Venezuelan Politics: 19th & 20th Centuries

Posted on Mar 16, 2025 in History

Venezuelan Politics: 19th and 20th Centuries

Liberal Party

Founder: Antonio Guzmán Leocadio.

Sectors that supported it: Estate owners, landlords, and ruined warlords left out of government.

Program:

  • Breaking the exclusive political group that had taken over the government since 1830.
  • Deleting commercial courts because they were those who taught, in a fast way, the execution of the debtors.

Conservative Party

Founder: José Antonio Páez.

Sectors that supported him: Loan sharks, moneylenders, trade monopoly, and the civil bureaucracy established by public employees.

Program:

  • Keeping slavery.
  • Conserving the death penalty.
  • Establishing and attempting to keep centralism as a form of government.

Government of Monagas (First Term)

Features:

  • Conservatives and Liberals fought through a peasant insurrection.
  • Páez’s supporters supported Rafael Urdaneta.
  • Liberals supported Leocadio Guzmán.
  • Antonio Urdaneta died.
  • Páez, the new candidate, died.

Background:

  • Monagas won the presidency with the help of conservatives.
  • Monagas turned his back on Páez and removed conservatives.
  • He ended the dominance of conservatives.

Presidency of Carlos Soublette

Political Features:

  • For public office, he only put his friends and relatives.
  • Several liberals, among them Leocadio Guzmán.
  • There is a struggle between conservatives and liberals.
  • After finishing his term, his brother José Gregorio Monagas became President.

Government of Monagas (Mentioned Twice – Combined Above)

Blue Revolution

Leader: José Tadeo Monagas.

Purpose: Toppling the government of General Juan Crisóstomo Falcón.

Consequences:

  • José Tadeo Monagas’s glorious entrance into the presidency on June 26th.
  • A proportional government is formed.

Government of the Blues

Preceded by: José Tadeo Monagas.

Characteristics:

  • José Tadeo Monagas died on November 18, 1868.
  • Fight in Zulia, Maracaibo.
  • Independent decision.
  • Thumb was defeated, taken prisoner, and sent to Puerto Cabello.
  • Beginning of a new war period: From 1868 to 1870.

Government of Pablo Rojas Paúl

Features:

  • Support for Rojas Paúl from Guzmán led to the breakup of White Crespo.
  • General Joaquin de Rojas Paul’s administration is developing a crisis.
  • The win over politics.
  • Crespo and the independent attitude he took against Guzmán Blanco.

Government of Andueza Palacio

Features:

  • At the end of his term, he proposed to carry out constitutional reforms initiated by his predecessor, Rojas Paúl.
  • Crespo rose against the government of Andueza Palacio, in front of the “Legislative Revolution.”
  • Preceded by: Rojas Paúl.
  • Duration: From 1890 to 1892.

Second Government of Crespo

Preceded by: Villegas Pulido.

Features:

  • Put on trial for civil liability of public functions.
  • Previous government’s economic upset.
  • Duration: From 1892 until 1898.

Castro Government

Year: 1899-1908.

Arrival of Cipriano Castro in Power:

  • General Cipriano Castro invaded Caracas with the slogan “Liberal Restorer.”
  • The Liberal Revolution was supported by peasants, musicians, craftsmen, teachers, and military personnel such as Juan Vicente Gómez.
  • He formed his own party called “Liberal Restorer.”
  • His government was characterized by despotism, repression, and terror.
  • Most of the warlords were expelled or imprisoned.
  • Nationalist.

Revolution enacted in 1904:

  • The states were reduced to 13 and lost their autonomy.
  • Increases the constitutional period to 6 years.
  • The military academy was created.
  • The law of divorce was created.