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Biography of Rómulo BetancourtName: Rómulo BetancourtBirth Date: February 22, 1908 Death Date: September 28, 1981 Place of Birth: Venezuela Nationality: Venezuelan Gender: Male Occupations: president, political leader Rómulo Betancourt Rómulo Betancourt (1908-1981) was the most important political leader of Venezuela during the middle decades of the 20th century. Founder of the nation's first modern political party, he was twice president.Born on Feb. 22, 1908, in a small town in eastern Venezuela, Rómulo Betancourt was the son of lower-middle-class parents. In 1927 he enrolled at the Central University of Venezuela in Caracas. He had his first political experience as a leader of the student movement called the "Boys of '28." This group directed its energies in opposition to the dictatorship of General Juan Vicente Gómez, "the tyrant of the Andes." When the student revolt of 1928 failed, Betancourt was jailed for several weeks, and then sent into exile in Colombia. From there he traveled to other Latin American countries in search of support against Venezuela's repressive government. In Costa Rica he was swept up in communist revolutionary ideology and …showed first 150 words…
…showed last 150 words…producer. Betancourt's writings were of considerable influence during the 1960 formation of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).Betancourt was respected for implementing the economic and social policies that enabled Venezuela to channel the benefits of its natural resources to its own people, rather than lose them to foreign interests. He was honored with numerous internationally sponsored awards during his lifetime, including honorary degrees from Harvard University and the University of California. Betancourt died of a stroke, September 28, 1981, at the age of seventy-three. Further Reading Although there is no full-length biography of Betancourt, extensive information on his career may be found in Robert J. Alexander, Venezuelan Democratic Revolution: A Profile of the Regime of Rómulo Betancourt (1964), and John Martz, Accion Democratica: Evolution of a Modern Political Party in Venezuela (1966). See also the chapter on Betancourt in Robert J. Alexander, Prophets of the Revolution: Profiles of Latin American Leaders (1962). |