Venezuela’s Role in World War II (1939–1945)
Venezuela remained officially neutral for the bulk of World War II, focused on protecting its vital oil industry and balancing diplomatic pressure from both the Axis and Allied powers.
The country officially declared war on the Axis powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan) in February 1945, but its military did not engage directly in combat.
Venezuelan oil was critical to the Allied war effort, making the country geopolitically important despite its limited military involvement.
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NOTE: As always, streaming platforms were accurate at the time of writing.
1945–1958 | Post-WWII → Military Dictatorship and Democratic Restoration
POLITICS & OIL
U.S. companies dominate oil production. Venezuela becomes a major U.S. oil supplier.
CUBA
Batista is in power in Cuba. His dictatorship provides a regional context for authoritarian governance. Cuba has no direct involvement with Venezuela.
DRUGS
Venezuela’s geography makes the country attractive to early smuggling networks
FILMS: AUTHORITARIANISM AND MILITARY POWER
State of Siege (1972: Rent on Amazon or Apple) Models Cold-War Latin American repression, US involvement, and security state logic. Sets up the institutional DNA behind later Venezuelan authoritarianism. Fictionalized political drama about US involvement in a Latin American dictatorship.
The Battle of Chile (1975–79: Watch on YouTube) – Classic documentary on Chilean democracy vs. military rule. All three parts of The Battle for Chile were available on YouTube the last time I checked. They include The Insurrection of the Bourgeoisie, The Coup D’Etat, and Popular Power. Filmed by Patricio Guzman in Spanish with English subtitles, the movies chronicle the political tension in Chile in 1973 and the violent counter-revolution against the democratically elected government of Salvador Allende.
‘The Battle’ won the Grand Prix in 1975 and 1976 at the Grenoble International Film Festival.
In 1996, Chile, Obstinate Memory was released. This film follows Guzmán back to Chile as he screens the 3-part documentary to Chileans who have never seen it before. Currently you can stream the 1996 film here for free.
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1958–1976 | Democracy & Oil Nationalism
POLITICS & OIL
1958: Major parties sign the Puntofijo Pact to solidify democratic governance and share power peacefully.
1960s-1970s: Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, democratic elections continue to be held, although challenges like economic fluctuations and student unrest persist.
January 1, 1976: Venezuela officially nationalizes its oil industry, creating Venezuela’s state-owned oil and gas company, the PDVSA. Venezuela becomes a global oil power. The stage is set for future political debates over resource control.
CUBA
1959: The Cuban Revolution inspires the Latin American left.
DRUGS
Venezuela is more often used as a transit route for Colombian cocaine.
FILMS: OIL, IMPERIALISM, AND RESOURCE POWER
The Hour of the Furnaces (1968: Free on Internet Archive and YouTube) – A documentary in Spanish with English subtitles.Explains resource nationalism, imperialism, and the ideological environment that shaped Venezuelan politics before Chávez.
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1977–1998 | Oil Decline → Social Crisis → Chávez
POLITICS & OIL
1980s-1990s: Oil revenue declines.
1989: Caracazo uprising. Massive protests and violent riots erupt in response to austerity measures.
1992: Chavez coup attempts.
December 6, 1998: Chavez elected, assuming the presidency in 1999. He inaugurates a Bolivarian socialist political project, ushering in constitutional reforms and consolidating executive power.
CUBA
1994: Chavez meets Fidel Castro and an ideological alliance begins.
DRUGS
Colombian cartels expand inside Venezuela. Corruption grows in the military and police.
FILMS: BORDER CONFLICT, ARMED ACTORS, AND ILLICIT NETWORKS
Punto y Raya aka A Dot and A Line (2004: Free on Amazon Prime) In Spanish with English subtitles. Directly addresses the Venezuelan–Colombian border, military corruption, armed groups, and smuggling culture through the story of
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1999–2013 | Chávez, Oil Power & the Cuba–Venezuela Axis
POLITICS & OIL
SUMMARY: During this period, there are constitutional and institutional changes.
1999: New constitution expands presidential powers and reshapes governance. Politics become increasingly polarized.
