Discussion Questions

• If Venezuela was merely an outpost for the Spanish empire in America, why and how did Caracas become such a significant city?
• Define the tradition of caudillismo, and explain how it applies to Venezuela.
• What was the “Roosevelt Corollary,” and what were its messages?
• What were the social and political consequences of Venezuela’s reliance on petroleum exports throughout the twentieth century?
• What explains the demise of Venezuela’s two-party system between the 1960s and the 1990s?
• What conditions led to the political rise of Hugo Chávez? Was he an opportunist or a revolutionary? How will the country be affected by his death in March 2013?