The shape of the Venezuelan nation has been suffering for decades now. What was once a booming country has been on a rapid decline. The petrostate quality of the nation has switched from a saving grace to a hindrance under the elites and governance of Venezuela in the last few decades. A nation dependent on the riches of oil has failed to see any of the profit in their country. The nation is threatened by its authoritarian elites and lack of economic safeguards that have forced upon the country, democratic erosion. The people of Venezuela are suffering and have entered a humanitarian crisis, with an unforeseeable positive outcome.

How It All Began

In 1958, Venezuela overthrew a military dictatorship that had controlled it for ten years and moved to the practice of democratic elections. Venezuela has the most oil deposits of any other country. The abundance of this natural resource contributed to Venezuela’s wealth. Every Venezuelan president focused solely on the oil trade and the riches it would provide. From the profit of its oil, Venezuela imports all its goods. Not one governing body of Venezuela pushed for the resources the people depend on to be housed in Venezuela. As the oil economy fluctuates, the Venezuelan economy fluctuates directly. The elites of Venezuela have not contributed to preserving the economy and the country, and as a result, the people have felt the detrimental effects. 

Arguably, politics is a game of control in which the elites, regardless of their policies, have at least some sort of self-interest. This is the exact reasoning behind the position both Nicolás Maduro and Hugo Chávez placed their country in. Chávez was the first contributor to the beginning of the democratic erosion of Venezuela, but Maduro continued the backsliding of the once-strong nation.

The Effect of the Presidencies

In the last two decades, both Nicolás Maduro and Hugo Chávez contributed to the economic oil crisis. Hugo Chávez, through his executive power, made significant changes. According to the PBS article, “He abolished the congress and the supreme court in the first year of his government. Then he proposed a new constitution…”. Chávez directed his efforts towards programs to assist the poor while quickly and “silently” reconstructing the government’s framework to push these policies. The riches of Venezuela’s economy due to the oil were funneled into these programs. One slight oversee, was that these riches fluctuated, and Venezuela’s elites failed to plan around these fluctuating funds. Venezuela spent money that their economy did not have. Actions such as reconstructing a framework that was created to protect the people are an act of authoritarianism and lead to distrust in the government. Although these actions immediately led to democratic erosion, they were inconspicuous as the focus on the “good” Chávez was doing was pushed through the media. The assistance programs that Chávez implemented contributed to the decline in the economy as funding was poured into the programs without the government considering an affordable amount. Venezuela was placed into a deficit.

Nicolás Maduro approached his presidency with full control (authoritarianism). Venezuela’s government consists of an elective branch, the Supreme Court, and the National Assembly. Maduro filled positions within the government branches with his supporters. He attempted to reconstruct the system by removing the National Assembly, which is the voice of the people. The uproar forced Maduro to forgo those plans. Instead, Maduro held a reelection for the members of the assembly. Regardless, Maduro was able to ultimately influence his cabinet to match the desires of his rule. Currently, Maduro has complete control over government officials and the military of Venezuela. Maduro has ensured the riches of his officials, through corrupted economics. These elites have continued to make executive decisions, especially in regard to the economy, that the people are severely affected by. The people of Venezuela lack control over the path their country is on, and their voices are silenced.

Hugo Chávez, from the beginning, used the media to his advantage of reaching the people. In the article, “Dangerous Demagogues and Weaponized Communication” by Jennifer Mercieca, she defines weaponized communication as, “the strategic use of communication as an instrumental tool and as an aggressive means to gain compliance and avoid accountability” (Mercieca 266). Chávez began a weekly television program called “Aló Presidente” where he would address Venezuela on current events, the needs of Venezuela, and the greatness of his Presidency through his eyes. This was a strong tactic employed by Chávez to manipulate the people and boost support for his campaigns. Through the media, he was able to connect with the people, convince them of his ideals, and manipulate any opposition into looking ignorant.  

This abuse of the media has contributed to the public’s image of the elites who have ruled Venezuela. The media has allowed these elites to gain support for programs that were presented to be an assistance, however the economy has folded as oil production cannot account for the increasingly severe dependency. These programs have surged the dependency even further due to the lack of economic backing.

A Humanitarian Crisis Today

Venezuela’s economy has remained unrecovered, and the Bolívar (Venezuelan dollar) is worth almost nothing. Currency has no value in the country and medicine, food, water, and basic necessities are scarce. According to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, “With an exodus of more than 7.71 million people (as of August 2023), the refugee crisis in Venezuela is the largest-ever refugee crisis in Latin America and one of the largest in the world”. As Venezuela has become unsurvivable, its people are searching for any way to survive and are struggling to even stay in their native country. This strain has now been placed on surrounding countries to support the refugees.

Has Democracy Been Destroyed Completely? What’s Next?

Venezuela in 2023 has been deemed as “Not Free”. Venezuela’s political rights and civil liberties scores are detrimentally low. Venezuela has democratically eroded, and the future looks dim. If Venezuela is to ever recover, there must be monumental foundational changes to the economy and the control of the elites.

Works Cited

“Frontline/World Fellows. Venezuela – A Critical Turning Point. Hugo Chavez Comes to

Power.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service,

www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/fellows/venezuela0803/2.html. Accessed 7 Oct. 2023.

Mercieca, Jennifer R. “Dangerous Demagogues and Weaponized Communication.” Rhetoric

Society Quarterly, vol. 49, no. 3, 2019, pp. 264–279,

https://doi.org/10.1080/02773945.2019.1610640.

“The Collapse of Venezuela, Explained.” YouTube, Vox, 25 Aug. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1gUR8wM5vA. Accessed 4 Nov. 2023.

“The Hugo Chavez Show.” Frontline, 2008, https://www.pbs.org/video/frontline-the-hugo-chavez-show/. Accessed 4 Nov. 2023.

“Venezuela: Freedom in the World 2023 Country Report.” Freedom House, freedomhouse.org/country/venezuela/freedom-world/2023. Accessed 4 Nov. 2023.

“Venezuelan Humanitarian and Refugee Crisis – CDP.” Center for Disaster Philanthropy, 18 Sept. 2023, disasterphilanthropy.org/disasters/venezuelan-refugee-crisis/.