Venezuelan Protests (2014)
By: Evelyn Wysong
Background Information
Venezuela is located near the Caribbean sea on the northern coast of South America. Where each and every day between 500-5,000 people stand on the streets protesting against perennial food shortages increase in crime due to the recent inflation and the governments poor economic decisions.
Causes of the protest:
- the price of oil dropped (not making enough money)
- increase inflation from 25% to what is now 56%
- Protest was not democratic or spontaneous
- Problems arose between the higher level social class and the lower level social class
- The protest was well-orchestrated by upper class personnel in hopes of ending the enforcement to provide supplies and income for the poor
- Lower class protestors were on the streets protesting against the recent inflation (did not have the money to purchase the basic needs due to inflation)
Governments Part in the Protest
The Protest Begins!
- Day in and day out the streets are overcrowded with as many as 5,000 and as few as 500 people standing up for what they believe is right
- Social classes stand on the street protesting the economic decisions of the government which led to inflation (increase prices of and fall of the value of money)
- This left many people without basic needs such as food (starvation)
- March the streets
Riots Break Out!
- The peaceful protest turns violent when 33 casualties occur and 461 protestors are wounded due to government officials
- The gov't violated human rights and freedom of speech laws which infuriated rioters
- The cost of living went up along with the inflation rate
- The president put many of the people in jail and gave orders to kill the others
Venezuela growing economic crisis - BBC News
Belief Systems of the Protestors
The lower class people believed that the inflation rates favored the higher class people and due to this they began to protest. They believed that the government needed to do something to help poor people, such as having the higher class people provide an income for the poor or forcing the government to lower the prices of basic needs so that everyone could afford them.