The Rabbit Hole: https://rabbithole.hassettstudios.com/ New Merch Store: https://shop.hassettstudios.com/🎥 Video DescriptionIn this episode of The Jason Hassett Show, we break down one of the most catastrophic economic collapses in modern history. With the recent capture of Nicolás Maduro making headlines, everyone is looking at the end of the story—but to understand the chaos, you have to go back to the beginning.How did the wealthiest country in South America—a nation literally floating on the world’s largest proven oil reserves—end up with a starving population and a currency worth less than the paper it's printed on?I dig into the deep history of Venezuela, tracing its path from a Spanish colony to the dizzying heights of the 1970s oil boom. We explore the era when Venezuela was the envy of the developing world, a time when money flowed so freely it seemed the party would never end.But beneath the surface of that wealth, a silent economic killer was taking root.We explain the concept of "The Dutch Disease"—the economic paradox that turned Venezuela’s greatest blessing into a curse. We analyze how the over-reliance on oil hollowed out the rest of the economy, setting the stage for a political revolution.From there, we examine the rise of Hugo Chávez, the charismatic leader who promised to redistribute the wealth but ultimately dismantled the democratic institutions that held the country together. Finally, we look at the transition to Maduro and the systematic destruction of a nation that followed.Is this just a story of bad luck? A warning about socialism? Or a textbook case of resource mismanagement on a global scale?This episode isn’t just about Venezuelan politics—it’s a deep dive into how fragile prosperity really is, and how quickly a "rich" nation can lose everything.🔗 Links & Support📺 Documentary Channel: https://youtube.com/@thatjasonhassett❤️ Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/jasonhassett📌 About The Jason Hassett ShowWelcome to The Jason Hassett Show — where conversations go where others won’t. This channel is a raw, unfiltered space where we explore the ideas everyone argues about but almost nobody understands.From climate and energy to AI, geopolitics, hidden history, conspiracies, and modern power structures, each episode is built on curiosity, skepticism, and a refusal to accept simplistic narratives.Nothing is off-limits. Nothing is sacred. Every assumption is fair game.⏱️ Chapters0:00 Intro 1:49 Maduro’s Capture 8:06 Venezuela Colony to Striking Oil 15:46 Road to the 1970s 18:07 Oil Embargo Boom (Overview of Wealth) 21:46 The Dutch Disease 24:50 Hugo Chavez 30:47 Maduro’s Ruining of the Country🏷️ Hashtags#Venezuela #Maduro #OilHistory #Geopolitics #EconomicCollapse #HugoChavez #DutchDisease #HistoryOfOil #SouthAmerica #JasonHassett #TheJasonHassettShow #DeepDive #ModernHistory