Gunboats, corruption, and claims : foreign intervention in Venezuela, 1899-1908 / Brian S. McBeth.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McBeth, B. S. (Brian Stuart), 1951-

Series:

Contributions in Latin American studies ; no. 20.

Contributions in Latin American studies, 1054-6790 ; no. 20

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Political corruption--Venezuela.

Political corruption.

Venezuela--Foreign relations--1830-1935.

Venezuela.

Castro, Cipriano, 1856?-1924.

Castro, Cipriano.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (320 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 2001.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The Cipriano Castro administration, which ruled Venezuela from 1899 to 1908, was characterized by a series of internal and external political crises which seemed capable of toppling it at any moment. In 1901, a number of foreign countries provided financial backing to Castro's former allies, united under the leadership of Manuel Antonio Matos, who almost brought the government down. In the midst of this civil war, Germany, the United Kingdom and later Italy instituted what came to be known as the peaceful blockade of Venezuela to force the government to honor its foreign debts. The claims and counter-claims stemming from the conflict would eventually force the three foreign countries to sever diplomatic relations in the ensuing years. Far from its portrayal as a nationalist champion, the Castro administration was, in McBeth's findings, more focused on the accumulation of personal wealth than on defense of Venezuelan interests. Castro would pay dearly for his misdeeds, losing power in a 1908 coup to Juan Vicente Gómez and remaining in exile until his death in 1924. The conflict would prove to be a watershed in relations with Latin America, as the United States modified its own foreign policy in response and the European powers became more aware of the limit of their political influence in the region.

Contents:

Intro

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Introduction

1 Táchira Comes of Age

2 Castro Invades

3 Foreign Capital and Intervention

4 Matos and Foreign Companies

5 Matos Launches His Revolution

6 The "Peaceful Blockade"

7 Castro: Xenophobe or Blackmailer?

8 Diplomatic Relations Deteriorate

9 Castro Starts to Lose His Grip

10 Castro's World Collapses

11 A New Government in Venezuela

12 La Rehabilitación

Conclusion

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. [269]-285) and index.

ISBN:

9780313002663

0313002665

OCLC:

70769252