The History of Vennezuela

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Vennezuela has been a military dictatorship for most of our history, or an autocracy. The first time we had a real democracy was in 19 forty seven when there was the direct election of a constituent assembly. In my view, the first 20 years were very possibive for venezuela. But then in the last 20, 20 years tat ankur was no longer he president, there was a decline. Many of the reforms that needed to take place didn't happen. And also, at the very end,. there was a lot of influence by the media. There was his public opinion that everything had to change inVenezuela. They created this sense of revenge

As an inquisitive reader, books were a cherished commodity for Leopoldo López when he was a political prisoner in his home country of Venezuela. His prison guards eventually observed the strength and focus López gained from reading. In an attempt to stifle his spirit, the guards confiscated his books and locked them in a neighboring cell where he could see but not access them. But López didn’t let this stop him from writing or discourage his resolve to fight for freedom. A Venezuelan opposition leader and freedom activist, today López works to research and resist oppressive autocratic regimes globally.

López joined Tyler to discuss Venezuela’s recent political and economic history, the effectiveness of sanctions, his experiences in politics and activism, how happiness is about finding purpose, how he organized a protest from prison, the ideal daily routine of a political prisoner, how extreme sports prepared him for prison, his work to improve the lives of the Venezuelan people, and more.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links.

Recorded May 10th, 2022

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