Carlos Andrés Pérez

It was known that even in times before the Spanish acquisition that the indigenous population of the country used the oil tars that seeped from the ground to waterproof their canoes or keep fires going throughout the night.

Venezuela has always had a taste for the stuff, but it wasn't until the 1970s that it became front of mind in the eyes of the world, when then President Carlos Andres Perez effectively nationalized all oil production in the region.

Now, we have seen before that nationalizing oil production is not necessarily a bad thing.

In the case of Norway, it meant that a lot of oil revenue was returned to the country itself, which is great.

Compañeros, lamentablemente, por ahora, los objetivos que nos planteamos no fueron logrados en la ciudad capital.

That day, Venezuelans saw for the first time a figure whose presence they would get used to in the following two decades, a soldier who appeared before the TV cameras to announce that an attempt to overthrow the unpopular government of President Carlos Andres Perez had failed, a stranger whose name would change the history of the lives of millions of people.

[singing]

Lamentablemente, por ahora...

He also had a degree in military arts and sciences, and during his military career, he occupied several command posts.

When he led a rebellion against the government in 1992, he was the commander of a battalion of paratroopers.

Lieutenant Colonel Hugo Chavez was from a generation of nationalist officers who echoed people's unhappiness with the government of social democrat Carlos Andres Perez.

Since the mid-'80s, Venezuela was going through a serious economic crisis, accentuated by the neoliberal policies implemented by the government of Perez and ordered by the International Monetary Fund.

You should have seen the corruption

under Carlos Andres Perez when I lived in Venezuela, I've got to tell you, who was the U.S. back dictator.

There was a lot of corruption.

We're running out of time.