Resumo

LOPEZ MAYA, Margarita. Venezuela: Why did democracy fall?. Rev. Mex. Sociol [online]. 2024, vol.86, n.spe, pp.119-143.  Epub 07-Jun-2024. ISSN 2594-0651.  https://doi.org/10.22201/iis.01882503p.2024.1°%20ne.62575.

Venezuelans live today under an authoritarian regime. This article seeks to answer the question, why did a country like Venezuela, which had a stable democracy in several decades of the 20th century and an economy apparently well positioned to thrive in a globalized world, collapse? What lessons can be drawn from what happened there? This reflection draws on a long line of research on the recent Venezuelan socio-political process. In six sections, it presents a summary interpretation of the decisive factors behind this democratic breakdown, ending with lessons that can be learned from this case so that it is not repeated in other countries.

Palavras-chave : Venezuela; democratic breakdown; Chavez’s governments; Maduro’s governments; authoritarianism; complex humanitarian emergency.