Global+Interactions+of+Central+&+South+America

Hugo Chavez [|(image 1] [|image 2] ) Hugo Chavez is the fifty-third president of Venezuela, and is currently one of the most controversial figures in Southern America. he was born on July, 28th, 1954. He founded the organization that promoted democratic socialism, which he refers to as “21st Century Socialism.” His past experiences have included the military, a coup d’état, a short stint in jail, and eventually his candidacy for president. He notes some of his idols as Simón Bolívar and Fidel Castro. Chavez earned his engineering degree from the Military Academy of Venezuela and was a member of the army for seventeen years. It was during this time that he began to lecture heavily, and he constantly criticized the Venezuelan government. He then began his graduate studies at Simón Bolívar University, but he never completed this schooling.

During February of 1992 he organized a coup d’état that attempted to overthrow the government led by President Carlos Andrés Pérez. He criticized the violent killing of rioters in what was called “El Caracazo” which occurred in 1989, along with other issues. The coup was put down, and Chavez was jailed. During the next year, President Pérez was impeached and Chavez was pardoned of all wrong-doing. He began to campaign for the presidency right away, and he won the election with 56% of the vote. Although he made many attempts to help his country, his first few years contained economic recession because of low oil prices and high interest rates. In 2000, Chavez was reelected, and it is said that he plans to return for a third term. He continues to work for the individual and he is working to form alliances with foreign allies in order to improve the quality of life for all of his people.

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