Importance of the Coup in Venezuela of 1958

It included the deposition of power of the dictator Marcos Pérez Jiménez after 6 years at the helm of the Venezuelan executive, developing a systematic policy of attacking the political opposition, of repression of the press, and of all those who they thought differently.

Departure from the dictatorship and celebration for the arrival of democracy

From this moment, for the country, said day became a day of celebration for the democracy.

After several unsuccessful attempts that began at the beginning of that year, on January 23, his forced departure from government and his permanent flight from the country took place.

A repressive power, which promoted perpetuation in power and with which it was necessary to end

The political and military crisis of his management was the trigger for his overthrow at the hands of his colleagues who absolutely disapproved of his increasingly closed measures and tending to be perpetuated in the can.

He was politically protected by the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco and resided in Madrid until he died, despite the accusations in his against for having appropriated millions belonging to the public treasury and for the deaths that he ordered in the bloody demonstrations in his against.

Provisional government and governance agreement

After his departure from power, Rear Admiral Wolfgang Larrazábal took over provisionally and formed the Provisional Board of Government whose main missions were the signing of the Puntofijo agreement and the call for elections that same year.

Said pact, signed on October 31, 1958, enjoyed the importance of implying a governance agreement between the political parties back then, and the military.

Free elections and democratic restoration

Without it, it would not have been possible to prepare the country to achieve presidential elections in peace and to provide a framework of stability for the nation.

The great commitment reached by the parties signing the pact was to defend constitutional rights, accept the results elections, without exceptions, and outline a common government plan containing the main proposals of the groups involved.

On December 7, 1958, Rómulo Betancourt was chosen as president of the nation, by Acción Democrática, leaving on the road Rafael Caldera Rodríguez of COPEI, and Larrazábal, who was until that moment the provisional president, of the Unión Republicana Democratic.

Betancourt was considered in Venezuelan history as the father of democracy since he had an arduous task in this sense, of affirm this political system that had been badly hit by the dictatorship and military coups, and to accompany this process he promoted a new Constitution national.

On the other hand, he managed to improve the depressed economy left by the Jiménez dictatorship by joining an organization of countries to export Petroleum, one of the great resources of the country.

He also allocated a very important investment in education.

But without a doubt, his most notable contribution was to open a political time of calm in which democracy prevailed.

Photos Justo Molina Collection