The Soviet and U.S. Policies towards Venezuela in the Context of the Latin American Revolutionary Movement (1958—1969)

The article deals with the Venezuelan problem in the Latin American politics of the USSR and the USA from the late 1950s to the late 1960s. After the fall of the dictatorship of Marcos Perez Jimenez in 1958, Moscow and Washington closely monitored the direction of socio-economic and political development of Venezuela. The Soviet leadership made efforts to establish contacts with the ruling elite of Venezuela. The deployment of the armed struggle against the government by the Communist Party of Venezuela (Partido Comunista de Venezuela, PCV) and the Revolutionary Movement of the Left (Movimiento de Izquierda Revolucionario, MIR) was generally welcomed by the Soviet party and state leadership. However, the desire of the Venezuelan Radical Left to copy the experience of the Cuban Revolution and achieve a quick seizure of power did not correspond to the doctrines concerning the role of communist parties in developing countries. The CPSU tried to set the Venezuelan communists on a peaceful path, which could subsequently lead them to participate in political life. In turn, the United States placed great importance on Venezuela as part of its policy of strengthening capitalism and countering the threat of the spread of leftist ideas in the Western Hemisphere. At the same time, American strategists considered undesirable the excessive strengthening of the Venezuelan armed forces. Against this background, containing Cuba’s “subversive activities” in Venezuela became a difficult task for the United States, including due to attempts by the governments of Romulo Betancourt (1959—1964) and Raul Leoni (1964—1969) to use the “Red Menace” as trump card in negotiations with Washington. The stabilization of the political regime in Venezuela with the rise to power of Rafael Caldera in 1969 was positively perceived in the USSR and the USA.

Keywords

Soviet Union, United States, Latin America, Venezuela, diplomacy, Cold War, Cuban Revolution, Partido Comunista de Venezuela, Movimiento de Izquierda Revolucionario, guerrilla

Received

06.05.2024

Publication date

15.07.2024

Number of characters

64709

Cite

GOST	Manukhin A. The Soviet and U.S. Policies towards Venezuela in the Context of the Latin American Revolutionary Movement (1958—1969) // ISTORIYA – 2024. – V. 15. – Issue 5 (139) [Electronic resource]. URL: https://history.jes.su/S207987840031705-4-1 (circulation date: 23.07.2024). DOI: 10.18254/S207987840031705-4
MLA	Manukhin, Alexey "The Soviet and U.S. Policies towards Venezuela in the Context of the Latin American Revolutionary Movement (1958—1969)." ISTORIYA 15.5 (139) (2024) DOI: 10.18254/S207987840031705-4
APA	Manukhin A. (2024). The Soviet and U.S. Policies towards Venezuela in the Context of the Latin American Revolutionary Movement (1958—1969). ISTORIYA 15(5 (139)) DOI: 10.18254/S207987840031705-4

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