A petroleum republic -- Venezuela to 1600 -- The colonial era (to 1810) -- Movements toward independence (1810-1830) -- The age of caudillismo (1830-1898) -- Restoration and rehabilitation (1899-1935) -- The emergence of modern Venezuela (1935-1958) -- The return of democracy (1959-1963) -- The institutionalization of democracy (1964-1973) -- Venezuelan boom and bust (1974-1988) -- Chaos, futility, and incompetence (1989-1998) -- The Bolivarian revolution (1999-2005)