[media-credit name=’JEFF SCHORFHEIDE/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]Dozens of students, community members and government officials attended a lecture in Grainger Hall Thursday by a Venezuelan ambassador on his nation's struggle for democracy.

The crowd gathered early to hear Bernardo Alvarez Herrera speak about Venezuela's progress toward social welfare and improved relations with the United States.

Herrera began his speech with a briefing of Venezuela's political and social history, focusing primarily on the nation's economic collapse in the 1970s and '80s as a result of an accumulation of national debt and a significant drop in the price of oil, Venezuela's main export.

This economic crisis, Herrera said, was the direct catalyst for a drop in Venezuelan morale, and consequently, a drop in Venezuelan participation in government.

"Participation is not only a right or a duty — it is a commitment," Herrera said.

According to Herrera, Venezuelans did not attend to that commitment during what has been referred as the nation's "lost era," which began in the 1970s and more than 20 years.

But Herrera did not dwell on the problems of his nation's past, instead jumping to the progress his country has made since President Hugo Chavez took office.

Venezuela has made great improvements in areas of education, health care and standard of living under Chavez, Herrera said. He cited the growth of the nation's school system — an increase from 3,596 private schools in 2005 to 5,189 schools in 2007, and he referred to similar accomplishments in health care as proof of Venezuela's progress.

However, the Venezuelan people have a long way to go before they return to a prosperous standard of living, Herrera said, and they need U.S. assistance in order to do so.

First on his agenda: an improvement of U.S.-Venezuelan relations.

"We have to move from solidarity to common agendas," Herrera said. "There are so many things about which, believe me, we have a common agenda."

Herrera said improved relations could only further the progress that Venezuela has made as the result of Chavez's "Bolivian Revolution," which refers to his efforts to pull Venezuela out of economic decline through the use of co-ops. He added a positive relationship would represent progress toward a future when globalization would inspire all countries to work together toward a common goal: the eradication of poverty and classism.

These hopes were largely met by applause, but not all audience members were optimistic. One attendee, a Venezuelan native, questioned Herrera on the polarization of Venezuelan people he said was not present in his childhood, but which he noticed on a recent visit.

Herrera answered that a change in the character of a nation is never easy to complete.

"Venezuela has been going through a process of confrontation," he said. "Change in Venezuela is not a beautiful consensus of the country."

UW sophomore Scott Boyce was optimistic after hearing the ambassador speak.”It will be interesting to see where his plans lead,” Boyce said.