In 1999, Caldera published his last book, "De Carabobo a Puntofijo: Los Causahabientes" (From Carabobo to Puntofijo, The Causates), a political history of Venezuela from 1830 to 1958. This book includes in its postscript a balanced assessment of Venezuela's democratic experience from 1958 to 1999. In the last sentences of this book, Caldera concludes with a message of hope that is particularly poignant in light of the reality that eventually unfolded under Chávez and his successor Maduro: "Venezuelans learned to live in liberty. Any political project that ignores this reality is condemned to failure".