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The Venezuelan Caracazo of 1989: Popular Protest and Institutional Weakness

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 March 2003

MARGARITA LÓPEZ MAYA
MARGARITA LÓPEZ MAYA
Affiliation:
Margarita López Maya is an Associate Professor in the Centro de Estudios del Desarrollo at the Universidad Central de Venezuela.
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Abstract

27 February 1989 saw a popular revolt, which was to escalate dramatically, break out in Venezuela. Both Caracas and most of the main and secondary cities of the country were the scene of barricades, road closures, the stoning of shops, shooting and widespread looting. This article describes the events occurring during the Caracazo or Sacudón, as the episode is known, in order to show the key role played by the weakness of a set of social and political institutions in the violent forms of collective action that prevailed. This data, on a comparative basis, may enrich our understanding of other similar uprisings in the region and worldwide.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Latin American Studies , Volume 35 , Issue 1 , February 2003 , pp. 117 - 137
Copyright
© 2003 Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

The author wishes to thank Alan Angell of St Antony's College, Oxford, as well as the JLAS referees of this article for their valuable remarks. She would also like to express her gratitude to John Wainwright and Ruth Hodges for their help in translating into English and correcting the early drafts.