Laureano Vallenilla Lanz

Laureano Vallenilla Lanz (born November 10, 1870; died November 16, 1936) was a Venezuelan intellectual and sociologist. [es icon [http://www.ivic.ve/memoria/bios/vallenilla_lanz_laureano.htm Vallenilla Lanz, Laureano] , biography, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas. Accessed on line November 20, 2007.] Vallenilla Lanz held a number of positions under the dictatorship of Juan Vicente Gómez and is well-known as an apologist for his regime. In his best-known work, "Cesarismo Democrático" (1919; English title: "Democratic Caesarism"), he justified the "caudillo" system by stating that due to the character of the Venezuelan people, rule by a dictator who ruthlessly suppresses rivals was necessary to maintain public order. In his view, this system was democratic in the sense that it was due to the "unconscious suggestion of the majority". [pp. 15–17, "Rómulo Betancourt and the Transformation of Venezuela", Robert Jackson Alexander, Transaction Publishers, 1982, ISBN 0878554505.] [ [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0003-0554(195606)50%3A2%3C422%3AEPIV%3E2.0.CO%3B2-V Executive Power in Venezuela] , Leo B. Lott, "The American Political Science Review" 50, #2 (June 1956), pp. 422–441.]

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