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The Forgotten Revolution: Venezuela’s Democratic Spring of 1945
In 2025, Venezuela is once again in the crosshairs of US foreign policy, facing the threat of military intervention and heightened sanctions from a new Trump administration. But to understand the resilience of the Venezuelan people today, we must look back to a pivotal moment in their history that is often overlooked: the "Trienio" of 1945-1948.
In this episode, Nick explores the dramatic coup of October 1945, led by young officers like Carlos Delgado Chalbaud and the democratic party Acción Democrática. We delve into how a military uprising transformed into a radical experiment in social democracy—quadrupling budgets for health and housing, eradicating malaria, and enfranchising the illiterate and women for the first time. Drawing on Keith Lowe’s The Fear and the Freedom, we ask: Why did this democratic spring terrify the elites? And how does the memory of this revolution continue to shape Venezuelan resistance to US imperialism today?
Key Topics:
- The 1945 Coup: How junior officers and democrats toppled a dictatorship.
- The Trienio (1945-48): A brief golden age of literacy, health, and worker power.
- Oil and Sovereignty: The radical decision to split oil profits 50/50, setting a global precedent.
- Class War: Why the middle classes and traditional elites revolted against the "government of espadrille-wearing peasants."
- Modern Parallels: US interventionism from 1945 to the Trump doctrine of 2025.
Books Mentioned:
- The Fear and the Freedom by Keith Lowe
- War is a Racket by Smedley Butler
- The Spanish Holocaust by Paul Preston
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Published on 1 week, 5 days ago