El Libertador (Venezuela update)
episodePreviously titled “El Libertator (Venezuela update)” — renamed by the publisher on Aug 2, 2026
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What event led to Nicolás Maduro's trial in the U.S.?
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As for the heroic and unfortunate Venezuela, its events have been so rapid and its devastations such that
With respect to heroic and hapless Venezuela, events there have moved so rapidly and the devastation has been such that it is reduced to frightful desolation and almost absolute indigence.
Nevertheless, it was once among the fairest regions that are the pride of America. Simón Bolívar, September 6, 1815. Hey everyone, it's Ramtin. And runned. On January 3rd, the U.S. military seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro after a series of strikes on Venezuela's capital that killed at least 80 people. The military brought Maduro to the U.S.
How did Venezuela's economic crisis begin?
for trial on federal drug trafficking and weapons charges. To understand what's happening in Venezuela and the U.S. government's latest escalation, we're bringing you an episode from our archive, the story of two leaders in Venezuela separated by nearly two centuries who shaped the country into what it is today. When this episode was first released back in 2019, Venezuela was facing an economic and humanitarian crisis. That remains true today. And it's gotten so bad, nearly 8 million people have fled Venezuela in recent years to escape extreme poverty. The Justice Department's case alleges that while Venezuela's economy collapsed, Maduro used his power to run a narco-terrorism operation that made him rich.
Maduro pleaded not guilty to these charges. The thing is, Venezuela was once the richest country in South America. So the question becomes now, how did such a once prosperous nation end up here?
What role did Hugo Chávez play in Venezuela's history?
When we looked into this, it quickly became clear that Venezuela's problems began way before Nicolas Maduro. It goes back to Maduro's predecessor, Hugo Chavez.
What happened with Maduro cannot be isolated from what happened under Hugo Chavez.
Populist politics, socialism, and his own personality cult with blowtorch rhetoric.
May be gone, but Hugo Chavez is far from forgotten.
Chavez created the regime that Maduro has struggled to control since he assumed the presidency in 2013. So to understand Maduro, you have to understand Chavez. But you can always go deeper, right? Like, what motivated Chavez? Well, the answer to that question takes us back to when Venezuela was created and a man named Simón Bolívar. Or, as he's become known across South America, El Libertador. Their stories, Chávez and Bolívar, and the rise and fall of the Venezuela they ruled over, are strikingly similar and offer a window into the soul of a country that's been in a revolutionary cycle for centuries now. So today, we present a split screen of sorts and travel back and forth through time between Bolívar's almost mythical story and Chávez's use of that powerful story to make his own.
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How did Simón Bolívar influence Chávez's ideology?
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Part 1. Rise of the Phoenix. Some believe that on his deathbed in 1830, Simon Bolivar's final words were, Damn it.
How will I ever get out of this labyrinth?
In the early hours of July 16, 2010, at the northern edge of the old town of Caracas, Venezuela's capital, Hugo Chávez set out to free Bolívar from what Chávez had, in the past, called lies.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What event led to Nicolás Maduro's trial in the U.S.?
0:00–1:06
2
How did Venezuela's economic crisis begin?
1:06–2:14
3
What role did Hugo Chávez play in Venezuela's history?
2:14–4:11
4
How did Simón Bolívar influence Chávez's ideology?
4:11–6:39
5
What strategies did Bolívar use to lead the independence movement?
6:39–8:05
6
How did Chávez rise to power after his failed coup?
8:05–10:15
7
What were the consequences of Chávez's policies on Venezuela's economy?
10:15–11:35
8
What legacy did Chávez leave behind after his death?
11:35–55:30