Death of former president of Venezuela Carlos Andrés Pérez, who after a long and eventful political life throughout the twentieth century, died suddenly in exile when he completes the first decade of the century.
fudamentalmente He will be remembered as the first president in Venezuela's history to be re-elected democratically and also be the first in that condition to be removed from office by Congress and the Supreme Court then. Similarly Perez will be remembered by many as the ruler who was held in the 70s of the twentieth century's nationalized oil and iron ore, and then, 15 years later, in the '90s carrying out privatizations as the telephone company CANTV and the airline VIASA. In the first period was the president of the "Golden Years" where high oil prices seemed to realize the dream of a rich country, the Saudi Venezuela
where the abundance seemed endless. In another era, the final, was the President of the "Hard Years" where the crisis on all fronts marked the end of that dream and privatization and inflation contributed to the scarcity of many gave way first to a popular rebellion,
The Caracazo , after two attempted coups, and finally the first impeachment of a sitting president of the Venezuelan democratic era.
is the purpose of these lines present a somewhat extensive apoximación count analysis and historical character and his work without compromise or apology, but no attacks or reprisals, since for better or for worse, the significance of the forced to attempt a serious approach aimed not pay tribute nor condemnations, but
transcend beyond sympathy and antipathy of the character, because it is the duty of the historian passionate about only and only to get the widest possible understanding of the parable vital in this figure, that Venezuela was the most highlighted and marked in the twentieth century after Rómulo Betancourt and before Hugo Chávez.
His death surprised, firstly because despite its obvious and poor health (which was quite remarkable as the images that exist) are not thought to produce a descenlace of this kind until the last moment because Perez was fighting and never resigned themselves to the infirmities of age, and also because the news of his death the memory meets of another former president, Rafael Caldera, who
met exactly one year and one day have also died.
Such deaths, no doubt, had a taste of historic cycle end, because both ex-presidents, representing jus
directly with recent governments (1989-1999) not only the last decade of Representative Democracy in Venezuela, but in recent years to form and develop policy that he was just disrupted in the turbulent periods that they had to govern. There appeared to anger the anti-politics, the economy was
constant rollercoaster colpaso became evident that a whole system of power, multipllicó the rejection of parties and entered with unusual force the image of media-military messianism as the new arbiter of Venezuelan history.
Unlike Caldera, who was reminded with some venevolencia at the time of his death (even though there are many who believe he was directly responsible
what we're going) the case of Perez has been different, again has a lot to discuss, analyze and re-raise, taking things to a polarization of angel-demon who is the historical science that will be removed because men are always Pérez historical figures linked to the controversy, as we were once Paez, Guzmán Blanco, Gomez and Betancourt.
was always a man of action and therefore closely linked to the controversy, which is why every political office he held (minister, parliament, president or former president) was given reason to wake up your great devotion among his followers or bitter antipathy between adversaries, rivals and enemies, he was one of the few historical leaders whose presence could not wake indifference, only passion.
And you could say that much of that was his life: career passions and passions.
From a young age was attracted by its first, large and perhaps lifelong passion: politics. At age 15 he joined the National Democratic Party, a movement that would be based Democratic Action, his second great passion and one of the most important political forces in the twentieth century. From there he gradually gained positions, stating in each position or place that was uniquely dynamic, the result of other great passion: leadership.
This would be the first private secretary Romulo B
etancourt in his first government (1945-48), who over the years would become his political mentor, to the point that few people called CAP, the "heir of Romulus." His hard work was again rewarded for his master
Betancourt, who in his second administration (1959-64) called again what a very important position, as Minister of Home Affairs, from where he will pursue his work with such passion now against guerrillas of the radical left, earning nicknames eloquent as "jailer", "repressive" and "butcher", which only confirm that it exercised its work with its already strong commitment proverbial.
is not surprising that once out of these positions, work boldly for his new passion: the seizure of power. Since his party AD, working with a tireless force for reunification forces after 3 divisions that have weakened the party, it is with the General Secretariat and as an unbeatable political conquest not only his party's presidential nomination but the Presidency of the Republic itself in the 1973 elections, destroying half a million votes behind the opponent Copei (won 48% of total) and ushering in a dynamic style of campaigning that still remains: long walks, hugs to old ladies, load and kiss Baby and many, many mass meetings with music specifically made for the occasion.
opens his first term, 1974-79 will be remembered for being a government of abundant resources, great achievements, much populism and because it comes out his passion unhealthy and harmful: the glory or the craving for a protagonist .
