Abstract:
Venezuela is a country that is currently in political disarray. Following the 2018 election,
which was rigged by the current president, Nicolás Maduro, there has been a power struggle
between Maduro and the leader of the National Assembly of Venezuela, Juan Guiadó. This
power struggle has led to humanitarian issues such as food and medicine shortages, along with
a struggling economy and a lack of employment opportunities, that has caused more than four
million Venezuelan citizens to flee their country. While the volume of Venezuelan citizens
fleeing their country is unprecedented, the corruption that is currently plaguing the Venezuelan
government has been prevalent long before Maduro came to power. I analyze the actions of
Marcos Pérez Jiménez, Rafael Caldera, Hugo Chávez, Nicolás Maduro, and Juan Guiadó, in order
to establish a historical basis for the humanitarian crisis that is currently happening in
Venezuela.
