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Venezuela: A History From Spanish Empire to Petro-State Collapse
Paperback
Series: Nations in Crisis
General Political ScienceSouth American History
Publisher: Economic Reader Press
Published: Jan 4 2026
Pages: 268
Weight: 0.80
Height: 0.61 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
For much of the twentieth century, Venezuela was one of Latin America's wealthiest nations. By the early twenty-first century, it had become a symbol of economic collapse, political paralysis, and mass migration. This book explains how that transformation unfolded and why recovery has proven so difficult.
Taking a long historical view, it traces Venezuela's development from Spanish colonial rule through independence, oil wealth, and the modern crisis. Rather than focusing on ideology or individual leaders, it examines how institutions formed, how power became concentrated, and how dependence on extractive wealth reshaped governance over time.
The book follows Venezuela's trajectory through the twentieth century and into the twenty-first, including the Chávez and Maduro years, international pressure, sanctions, and developments up to 2026. It shows how repeated attempts at reform and intervention failed not because of a single decision or moment, but because institutional capacity had already eroded.
Clear, measured, and non-polemical, this is a history of endurance as much as collapse. It offers context and analysis for readers seeking to understand Venezuela beyond headlines and short-term explanations.
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