The Great Venezuela " 
Under the slogan" Democracy with Power "his government intends to harness the power passionately that gives the rise in oil prices resulting from the crisis World Energy 1973 and Venezuela benefited in the economic, raising national income and of course the budget. While Perez has his party's majority in Congress, which will allow it to deal with a wide economic and political autonomy as any previous government in the period opened in 1958, so, the government specifically the state will begin to grow and grow and aboriginal women a power never before seen perhaps since the time of Gomez. So, nationalized in 1975 and 1976 iron industry of the oil,
which will result in even greater economic benefits for the state, and thanks to the abundance of material resources is put into practice a number of important works: the program Scholarships abroad Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho, is an autonomous institute established the National Library is inaugurated
Venalum Aluminum Plant, is regulate the prices of food and staples, establishing editorial Biblioteca Ayacucho, are created in the Universities Ezequiel Zamora Barinas, Francisco de Miranda in Coro, Rómulo Gallegos in Guarico, and the National Open in Caracas, establishing Pequiven, etc. .
All this accelerated national policy was reflected also in the field of international relations, it was also Pérez trait his incessant foreign policy looking through the Petroleum placing Venezuela on the stage i nternational
as a major country, so our country developing a range never before seen with respect to the United States, there were
extensive tours around the world including an official visit to the Soviet Union, when no Latin American president had been in years without pro
bring problems, shook ties with Arab countries of OPEC and reestablished relations with Cuba, also Venezuela under President Pérez I held a significant position in Latin America are donated hundreds of thousands of dollars in aid to the Andean Countries, Central America and the Caribbean, materially supported the Sandinista revolution, there were hundreds of exile of the Southern Cone dictarudas and pleaded for the return of the canal to Panama and leaving the port of Bolivia, among others.
The peak and beginning of the end
But as the government carries out works and national and international projects financed by oil wealth, as well as corruption and influence peddling generating greater volume soars of problems
to society, as the state begins to lose its moral seriousness and people assume that as a bad example to imitate behavior, increasing ease and behaviors
belief that wealth in Venezuela would last a lifetime and especially : that the state solve the problems of all citizens. The lack of punishment for corruption was that this was no longer perceived as a crime punishable legally or publicly, and to the great misfortune turned into a "value" worth to show courage and cunning ("I put where there is money," "fool is one who takes the opportunity to steal", etc.). That was the picture of society in this mandate surely be remembered as the "golden years and happy" for democracy because there was little political conflict or even greater economic problems.
Despite the frantic internal and external agenda developed by the government, the excessive growth of government which resulted in increased inefficiency (as the c
ORRUPTION and waste allowed people without any preparation or previous experience, hold positions of public attention only by
cronyism or party membership) that led to severe criticism and rejection among the population that was growing every moment more, to the point that the same party Perez, AD, voices such as former Betancourt senses or the founder of OPEC, Pérez Alfonzo, generated criticism of the disorder seen. Despite having great popularity the Perez government would end under the shadow of having excessively increased the size of the state, filling it with useless and poorly trained staff, have been widely promoted corruption and allow the unlimited squandering of resources.
And there would begin many of the problems that Venezuela still has today, problems that marked the end of representative democratic system and the collapse of such failures can not be remedied. Perhaps the error enmedar Perez wanted a new president, but that intention was not seen and understood well by many ...
Calvary for a new president, the passion and death of CAP ...
Having regard to its efforts to contain and the drop-in power in the first presidency, seeking a second was seen as least as a great act of megalomania, as an unusual audacity was going to cause more problems benefits, and it was: Perez with his unruly passions leadership and glory, he could against all odds and obstacles in the way they put opponents and even political allies, managed to overcome the reluctance and resistance within and outside his party to be new candidate, and once again imposed his passionate energy and "Carlos Andrés" got away with it.
had won the battle but lose the war.
His second term was his passion more expensive, repeated by that passion for power was the one up at all his rivals and enemies, new and old against him, to cope, especially to stop it, stop it, and it was.
triumphed in a hard campaign and insulting people remembered primarily because of the abundance of the 70 in his first term and that he would return those levels of prosperity if returned to power. In the December elections 1988 he was awarded 52% of the vote, ie 3,800,000 votes, the highest figure in the electoral history of Venezuela, until 2004 and 2006.
But Perez could not conjure up all the passions that he had raised, and exorcise the demons that helped create. It created itself a reputation as a populist, progressive nationalization and leader of the third world that would go against him and fulminaría. And these contradictions would outweigh anything in it like no other leader in history.
