In Venezuela, numerous methods were implemented as part of the totalitarian regime’s efforts to gain and retain its power. The gradual process of de-democratization occurred throughout the past two decades beginning with the charismatic populist Hugo Chavez’s presidency and was further facilitated by corruption and the concentration of political and economic power in the military. He amassed a great deal of support due to his assertion that he could improve the country’s social conditions and address issues of extreme inequality and poverty.