Breakdown of Venezuelan Democracy Research Paper

Breakdown of Venezuelan Democracy - Research Paper Example This began in the 1960s when Venezuela got democratic presidents who steered the country on a path of democratic reforms (Levine, â€Å"Transition† 49). During this period, Venezuela emerged as a model democracy in the Latin America region, which was plagued with undemocratic governments and weak social policies. The democratic presidents that served Venezuela between the 1960s and the 1990s placed Venezuela on a path for growth of democracy as well as the economy (Golinger 23). During this period, the people of Venezuela enjoyed better incomes because of the effective policies and governance that was in place. However, the period of Venezuelan democracy was short-lived. The crumbling of the democracy in Venezuela started showing in the 1970s and 1980s when corruption became rife. This corruption was mainly fuelled by the growing revenues from the country’s main resources, oil. This growing corruption adversely affected the gains made in the previous years and led to the decline of President Carlos Andrà ©s Pà ©rez’s credibility, which led to his impeachment and imprisonment (Golinger 24-25). A new president, Rafael Caldera took over power but did not make any major positive changes to the country. This ultimately led to his defeat in the 1998 elections by Hugo Chà ¡vez., who was president until his death in 2013.