Pérez took office on February 2, 1989 at the Teresa Carreño theater in what was considered a "coronation" for over 1000 guests including national and foreign personalities were invited to the event including presidents, prime ministers, heads of international organizations, artists and writers. But two weeks later on 16 February, announced a strong program of economic measures as the situation inherited from the previous government was simply catastrophic. Among the measures taken was the liberalization of much of the economy through an agreement with the International Monetary Fund IMF to grant loans to the country, who had requested the government to carry out
such cutting measures Neoliberal, including: removal of exchange controls and RECADI office, beginning the privatization of public enterprises that generate losses to the nation and not of great importance, the elimination of price controls and subsidies
done in the state in economy, freeing interest rates, rising utility rates rising prices of gasoline and fuel. It was the latter that created the program was heavily contested and caused serious riots in Caracas and other parts of the country since when had not yet increased the salaries nor the people had taken their paycheck, major carriers ciudades apenas supieron del aumento de los combustibles, elevaron exageradamente el precio de los pasajes y eso genero la ira de los usuarios que descontrolados iniciaron una espiral de violencia enorme en esas misma ciudades: Fue el muy conocido “Caracazo” o “El Sacudón” del 27 de febrero de 1989. Fecha de terrible y dolorosa recordación no sólo para Pérez y su gobierno sino para Venezuela y su Democracia.
¿Cómo era esto posible? el gobierno de Pérez, el que iba a traer la prosperidad de los años '70, ahora generaba una crisis aún mayor que la de los años '80, pues bien, para intentar solucionar la crisis heredada Pérez se había fully delivered to the board of a technical and academic elite in favor of free markets, very little known and understood national policy and despite what happened on February 27, '89, recommended go ahead "as planned" And so the government continued its program of economic adjustment
neoliberal, type "shock" and is popularly known as "The IMF package, these measures were sold to companies as the airline Viasa, Republic Bank, the Company CANTV telephone, INOS Water Company, which is now called decentralized Hidroven and also devalued Bolivar freed prices while in order to allow competition between private sector financial guarantees were restored suspended in 1961 and this was reflected in the economy with high growth of 5.6% in 1990 and 10.47% in 1991, the highest in the twentieth-century Venezuela.
But the social cost was the norm as to the harshness of the measures (or "Schoko" economic) and the cost of economic transition, as commodity costs rose and rates of crime and violence in Street faded, then the average citizen felt anger and frustration because I felt the abandonment of state who for more than 30 years, since 1958 had helped, assisted and maintained with public policy, and feeling thrown "to the good of God, the people soon turned his back on your system: Grew abstinence, anti-partisanship and apathy to politics, actively helped by media hungry for revenge for years of censorship under the government Lusinchi. And although there had been an administrative decentralization and the people directly elected their governors and mayors for the first time in history in 1989, political parties were not renewed, the same figures were not democratize within these movements and also rife with poor public services and administrative costs plus the sonorous corruption scandals that outraged a nation to which he was required patience and sacrifices.
There are no more than explain, although it helps to refresh your memory before the last passion of CAP from power, which led him to the political gallows: figures such as Arturo Uslar Pierti initial supporter economic reforms, came to harshly criticize the government, and find it a lot of support and dissemination through the media private-pediendo
even the Supreme Court resign because it allowed corruption, and finally to announce that the climate of administrative disorder and social indolence was perfectly explicable a coup. The hit came on 4 February 1992 led
Hugo Chavez and other commanders who failed militarily but catapulted him a huge political success to their leader and his phrase "for now." Another bloodiest coup attempt and hit the country on 27 November of that year, but again failed only served to increase the unpopularity and the paranoia of the government confiscating newspapers, programs censored, persecuted or raided the homes of journalists, academics or political dissidents. Parallel to this decline, the average citizen more and more openly expressed sympathy for the rebels, dissident figures (like former President Caldera that revived his popularity after his speech of 4-F) and the movements
as anti-system Causa R party, and actively protested since March 92 pans rattling loudly against the government. Finally in January 1993
journalist José Pérez Vicnete Rangel denounced to the Attorney General's Office, Ramon Escovar Salom, for embezzlement and embezzlement of secret
budget of the Ministry of the Interior, who triggered the demand for trial Supreme Court of Justice, which on May 20, 1993, Perez decided ought to be prosecuted. The next day the Congress authorize the trial of the President, and ocntrario to what is believed Perez accepted the decision without saying "I would have preferred another death." He separated from his public duties and was responsible for the interim presidency of the Republic President of the Senate, Octavio Lepage, who was replaced on June 5 that year by Senator Ramon AD J Velasquez, chosen by agreement of the parties AD and Copei.
