Literacy for Democracy

Literacy for Democracy

Teresa Lucas
Copyright: © 2023 |Pages: 11
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-6684-5022-2.ch020
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Abstract

The world is more literate than ever, but does this literacy lead to a more thoughtful citizenry? The approach to teaching literacy skills governed by the necessity of choosing the “right” answers on multiple choice assessment instruments has the effect of producing literate and competent workers rather than the critical, creative, and ethical citizens required for functioning democratic societies. The fall of the Soviet Union in 1989 was celebrated as the victory of democratic ideals over authoritarian forms of government in many parts of the globe. However, events in the current century point to a trend towards autocracy. This chapter considers how events in the current century in the United States and Venezuela point to a trend towards autocracy and suggests how strengthening educational practices, especially those for engaging children in thoughtful literacy, can result in a return to democracy.
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From Dictatorship To Democracy To Autocracy In Venezuela

Venezuela was my home for nearly 20 years from 1971 to 2000, giving me a first-hand view of the transformation of a country from a democracy to an autocracy in just a few years. The more gradual breakdown of democracy in the U.S. mirrors the process in Venezuela. The narration of the events in Venezuela is instructive for understanding the forces at work in the U.S. and hopefully for taking measures to guard against a total destruction of the democratic system.

Venezuela became independent from Spain in 1821, after which power passed from one dictator to another. In 1908, Juan Vicente Gomez assumed power and ruled with an iron hand until his death in 1935. His successors ruled until 1945 when a popular movement perpetrated a coup d'etat, leading to the country’s first election with universal suffrage. The political party whose leaders had led the coup, Acción Democrȧtica, easily won the election. The experiment in democracy lasted only three years until 1948 when a military coup deposed the elected leaders, imprisoning some and sending others into exile. The military ruled with Marcos Perez Jimenez at the helm until another coup sent him into exile in 1958.

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