Isaías Medina Angarita

Isaías Medina Angarita (6 July 1897 – 15 September 1953) was a Venezuelan military man and politician who served as President of Venezuela from 1941 until 1945, during World War II. He followed the path of his predecessor Eleazar López Contreras and contributed to gradual democratization and liberalization in Venezuela. He was overthrown in the 1945 Venezuelan coup d'état.

Early life and education Medina was born in San Cristóbal, Venezuela, and graduated from the Military academy of Venezuela in 1914.Short Bio

Early political career He was a loyalist to Juan Vicente Gómez and Eleazar López Contreras.

He served as War Minister from 1936 to 1941 under Eleazar López Contreras.

Presidency (1941–1945)

As a result of the indirect 1941 Venezuelan presidential election, he was appointed president by lawmakers of the Congress of Venezuela. He assumed the on 5 May 1941.

In 1943, he founded the Venezuelan Democratic Party. He allowed other political parties to operate in Venezuela, including the Communist Party.

He took a firmer stance against oil companies, implementing higher exploitation taxes and higher royalties. Oil companies were no longer exempt from customs duties. He also promoted domestic oil refining.

He expanded the role of the state, using increased oil revenues to enact large public works and agricultural programs.

Medina Angarita was the first Venezuelan president to travel abroad (in active office). First, in 1943 to the Bolivarian countries, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Panama, and in January 1944, the United States invited by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The visit marked a milestone in the Venezuelan-US relations. Besides being the first time a Venezuelan president (in office) visited the United States, the time the journey was made was understood as an expression of the alliance of Venezuela with the Allies that fought the Axis. The US-Venezuela relationship was considered collaborative during Medina's presidency. During the administration of Medina, Venezuela established relations with China in 1943 and the Soviet Union in 1945.

Venezuela declared war on the Axis in 1945 in order to be part of the founding of the United Nations.

Some in the Army considered his too liberal, while other political enemies accused him of being too conservative, and both sides were involved in a coup to remove him from power on 18 October 1945. The Medina government discovered the military's conspiracy to overthrow Medina and arrested Marcos Pérez Jiménez. The arrest triggered a popular revolt, leading Medina to give up power.

Medina's cabinet (1941–1945) MinistriesGaceta Oficial de Venezuela, period 1941–1945.OFFICENAMETERMPresidentIsaías Medina Angarita1941–1945Home AffairsTulio Chiossone1941–1942 César González1942–1943 Juan Penzini Hernández1943 José Nicomedes Rivas1943–1945 Arturo Uslar Pietri1945Outer RelationsCaracciolo Parra Pérez1941–1945 Gustavo Herrera1945FinanceAlfredo Machado Hernández1941–1943 Arturo Uslar Pietri1943 Rodolfo Rojas1943–1945 Alfonso Espinoza1945War and NavyAntonio Chalbaud Cardona1941–1942 Juan de Dios Celis Paredes1942–1943 Carlos Meyer Baldo1943 Manuel Morán1943–1945 Delfín Becerra1945DevelopmentEnrique Jorge Aguerrevere1941–1942 Eugenio Mendoza1942–1943 Gustavo Herrera1943–1945 Juan de Dios Celis Paredes1945Public WorksManuel Silveira1941–1945EducationAlejandro Fuenmayor1941 Gustavo Herrera1941–1943Work and CommunicationsNuma Quevedo1941 Ovidio Pérez Ágreda1941–1942 Héctor Cuenca1942–1943 Julio Diez1943–1945AgricultureSaverio Barbarito1941 Rodolfo Rojas1941–1943 Ángel Biagini1943–1945Health and Social AssistanceFélix Lairet1941–1945Secretary of the PresidencyArturo Uslar Pietri1941–1943 Ángel Biagini1943 Arturo Uslar Pietri1943 Pedro Sotillo1943–1945

Post-presidency (1945–1953) Medina died, aged 56, in Caracas.

Personal life Isaías Medina Angarita was married to Irma Felizola, who served as First Lady of Venezuela from 1941 to 1945.

Isaías Medina Angarita

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