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Abstract:
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This 1861 letter discusses the failed attempt of a U.S. entrepreneur, Ayers Braach, to establish a sewing machine business in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas. That such a venture would fail is not surprising, given the volatile social situation in Venezuela at the time. In the late 1850s and early 1860s, Venezuela's political situation, which had lacked stability for several decades following its declaration of independence from Spain in 1811, reached a level of turmoil that was exceptional even for the country's chaotic history. With the government's credibility quickly deteriorating, several groups of revolutionaries saw an opportunity for power. In the face of this pressure Manuel Felipe de Tovar resigned from the presidency. José Antonio Páez, a national hero who had been exiled but now returned to Venezuela, took over as dictator on August 29, 1861. Braach's letter was written just a few months afterwards on December 18th. Whether it was this event that convinced Braach to abandon his business venture is difficult to determine, but the intense turmoil that engulfed the Venezuelan capital probably led to its failure and to his belief that "the people of this country are not sensible enough." |