5 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF JUAN VICENTE GÓMEZ - HISTORY - 2025

Among the main characteristics of the government of Juan Vicente Gómez, the improvement of the economy in the agricultural field, the development of the oil industry and the little investment in education stand out.

Juan Vicente Gómez (1857 - 1935) was a Venezuelan dictator who ruled the country between 1908 and 1935, until his death.

He was the strongest dictator the country has had in its entire history. His motto while in government was "Union, peace and work."

Juan Vicente Gómez came to power after giving a coup in 1908, taking advantage of the absence of the then president of the country, Cipriano Castro, who had retired abroad due to illness.

At that time he was vice president of the Republic, but he worked together with the United States government so that Castro could not return to power.

The dictatorship of Juan Vicente Gómez moved the country forward in many ways, especially due to the great public works it carried out. For example, it built the first airports in the country.

However, to stay in power he produced great bloodshed, despite trying to maintain a constitutional and democratic facade.

To do this, he placed several puppet presidents in power that allowed him to continue ruling in the shadows.

The 5 main characteristics of the government of Juan Vicente Gómez

1- He governed directly and indirectly

Although on many occasions he was president of the Republic directly, at other times he put his colleagues and trusted people in power to govern through them.

Some of the presidents he put in power were José Gil Fortoul, Victoriano Márquez Bustillo and Juan Bautista Pérez.

After the government of the latter, Juan Vicente Gómez returned to the presidency until he died in power.

2- The economy of agricultural Venezuela improved

The first years of his government were characterized by Venezuela's dependence on its production of agricultural products.

Some of his biggest exports were coffee and cocoa, on which his wealth depended heavily.

To improve the economy at this time, he facilitated foreign investments by giving them tax exemptions, as well as offers so they could move to the country more easily.

Gómez was also one of the largest landowners in the country, even saying at times during his government that "he was the owner of the country." Therefore, he was very interested in developing the agricultural economy of Venezuela.

3- Developed the oil Venezuela

In the early 1920s, large oil fields were discovered in the country. Gómez once again bet on foreign capital, and facilitated the investments of other countries in this new industry.

In 1925, oil had already become the country's first export product; and by 1928, Venezuela was already the first oil-producing country in the world.

Obviously, this fact gave the country a lot of wealth. However, in 1929 Venezuela was also affected by the great economic crisis that originated in the United States.

4- The distribution of the population changed

During the Gómez government, as the industry developed (mainly the oil industry), the population began to migrate from the countryside to the cities.

During most of his mandate there was a great population increase, except between 1911 and 1920, due to various epidemics such as malaria.

5- He neglected education and confronted cultural leaders

Gómez practically eliminated aid to education, being the period of his government in which less money was invested in schools and education.

This fact earned him the hatred of much of the country's intellectual elite. So much so that the so-called Generation of 28 arises, made up of students who rebelled against the Gómez government in that year.

References

1. "Juan Vicente Gómez" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: December 21, 2017 from Wikipedia: es.wikipedia.org
2. "Government of Juan Vicente Gómez 1908 - 1935" in: Espacio de Isaurajriver. Retrieved on: December 21, 2017 from Isaurajriver Space: isaurajriver.wordpress.com
3. "Characteristics of the government of Juan Vicente Gómez" in: Guao. Retrieved on: December 21, 2017 from Guao: guao.org
4. "Government of Juan Vicente Gómez 1908 - 1935" in: Monographs. Retrieved on: December 21, 2017 from Monographs: monografias.com
5. "Dictatorship of Juan Vicente Gómez" in: El Rincón del Vago. Retrieved on: December 21, 2017 from El Rincón del Vago: rincondelvago.com