Venezuelan History
Welcome to the study of the history of Venezuela. In addition to being the country we all are living in at present, Venezuela has an extremely fascinating history in its own right and would be of interest to anyone who wants to understand the progression of events that has helped to shape the history of the Western Hemisphere and global events beyond Venezuela’s borders. It is a country with an increasingly high profile in world affairs, and barely a day goes by without some reference to Venezuela in the international news media. It is not a heavily populated country, having less than 30 million citizens, but due to several factors that helped to shape its historical evolution, Venezuela stands out as an exemplar of the ideas, personalities, conflicts, and challenges that characterize modern world history. Venezuelan History studies the unique events, philosophies, and people of Venezuela, as well as its contributions to the development of the Western Hemisphere and the world. It focuses on the country’s geographical features and their impact on people’s lives, the events and ideas that led up to the origins of Venezuela as an independent country, its unique legal foundations, its cultural and ethnic diversity, its economic development, the conflicts and wars it has experienced, its relationships with other countries, its important personalities and leaders, its arts and literature, and its cultural and political evolution in the modern age. In addition to connecting Venezuela’s history to the broader historical context from which it emerges, another important guiding principle for our class will be the focus on using the study of history to help us understand the world we live in today. Just as the context of modern world history helps us understand the specific events of Venezuelan History, it is equally vital that we get a sense of how the events of the past create the conditions for what we see in the present day. Information Sources A wide variety of electronic and text sources will be used in our class. In general, particular chapters or sections will be taken from specific books, depending upon how well those selections describe the topics we will study. Among the text sources we will use will be the following: Tarver H.M. and Frederick J.C. (2006) The history of Venezuela. New York: Palgrave MacMillan Marquez G.G. (1990) The General in his Labyrinth. There will also be numerous supplemental and online resources used in the class. Grading
Late Work Policy Assignments that are submitted late will lose 10% of earned credit for every day overdue up to day 5, when you get a zero if you have not submitted your work. Units of Study 1. A Petroleum Republic: geography, people, symbols, economy, politics. 2. Pre-Hispanic Venezuela, European Arrival, 3. Colonial Era: Administration, Church, Education and Learning, Commerce, Fortifications, Society. 4. Movements towards Independence (1810-1830) 5. Caudillismo (1830-1898) 6. Restoration and Rehabilitation (1899-1935) 7. Modern Venezuela (1935-1958) 8. Return to Democracy (1959-1963) 9. Institutionalization of Democracy (1964-1973) 10. Venezuelan Boom and Bust (1974-1988) 11. Chaos (1989-1998) 11. The Bolivarian Revolution (1998- ). |
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