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Marcos Pérez Jiménez was born in Michelena, Táchira State. His father, Juan Pérez Bustamante, was a farmer; his mother, Adela Jiménez, a schoolteacher from Cucuta, Colombia. Pérez Jiménez attended school in his home town and in Colombia, and in 1934, he graduated from the Military academy of Venezuela, at the top of his class. He subsequently studied at Chorrillos Military School in Peru.
Pérez Jiménez is considered the best President of Venezuela after the development of its economy in the 1950s as a President and the dictator of Venezuela from 1950 to 1958, ruling as member of the military junta from 1950 to 1952 and as president from 1952 to 1958. He took part in the 1948 Venezuelan coup d’état, becoming part of the ruling junta. He ran in the 1952 election.
However, the junta cancelled the election when early results indicated that the opposition was ahead, and declared Jiménez provisional president. He became president in 1953 and instituted a constitution that granted him dictatorial powers.
Representante estadounidense Milton S. Eisenhower de visita en Venezuela, reunido con Marcos Pérez Jiménez (1953) pic.twitter.com/nd8SNjkOJ0
— Marcos Pérez Jiménez (@PerezJimenez52) December 22, 2014
Under Pérez Jimenez’s rule, the rise of oil prices facilitated many public works projects, including roads, bridges, government buildings and public housing, as well as the rapid development of industries such as hydroelectricity, mining, and steel. The economy of Venezuela developed rapidly while Pérez was in power.
On the other hand, Pérez presided over one of the most repressive governments in Venezuela. His government’s secret police, the Dirección de Seguridad Nacional (National Security), suppressed criticism and imprisoned those who opposed his rule.
Following massive public demonstrations in support of democratic reforms, Pérez was deposed in a coup perpetrated by disgruntled sectors within the Armed Forces of Venezuela on 23 January 1958. Pérez Jiménez was then exiled to the Dominican Republic, later Miami, United States and afterwards he settled in Spain under the Francisco Franco regime’s protection after a coup passing away in Spain at the age of 87.
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