-The following reflects the difference between Venezuela and Argentina: the Argentineans disaffiliated themselves from their European connection, yet they didn't have sufficient will or means to build a new distinct unified Argentinean nation. Venezuelans, on the other hand, according to Coloca and Ben-Zeev, have considered themselves since the 16th century an inseparable part of the Western world. The myth of a thriving North Atlantic world, as well as language and culture have drawn them closer to the Western world, though they are still attempting to forge a uniquely Venezuelan nation. The pivotal event in the formation of this nation was the discovery of oil in 1940, which prompted the immigration of many Europeans and their integration within the technological elite upper class - a smooth integration that blurred or even obliterated original ethnic differences. In Venezuela, there are no ethnic community centers, though it would be inaccurate, according to Coloca and Ben-Zeev, to attribute this unity only to the discovery of oil and its consequences. As proof, they cite the case of Saudi Arabia where the discovery of oil has not united the specialists who came to the country with the Saudis. This argument doesn't seem relevant, but Coloca and Ben-Zeev's second reason is simpler and more comprehensible. They claim that even before the 1940's, a process of unification began in Venezuela. Every individual in Venezuela, already during the colonial period, had the potential to climb the social ladder and secure for himself the privileges of the White class, by improving his economic status. Coloca and Ben-Zeev describe how all survivors of the racial genocide suffered by the Indians underwent a process of assimilation, and were then considered "Lanneros." In contrast to the Indian population that has essentially vanished, people of African blood and ethnic origin, including slaves, Blacks, and dark skinned individuals, comprise approximately 60% of the population (particularly in coastal regions). They actively participated in their war of independence. They do not perceive themselves as a distinct group and have not even formed any separate societies. A wealthy Black easily integrates into a White society (though he didn't during the beginning of the colonial period). Slavery was banned in 1854 - before the US and long before Brazil. Venezuela's democracy from its inception was open to all shades and colors. In the 1940's, with the discovery of oil, it was natural to develop in Venezuela a cosmic-political society, which is the basis that characterizes the region's brand of nationalism and which distinguishes it. While Whites may stand at the top of the social ladder, others are an integral integrated part of the society. Regarding the historical process in which the Spanish gained control of Venezuela, initially the Spanish oppressed or slaughtered the Indians from coastal regions. The Indians in Venezuela were far less cultured from those in Mexico. Catholic missionaries assumed control over them, influenced them to accept Christianity, and established churches for them. The conquest was religious-cultural, rather than military. The Indian tribes before then had not shared a common religion or framework. The tribes lived separately from one another and even spoke different languages. Coloca and Ben-Zeev claim that it is quite likely that the missionaries' activities lent the Spanish conquest a peaceful character, a character that ultimately bred the unity that characterizes Venezuelan society. This unification process persisted throughout the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, and it resulted in the expansion and growth of Venezuela under colonial rule, and gradually to the creation of an independent nation. In Coloca and Ben-Zeev's opinion, it also paved the way toward Venezuela's war of independence, through which the Venezuelan nation was formed. By and large, the Indians ultimately disappeared as a result of their inability to adapt or adopt new agricultural methods, and due to assimilation and illness. As a result, the new Venezuelan culture, in contrast to the Mexican one, did not derive inspiration from Indian culture. It is a fundamentally Spanish culture, with strong tendencies toward modernity. Democracy reached Venezuela only in 1960, before which time Venezuela was ruled by military regimes and was characterized by successive coupes.