Venezuela Timeline
1498 Christopher Columbus landed in Venezuela during his third voyage. He found several Indian groups living there. The two main tribes were the Carib and the Arawak.
1500s Spain began to colonize the area of Venezuela.. The Spaniards came to Venezuela to collet pearls from oyster beds around the islands of Margarita and Cubagua. They also took salt from the salt ponds on the Araya Peninsula.
1528-1546 King Charles I of Spain leased Venezuela to a German banking group to pay off his debts.
1700s By this year, Venezuela was one of Spain's poorest South American colonies.
1730 The Royal Guipuzcoana Company began to operate. It was given the right to control all trade in Venezuela. The company helped to expand the economy.
1784 The Royal Guipuzcoana Company went out of business.
Early 1800s Venezuela began to fight for independence.
5 July 1811 Venezuela declared its independence from Spain. However, Spain still controlled much of the country.
1819 Simon Bolivar established Gran Colombia and became its president. It was a republic which included Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama.
1821 Spain recognized Venezuela's independence after Simon Bolivar won a major victory against Spanish troops at Carabobo
1829 Venezuela separated from Gran Colombia.
1830 Venezuela drafted a constitution.
1831 General Jose Antonio Paez became the first president of Venezuela.
1800s Venezuela was torn by civil war and political unrest.
1870-1888 Guzman Blanco ruled Venezuela. Blanco helped to bring the civil wars plaguing the country to an end. He built roads and communication systems. He helped other countries to invest in the country.
1908-1935 Gomez ruled Venezuela. He stopped all opposition to his government with cruel treatment. He helped to create a strong army and to pay off the national debt.
1917 Commercial production of petroleum began in Venezuela.
1920s The petroleum industry began to expand rapidly in Venezuela.
1940s The Venezuelans began to move from the rural areas to the cities.
1945 Leaders in the political party called Accion Democratica (AD), with the help of the army, seized control of the government.
1947 Romulo Gallegos, a member of the AD was elected president.
1948 The army overthrew Gallegos. Three military leaders ruled in his stead.
1950 Marcos Perez Jimenez became dictator.
1958 Jimenez was forced into exile. Sine this year all president's have been democratically elected.
1950s Many Colombians began to immigrate to Venezuela.
1960s The government began to make laws to help improve living conditions for the poor.
1976 The government nationalized the petroleum industry.
1980s As the worldwide demand for petroleum decreased, the Venezuelan economy suffered.
1989 Carlos Andres Perez was elected president. He had formerly served as president from 1974-1979. He tried to help solve the economic problems.
1992 Hugh Chavez Frias and other military officers tried to overthrow Perez. The coup attempt was unsuccessful.
May 1993 The Senate removed Perez from office on charges of misusing government funds.
December 1993 Rafael Caldera was elected president. Soon after his election a banking crisis shook the nation.
1996 The Supreme Court of Justice convicted Perez.
1996 The government allowed private oil companies to begin producing petroleum.
1998 Hugo Chavez was elected president.
1999 Venezuela adopted its current constitution.
December 1999 Heavy rains hit Venezuela causing severe flooding.
2000 Chavez was reelected.
April 2002 Business and labor leaders led a protest against Chavez. He was removed from office, but returned to power two days later.
Works Cited
McCoy, Jennifer L. "Venezuela." Worldbookonline.com.