Urban Protest and Informal Democracy in Venezuela

Alejandro Velasco (NYU) - Venezuela today is a country mired in turmoil. But thirty years ago the story was different. Back then Venezuela stood for many as an inclusive democracy in a region where dictatorship and civil war reigned. Enlightened leaders, strong parties, powerful unions - all spoke of a stable political system that for decades managed to ensure social peace. Or so it seemed. As historian Alejandro Velasco argues, the conflicts that grip Venezuela today aren't a departure from but a continuation of decades-long struggles over what kind of democracy would emerge after the country's last military dictatorship fell in 1958.