A Supplemental Guide to Colombian History
Conflict is never static. When reflecting on violence it is easy to fall into the trap of seeing moments as individual and disconnected, but rarely is this the case. The history of conflict in Colombia demonstrates just how fluid and interconnected violence can be.
La Patria Boba
1810-1816
Like most nations in the Americas, Colombia was born of conflict. And like most nations in Latin America, Colombia did not always have the borders and names we know today. After successfully emancipating itself from the colonial power of Spain, the United Provinces of New Granada emerged as a new nation with a very weak executive branch and an incredibly strong legislative system. This period of history was marked by intense struggles and conflict over power and governmental designs. All this conflict between centralists and federalists within the government led to national instability which ultimately ended with the Spanish reconquest of the territory in 1816. This period is called La Patria Boba (The Foolish Fatherland).
Gran Colombia
1819- 1831
In 1819, independence from Spain was achieved again with the unitary centralist state of Gran Colombia emerging as one of the most prestigious nations in Latin America at the time. Made up of present-day Colombia, Panama, Venezuela, mainland Ecuador, parts of northwestern Brazil, northern Peru, and Essequibo the nation was huge! It was so huge that John Quincy Addams, who was acting Secretary of State of the U.S., said it was one of the most powerful nations in the world. Despite its size and resources, things were not running smoothly for Gran Colombia. Over time, tensions between federalists and centralists as well as regional differences within the populations of the nation lead to more conflict. By 1830, Venezuela and Ecuador had seceded, leaving behind Colombia and Panama, renamed New Granada. Panama would later separate from Colombia in 1903.
Guerra de los Supremos
1839-1842
Civil conflict between ambitious regional leaders (gamonales) seeking to depose president José Ignacio de Márquez and seize power for themselves leads to the War of the Supremes (Guerra de los Supremos). The war got its name due to the participation of revolutionary gamonales who called themselves “jefes supremos” (supreme chiefs). There were several things and individuals that served as catalysts for this conflict, but all of them shared a common resentment of centralist control in Bogota. This conflict created great tensions within the nation and ultimately led to the extreme political polarization that would give birth to the Colombian Conservative and Liberal parties.
La Guerra de los Mil Días
1899- 1902
In 1886 New Granada was renamed the Republic of Colombia, but a new name did not get rid of old tensions. The political divide between the Colombian Conservative and Liberal parties was evergrowing and risk of civil conflict was ever present. The implementation of a new constitution led to more tension between the political parties of Colombia, and the tug-of-war between federalism and centralism continued. Following the presidential election of 1898, the Liberal party announced an insurrection against the Conservative national government. Liberal fighters attempted to take over the city of Bucaramanga which led to active conflict which would become the Thousand Day’s war (la Guerra de los Mil Días). This conflict was brutal and bloody, ending in a partial collapse of the nation’s economy, the eventual loss of Panama, continued government instability, the displacement of many, and the deaths of around 150,000 individuals (roughly 2.5% of the population at the time) making this the deadliest and most destructive war in Colombia's history.
Masacre de las Bananeras
1928
Due to a number of labor issues, United Fruit Company workers (an American agricultural company that abused and exploited workers in Latin America) went on strike in order to push their employer to grant them dignified working conditions. The strike lasted several weeks, and the United Fruit Company refused to negotiate with the workers. When workers refused to continue working, the conservative government sent in the Colombian Army in an attempt to end the strike. This action ended with the massacre of 47 to 2,000 people (it could be more, the concrete number of dead workers is unknown). The United States presented the strike as a communist movement and threatened economic retaliation against the Colombian Government if they did not act in the interests of the United Fruit Company.
La Violencia
1948-1958
In April of 1948, Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, a Liberal presidential candidate for the upcoming 1949 presidential election was assassinated. His assassination sparks extreme civil unrest which leads to the infamous Bogotazo rioting, which lasted for 10 hours and resulted in the deaths of around 5,000 people. Unfortunately, the conflict did not end with the riots. In the countryside, rural police and political leaders that were aligned with the Conservative party encouraged Conservative-aligned individuals to seize the land and livestock of Liberal-aligned individuals. Ultimately this all developed into an incredibly violent civil war that became known as La Violencia. This war lasted for 10 years and had significant impacts on rural Colombia. It led to the deaths of at least 200,000 people (around 2% of the nation’s population at the time) and the displacement of many more.