Cas·tro  (kās'trō, kä'strō)  Venezuelan soldier and politician who was president from 1902 to 1908, when he was suspended by the congress for his dictatorial policies. |
Castro, Cipriano
Venezuelan soldier and dictator, called the Lion of the Andes, who was the first man from the mountains to rule a nation that until the 20th century had been dominated by plainsmen and city dwellers from Caracas. He ruled for nine remarkably corrupt years (1899-1908), embezzling vast sums of money and living as an extraordinary libertine, only to be deposed by his more ruthless lieutenant, Juan Vicente Gomez.
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