Oil, communists and diplomacy. The turns of Soviet-Venezuelan relations in 1940—1970s

Based on a wide range of archival materials (mostly the papers of the International Department of the CC of the CPSU), the authors analyzed the key factors that formed the basis of the complex nature of Soviet-Venezuelan relations since the moment they were established in 1945 until the mid-1970s. Diplomatic contacts between Moscow and Caracas were largely influenced by turns in domestic politics and the alignment of inter-party relations in Venezuela. Equally significant were the Venezuelan governments attempts to reform the oil sector and ensure its independence from foreign monopolies.