Betancourt (English spelling) Rómulo Betancourt

Venezuelan politician. President who built the foundations of Venezuela's democratic government (in office 1959-1964). Born near Caracas, he studied at the Central University of Caracas. In 1928, he organized a student movement against the Gomez dictatorship, and continued to write and publish newspapers while in exile and underground, and founded the anti-government Democratic Action Party (AD). In 1945, he teamed up with some military personnel to stage a successful coup and began reforms, but was pursued by conservatives. However, he led a broad opposition movement against the dictatorship of Pérez Jiménez, and was elected president in 1958, implementing land reform and nationalistic oil policies. He suppressed far-right and far-left guerrilla forces that opposed the reform policies, and peacefully handed over power to the Christian Socialist Party (COPEI), solidifying civilian rule by two major parties.

[Hiroko Nori]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ベネズエラの政治家。同国民主政治の基礎を築いた大統領（在任1959～1964）。カラカス近郊に生まれ、カラカス中央大学に学ぶ。1928年に反ゴメス独裁の学生運動を組織、亡命・地下活動のなかで著作と新聞発行を続け、反政府組織の民主行動党（AD）を結成した。1945年に一部軍人と組んでクーデターに成功し、改革に着手するが、保守派に追われる。しかしペレス・ヒメネスの独裁に対する幅広い反対運動を指導して、1958年に大統領に選出され、農地改革や民族主義的な石油政策を実施。改革政策に反対する極右と極左ゲリラ勢力を抑え、平和裏にキリスト教社会党（COPEI）に政権を移譲して、二大政党による文民支配を定着させた。

［乗　浩子］

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