October 30, 2000: Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and Cuban leader Fidel Castro sign the Convenio Integral de Cooperación (Integral Cooperation Agreement). It is a comprehensive bilateral cooperation deal covering economic, social, educational, and technical aspects between the two governments. The agreement includes a landmark oil-for-services deal between Cuba and Venezuela, with Venezuela agreeing to supply Cuba with subsidized crude oil in exchange for Cuban professional services, primarily doctors, teachers, and technicians, creating a vital economic lifeline for Cuba and cementing a political alliance against US influence. This agreement forms the basis for later energy cooperation, including the PetroCaribe initiative, providing Cuba with cheap, long-term oil, paid partly in cash and partly through barter.
April 2002: There is a brief, failed coup against President Hugo Chávez, lasting about 47 hours. Opposition figures and military officers briefly oust him, installing businessman Pedro Carmona, but widespread popular protests and loyal military forces restore Chávez to power. US involvement remains disputed.
2007: PDVSA is placed fully under state control
CUBA
Cuban intelligence and security become embedded in the Venezuelan state. Military, intelligence, and surveillance systems are modeled on those of Cuba.
DRUGS
2004: Chávez expels the American Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Trafficking routes are expanded. The Cartel de los Soles (with senior officials linked to the drug trade) emerges.
FILMS
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (2003: Free on Vimeo and YouTube)
South of the Border (2009:Rent or buy on Amazon.) Oliver Stone sets out on a road trip across five countries to explore the mainstream media’s misperception of South America. He interviews seven of its elected presidents. In casual conversations with Presidents Hugo Chavez (Venezuela), Evo Morales (Bolivia), Lula da Silva (Brazil), Cristina Kirchner (Argentina), Fernando Lugo (Paraguay), Rafael Correa (Ecuador), and Raúl Castro (Cuba), Stone gains unprecedented access and sheds new light upon the exciting transformations in the region.
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2013–2018 | Maduro, Economic Collapse & Narco-State Formation
POLITICS & OIL
March 5, 2013: Hugo Chavez dies and Nicolas Maduro becomes president. He maintains the socialist framework of Chavez amidst economic collapse, hyperinflation, and political repression.
US sanctions begin targeting PDVSA and major officials.
CUBA
Cuba becomes essential to Venezuela’s regime survival. Cuban security advisers restructure Venezuela’s intelligence and repressive frameworks.
DRUGS
Venezuelan state institutions are increasingly integrated into trafficking networks, and drug revenue becomes a major shadow funding source enabling regime survival.
FILMS: Modern Crisis & State Breakdown
Once Upon a Time in Venezuela (2020: Rent on Vimeo) Human-level view of collapse: oil, corruption, politics, social breakdown. A community’s struggle during the country’s crisis.
The Fight for Venezuela (2019: YouTube) An updated version of FRONTLINE and Armando.info’s 2024 documentary on a corruption scandal spanning from Venezuela to the US, and what has happened to the journalists who helped uncover the story.
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2019–Present | Geopolitical Confrontation and Criminal State
POLITICS & OIL
2019: The US and many other countries recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president amid contested elections and claims of fraud.
2020s: Sanctions, oil restrictions, mass migration, escalate continuing regional instability.
July 2024: There is another contested election. Reports and criticism emerge claiming widespread electoral fraud in the election that extended Maduro’s tenure into a controversial third term.
Late 2025: Venezuela’s legislature approves a strategic cooperation treaty with Russia amid heightened tensions with the US.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado is awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her pro democracy efforts.
Early 2026: The government releases political detainees from post-2024 protests under pressure from international and domestic sources.
January 3, 2026: The US launches military strikes in Venezuela, capturing President Maduro and his wife, dramatically escalating tensions.
CUBA
Cuban intelligence remains embedded in the Venezuelan state as regime survival in Caracas and Havana becomes intertwined.
DRUGS
2020: Venezuela becomes a hub for cocaine, gold smuggling, weapons & money laundering. The US treats the regime as a transnational criminal organization and indicts Maduro and senior officials for narco-terrorism.
FILMS: SANCTIONS AND POPULAR RESPONSE
Venezuelans Under Siege (2019: YouTube) — Documentary about U.S. sanctions and civil society. The film documents the impacts of the sanctions, plus the ways that ordinary Venezuelans are organizing to survive the crisis and to build new institutions of participatory socialism.
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Those of you interested in oil will want to read our post titled After the Cold War: 18 Good Books About Oil. And if you want to become a real expert, you can watch Daniel Yergin’s The Prize on YouTube. It’s an eight-part series that captures the fascinating stories behind the global hunt for oil.
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Featured photo courtesy of Cristobal Alvarado Minic (Flickr)
