José Cipriano Castro Ruiz (1858-1924) was one of 5 military generals from the

Andean state of Tachira to rule Venezuela over the next 46 years. Cipriano seized
power by marching on Caracas in 1899 in an event known as the Revolución Liberal
Restauradora. He declared himself as supreme military commander, and set up his
cabinet. His Vice President, Juan Vicente Gomez (1857 - 1935), would later
overthrow him while Castro was in Europe for medical treatment. Castro was in
office during the Venezuelan Crisis of 1902-1903, consisting of a naval blockade
imposed by Britain, Germany, and Italy. This blockade was a result of Castro's
refusal to pay foreign debts. Castro was under the impression that the United
States' Monroe Doctrine would prevent military intervention, but he was wrong. The
US simply saw the doctrine as in reference to territorial acquisition rather than
military action. Cipriano is cited as one of the worst dictators in Venezuelan history
by many historians. Luckily, when Juan Gomez seized power in 1908, he managed
to deflate the national debt to Britain, Germany, and Italy. This was accomplished
by him winning the support of the US by granting concessions to oil companies after
the discovery of petroleum in Lake Maracaibo. This brought about economic
stability in the country. Gomez also used the wealth from the discoveries of oil to
develop a modern infrastructure. Gomez remained a de facto ruler on and off from
1908 until his death in 1935, and carried on Andean line of unelected military
strongmen. Eleazar Lopez Contreras (1883 - 1973) succeeded Juan Gomez as
president of Venezuela. During his 5 year term in office from 1936 to 1941, he
made many plans for social and economic reform within the country, even while
under pressure from the general public, demanding an end to the "gomecista
inheritance". One of his most notable achievements was the modern Labor Law of
1936. However, with his signing of the "Treaty of Limits with Colombia", Venezuela
lost 108,000 square kilometers of land to Colombia. Lopez was succeeded by Isaias
Medina Angarita (1897 - 1953), who continued his social and economic reforms for
the most part. Medina did several notable things during his 4 year term from 1941-
1945. In 1943, Medina formed the Venezuelan Democratic Party, though he was
heavily criticized for being too liberal. Most notably, he granted women the right to
vote, for the first time in Venezuelan history. However, after the legalization of the
Venezuelan Communist Party, and his failure to implement universal suffrage, and
the secret ballot, he was overthrown on the 18th of October, 1945. He was then
exiled, and fled to New York, but after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage, he was
allowed to return to Caracas where he then died. Marcos Evangelista Perez Jimenez
(1914 - 2001) came to power in 1952 after participating in a number of coups
d'état. Perez was put in power by a military junta, and was given dictatorial powers,
and then changed the name from the "United States of Venezuela" to the "Republic
of Venezuela". This has often been attributed to strong anti-US feelings felt by Perez
and his compatriots. During his term as president, Perez undertook a number of
infrastructure projects in an attempt to update Venezuela's already aging
infrastructure. While opposition to his reign was brutally oppressed, the Venezuelan
economy significantly improved during his tenure. In an uprising of 1958, Perez left
the country and his office due to mass riots in the streets and popular dislike. All
five of these presidents, in addition to being from Tachira, obtained their power as a
result of a military undertaking. Whether it be a revolution, coup, or puppet
government.

-Ileana Martinez