{"id":15662,"date":"2026-02-20T00:05:56","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T08:05:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cllas.uoregon.edu\/?p=15662"},"modified":"2026-08-12T12:41:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T19:41:17","slug":"feb-24-how-venezuela-got-here-from-model-democracy-to-authoritarian-kleptocracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cllas.uoregon.edu\/feb-24-how-venezuela-got-here-from-model-democracy-to-authoritarian-kleptocracy\/","title":{"rendered":"Feb. 24 \u2013 Research Talk – How Venezuela Got Here: From Model Democracy to Authoritarian Kleptocracy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Download Poster (PDF)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Research Talk – How Venezuela Got Here: From Model Democracy to Authoritarian Kleptocracy <\/strong><\/h4>\n

\ud83d\udcc5 February 24, 2026
\u23f0 6:00 PM\u20137:00 PM
\ud83d\udccd Mckenzie Hall, Room #125, at the University of Oregon<\/p>\n

\n

Over the past half-century, Venezuela has experienced one of the most dramatic political and economic collapses in the modern world. Once considered a model developing democracy, the country is now widely characterized as a failed state\u2014its economy devastated and its political system dominated by an authoritarian kleptocracy, or \u201crule by thieves.\u201d<\/p>\n

In this research talk, Dr. Reuben Zahler<\/strong>, Associate Professor of History, will examine how Venezuela\u2019s democratic institutions eroded over time, the political and economic forces that drove this descent, and the consequences for Venezuelan society today. The talk will also explore the country\u2019s evolving relationship with the United States, tracing how nearly two centuries of generally positive relations have given way to a moment in which Venezuela appears increasingly vulnerable to external control and influence.<\/p>\n

This event offers historical context and critical insight into one of Latin America\u2019s most consequential contemporary crises.<\/p>\n

Speaker:<\/strong>
Dr. Reuben Zahler, Associate Professor of History, University of Oregon<\/p>\n

This event is presented by the Center for Latino\/a and Latin American Studies (CLLAS)<\/strong> in collaboration with the Department of History at the University of Oregon<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\ud83d\udcc5 February 24, 2026
\n\u23f0 6:00 PM\u20137:00 PM
\n\ud83d\udccd Mckenzie Hall, 125 at the University of Oregon<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":15668,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_piecal_is_event":false,"_piecal_start_date":"","_piecal_end_date":"","_piecal_is_allday":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events-archive"],"yoast_head":"\nFeb. 24 \u2013 Research Talk - 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