Venezuela declared independence in 1811.
 During the 19th century, Venezuela suffered political turmoil and autocracy, remaining dominated by regional military dictators until the mid-20th century
 A collapse in confidence in the existing parties saw the 1998 election of Hugo Chvez, who had led the first of the 1992 coup attempts, and the launch of a "Bolivarian Revolution", beginning with a 1999 Constituent Assembly to write a new Constitution of Venezuela

