Juan Vicente Gomez

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Juan Vicente Gomez

Juan Vicente Gómez [ ˈɡomes ] (born  July 24, 1857 in San Antonio de Táchira , †  December 17, 1935 in Maracay ) was a Venezuelan politician and officer who ruled Venezuela from 1908 until his death in 1935 as dictator . He left a country free from debt, but also mercilessly suppressed his opponents.

Beginnings

Juan Vicente Gómez was born on June 24, 1857 in San Antonio, Táchira state . Following the example of his father, Pedro Cornelio Gómez , he chose a military career. When his father died in 1883, he took over the management of the family.

Cipriano Castro

Cipriano Castro two years before he was ousted by Gómez in 1908

Three years later he met Cipriano Castro , the Gómez and the Castros were among the most powerful families in the region. The two became friends, and Castro made him a colonel in his own army . In 1892, after a constitutional crisis , the ex-president Joaquín Crespo ventured into an armed rebellion, which was to be put down by Cipriano Castro. Crespo remained victorious, so that Gómez and Castro had to go into exile in Colombia by 1899 . On May 23 of this year, the two of them - Gómez already with the rank of general and as deputy to Castro - invaded Táchira and finally took control of Caracas on October 22. Gómez was appointed governor of the federal district.

In 1901, Castro implemented a new constitution - Venezuela had a total of 22 constitutions from independence in 1831 to 1945 - and was officially appointed president by the National Constituent Assembly. Gómez and General Ramón Ayala became vice-presidents.

On December 20 of the same year, Gómez was appointed division general to put down a revolt by military leaders and landowners, which he succeeded by July 1903. That earned him the nickname "El Pacificador". The military triumph made Gómez so popular that Castro suspected him of trying to overthrow him. In 1906 he announced his retirement from the presidency to test Gómez's reaction, but Gómez did not react.

In 1908 Castro had to travel to Europe to receive medical treatment. This time Vice President Gómez took the opportunity and organized a coup. He forbade Castro to return and forced him to live in exile.

The dictatorship

When Gómez seized power, it was generally assumed that the days of dictatorships were over and that the "Pacificador" Gómez would grant the people extensive freedoms. "Gómez's response was brutal," as a newspaper said, which was subsequently closed. On the other hand, he released the political prisoners from the time of Castro.

Gómez was not formally president until 1910, when he was elected by Congress. To keep up appearances, his presidency was "interrupted" from 1914 to 1915 and from 1929 to 1931 by other governments who, however, obeyed his orders. During this time he acted as commander in chief of the armed forces .

Although Gómez is widely regarded as a dictator, his regime always tried to maintain a democratic facade; various amendments to the constitution allowed him to extend his terms of office and control the governments at will. In August 1929, an attempt at an uprising from exile by General Román Delgado Chalbaud , who fell in a skirmish with government troops on August 11, failed .

The government

The dictator went tough with opposition members, including, according to his understanding, people who had only criticized individual measures. They were either put in prisons or used in road building. The state revenues were used by him and his family members without having to submit an account.

What appeared to be a democracy to the outside world happened internally, for example, that Gómez's secretaries sent messages that the general wished to see Juan Pérez win in an election, whereupon the voters “voted” for Juan Pérez. In view of these circumstances, few people dared to do anything against the dictatorship.

Gómez also changed the constitution at will, for example when he wanted to take over the post of commander-in-chief of the armed forces while a governor controlled the government. He always had a majority in parliament that met his wishes. As the last enemy he eliminated General Nicolas Rolando , which also broke the resistance in the armed forces to his rule.

Gomez Oil

In 1917, oil was discovered in Venezuela, whereupon Gómez invited companies from the United States to produce it. You have been granted extensive rights. With the income, Gómez paid off the enormous national debt that came from the time before Castro. The conflict was so advanced at that time that the European creditors in 1902/1903 blocked Venezuelan ports with warships and threatened war. Now Venezuela turned into the only debt-free country in South America, and Gómez was able to use the additional state income at his personal discretion. He also invested part of the income for an extensive road network, with which the country was united.

Venezuela developed under the dictatorship of Juan Vicente Gómez into one of the leading economic powers in Latin America with a stable currency. The agrarian state turned into an exporter of raw materials; Venezuela became the third largest oil producer in the world. However, only two percent of the population found work in the oil industry, while agricultural workers continued to live on the edge of the subsistence level. During Gómez's rule, aviation was also introduced in Venezuela, including airmail and the construction of airports. He integrated the country's various private armies into the National Armed Forces and subjected them to a modernization program, including the establishment of a military academy.

death

Juan Vicente Gómez (left) with his successor López Contreras, 1934

In 1928 a group of students from the Central University of Venezuela rose against the rule of Gómez. They failed and increased the number of political prisoners who were used in road construction. The expression "generation of '28" goes back to them.

When Gómez died in 1935, there was general cheer. His vast fortune, estimated at 115 million bolívares, was confiscated in favor of the state budget the following year.

See also

Web links

Commons : Juan Vicente Gómez  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Gomez, Juan Vicente
BRIEF DESCRIPTION President of Venezuela
DATE OF BIRTH July 24, 1857
PLACE OF BIRTH San Antonio de Táchira
DATE OF DEATH December 17, 1935
Place of death Maracay