuster}}</ref></blockquote>

=== Sanctions ===
The United States and [[Canada]] have placed [[Economic sanctions|sanctions]] on Venezuela. Donald Trump encouraged the [[European Union|EU]] to sanction Venezuela as well.<ref>{{Web citation|author=[[Eugene Puryear]]|newspaper=[[Liberation School]]|title=Is Venezuela Turning Further Left?|date=2017-10-11|url=https://www.liberationschool.org/is-venezuela-turning-left/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122044427/https://www.liberationschool.org/is-venezuela-turning-left/|archive-date=2022-01-22|retrieved=2022-11-27}}</ref>

In early 2019, the United States began an embargo of Venezuela's oil industry, the most important sector of its economy.<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=[[Liberation News]]|title=PSL Editorial – End the U.S. economic war on Venezuela now!|date=2022-11-28|url=https://www.liberationnews.org/psl-editorial-end-the-u-s-economic-war-on-venezuela-now/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127054344/https://www.liberationnews.org/psl-editorial-end-the-u-s-economic-war-on-venezuela-now/|archive-date=2023-01-27}}</ref>

== References ==
<references />
[[Category:Countries]]
[[Category:Latin American countries]]
[[Category:Global south]]
[[Category:Anti-imperialist states]]
[[Category:Countries sanctioned by the US]]
[[Category:Targets of regime change operations]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Venezuela}}