The Liberal Party ( es, Partido Liberal, PL), better known as Great Liberal Party of Venezuela ( es, Gran Partido Liberal de Venezuela, GPLV), was a political party in

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

, founded on August 20, 1840, by

Antonio Leocadio Guzmán Antonio Leocadio Guzmán Águeda (Caracas, Venezuela, November 5, 1801 - November 13, 1884) was a Venezuelan politician, journalist, and military leader. He was the father of Antonio Guzmán Blanco. He was the founder of the Liberal Party. From ...

and Tomás Lander, through an editorial published by Guzmán at ''El Venezolano'' newspaper. It was the rival of the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

History

The party very successfully promoted liberal policies during the early days of the Republic. Several of the early presidents of the country were members of the Liberal Party, including

José Tadeo Monagas José Tadeo Monagas Burgos (28 October 1784 – 18 November 1868) was the president of Venezuela 1847–1851 and 1855–1858, and a hero of the Venezuelan War of Independence. Career Presidency In 1846, to head off the challenge from the Libe ...

(in office from 1 March 1847 – 5 February 1851 and 20 January 1855 – 15 March 1858) who abolished capital punishment for political crimes. President

José Gregorio Monagas José Gregorio Monagas (4 May 1795 – 15 July 1858) was the president of Venezuela 1851–1855 and brother of José Tadeo Monagas.

proclaimed that Venezuela was a nation free of

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

in an edict signed on 24 March 1854. In 1863, under the leadership of President

Juan Crisóstomo Falcón Juan Crisóstomo Falcón Zavarce (27 January 1820 – 29 April 1870) was the president of Venezuela from 1863 to 1868.Federal War The Federal War ( es, Guerra Federal) — also known as the Great War or the Five Year War — was a civil war (1859–1863) in Venezuela between the Conservative party and the Liberal party over the monopoly the Conservatives held over govern ...

Dios y Federación ''Dios y Federación'' ( en, God and Federation) is considered the traditional state motto of Venezuela. It was first used as the rallying cry of the rebel forces during the Federal War, and it was subsequently incorporated into the country's c ...

Liberalism and conservatism in Latin America Liberalism and conservatism in Latin America have unique historical roots as Latin American independence began to occur in 1808 after the French Revolution and the subsequent Napoleonic Wars that eventually engulfed all of Europe. French revo ...

Liberal parties in Venezuela Political parties established in 1840 Political parties disestablished in 1899 Defunct liberal political parties Defunct political parties in Venezuela {{venezuela-party-stub