Thereafter his life would be an ongoing ordeal of decay, expelled him from his party, was sentenced to 2 years in prison in his home suffered public scorn and harassment of the new government of Caldera, was to create a new movement which had very little life, and finally saw how the system was demolished both fought to uphold and defend at the hands of one who almost toppled, supported precisely because many of those who oppose him and last time had expired.
A tragic and bitter epilogue 
Some would say that touch paying the price for their insolence, their crazy megalomaniac pharaohs or their desires, and other highly paid hard in his second term the consequences (or errors) of the first, and others who he believed to be unstoppable and unbeatable, was released by the defeat and failure. But that is the field of literature. The History and policy specialists there is rise from falling, but surely someone like Perez after meeting Honeys glory many times, we play the final test the bitterness of failure. It will be for scholars of history, not just the opinion of his contemporaries, the analysis re their role and historical BOUT to make a more appropriate balance and away from all that Perez woke up for good or evil passions.
But Perez continues to be to me a tragic figure, because the great contradictions that showed throughout their two governments, show a complex human being that despite the great effort and energy you put into your public life could not or were not large enough to direct or channel the enormous
social or historical forces that largely broke himself, and finally buried him, because Perez for their excess star is often placed in front of cases that apparently did not understand too well and yet marked him and made him the target or focus of much hatred and opposition which to coalesce, ridiculed as finalmentele anyone before and was buried.
Thus, the political discrete Venezuelan Andes was simply a diligent private secretary and a tough interior minister, suddenly jumped to first become the champion of big nacionaliazaciones, a state
and energetic Third World fighting and present, leaving all and sundry very surprised about his new role, but the progressive movement that it excited, it ended very badly marking as a "populist" label, then made more difficult now assume another role, totally different from above: the privatization of reducing state to a size necessary
, a conciliator of the North-South relations in the post cold war, now becoming a rare champion of "neoliberalism." Contradiction "made man or simply take advantage of circumstances?, It is true that few could We understand that" smell "the pace of change, much less follow: If at first if he won the apaluso of sectors left, gananaría more visceral hatred in the second case, the parallel right of those groups who so noted in its first stage, then praised him for the turn that he gave in his last administration, to end each other, even with made by him, ends criticizing something, and ultimately therefore, abandoned him and strangers:
for leaving one way or another have taken too late ...
Although he had the courage to dare to do first and amend later (depending on how you want to see or understand it) his courage and personal power, not enough to measure the storm that you created or that he came over. The man of passions could not handle it, not with themselves nor with those that led to its past. Intended to cover a lot and be fine with everyone, but little could tighten and left no one entirely happy. So very high price paid for wanting to be an innovator in every moment even if they were in opposite directions, and will be at the forefront de las olas de los tiempos y al intentar navegarlas, naufragó.
Y así llegó a morir sólo, olvidado y abandonado por todos: ¿Dónde están Fidel Castro o Daniel Ortega en esta hora? ¿Y Michell Camdesuss, George Bush padre o Diego Cisneros? y ni hablar del partido AD, que simplemente con comunicados despidió a uno de sus líderes históricos. Sin importar todo cuanto haya hecho Pérez por ellos o haya intentado comprometerse en las rutas de ellos, para propios y extraños CAP quedó en el olvido. incluso de aquellos que lo combatieron, que le pagaron al final tantos odios con simple olvido, reduciendo su papel histórico sólo a una mera anécodta política overcome.
only, left, away from everyone and not even the consolation of a peaceful rest because even his family disputed the possession of his corpse for burial, is increasing beyond the tragedy of his life, is that Men like him, who fought so passionately to enter a big way by history lay in his great misfortune that: finish relegated to oblivion and look completely ruined, shattered and disputed his glory.
Peace to his soul ...
Thanks for reading!
Dantesol To read more: The two Governments: http://www.fundacionempresaspolar.org/nosotros/educacional/instituc/capgob.html # 2dogobierno 
On this occasion, for the first time in the history of this blog, I will be indebted to all my readers by not submitting my traditional and summary analysis of year-ending, motivated principalente to personal and health reasons : I am not mentally very well stated and además ando convaleciente por una fuerte amigdalítis, lo cual acrecienta o retroalimenta el primer motivo. Ambas razones son lógicamente lo suficientemente claras y contundentes para persuadirme a no escribir mucho en este momento. 
even the Supreme Court 
