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Jan 21, 1958-1958

Venezuela

Venezuelan Anti-Jimenez Strike

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ACTIVISTS/ACT.GROUPS/DESCRIPTION OF THE GROUP

Acción Democrática, Junta Patriotica

TARGET

Government

WIDELY HELD BELIEF

Dictatorial govts should be removed and democracy restored.

CASE NARRATIVE

Issue and Opponent: Jiménez’s rule consisted of corruption and repression, and he often banned or jailed opposition groups or figures. Venezuela was in an economic recession in 1957, which exacerbated issues further. Jiménez regularly participated in election fraud to ensure the survival of his power. Protests began to erupt.
Dilemma Action: The Patriotic Junta joined forces with Democratic Action to call for a general strike on January 21. Businesses closed, and the following day, a naval unit rebelled.
Outcomes: Jiménez attempted to negotiate with the rebellious naval units, but they refused to compromise. He fled to the Dominican Republic on January 23, leaving a Provisional Government Junta to be established. The three main parties in Venezuela signed the Puntofijo pact ensuring the maintenance of democratic institutions and equitable sharing of power. However, the pact ultimately led to exclusionary politics and corruption.

PRIMARY STRUGGLE/GOAL

Pro-Democracy

DA TACTICS USED

General strike

CASE NARRATIVE WRITER

SUCCESS METRICS

10 / 12

(CONC) Concessions were made

(EREP) Dilemma action got replicated by other movements

(MC) Media Coverage

(MSYMP) Media coverage was sympathetic to the activists

(OR) Opponent response

(PS) Dilemma action built sympathy with the public

(PUN) Punishment favored the activists

(REFR) Dilemma action reframed the narrative of the opponent

(RF) Dilemma action reduced fear and/or apathy among the activists

(SA) Dilemma action appealed to a broad segment of the public

PART OF A LARGER CAMPAIGN

3 / 3

Activist group continued working together after the action

Encouraged more participants to join the movement

Internally replicated by the same movement

RESOURCES

Project documentation

Dilemma Actions Coding Guidebook

Case study documentation

Dilemma_Actions_Analysis_Dataset

CC BY 4.0 Deed, Attribution 4.0 International

SOURCES

Acreneaux, William. 1969. “The Venezuelan Experience: 1958 and the Patriotic Junta,” Louisiana State University. Retrieved July 20, 2023. (https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2631&context=gradschool_disstheses).

https://choosedemocracy.us/case-study-venezuela-january0958/#.YDO-zxNKjoB. Accessed April 15, 2022.

Zunes, Stephen. 2017. “Civil Resistance Against Coups: A Comparative and Historical Perspective,” International Center on Nonviolent Conflict. Retrieved July 20, 2023. (https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/civil-resistance-against-coups/).

Cooke, Alistair. 1958. “Widespread rioting in Venezuela,” The Guardian, January 23. Retrieved July 20, 2023. (https://www.theguardian.com/world/1958/jan/23/venezuela).

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