Contry Project 2

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Country Project: Colombia The aftermath of the government shift from the Liberal Party to the Conservative Party in Colombia in 1946 led to many negative events taking place across the nation (Bushell, 1993, pp. 200-201). One of the most significant events among these was “The Bogotazo” which laid the foundation for a ten-year period of violence (Bushell, 1993, pp. 202, 204). “The Bogotazo”, which occurred in April 1948, was a period of violent unrest and rioting in the capital of Colombia, Bogota, and is an important and well-known moment in Colombian history (Bushell, 1993, p. 202). The riots, violence and protests soon spread across Colombia causing devastation in many cities (Bushnell, 1993, p. 202). However, this event had pivotal negative and positive implications for the development of Colombia (Bushell, 1993, pp. 207- 208; Palacios, 2006, p. 143). “The Bogotazo” was an essential moment for the development of Colombia (Bushnell, 1993, p. 202). Firstly, “The Bogotazo” was important for the development of Colombia because led to the implementation of a development model and Colombia had to reconstruct the severely damaged nation with significant financial support from the United States (Larosa & Mejía, 2017, p. 94). Secondly, this key moment led to the establishment of an arrangement called the National Front which had social, political, and economic consequences for Colombia and thus influenced development ( Bushnell, 1993, p. 231; Larosa & Mejía, 2017, p. 94). Lastly, “The Bogotazo” led to urbanization and a weak judicial system that had decisive consequences for development (Bushnell, 1993; Palacios, 2006, p. 169 ). First, this paper will delve into the elements that led to “The Bogotazo”. Subsequently, it will examine the significance of this moment for the development of Colombia, emphasizing its short-term consequences. Finally, this paper will explore the long-term effects this event had on Colombia’s development. 1

What was the reason for the emergence of “the Bogotazo”? The main cause for this moment was the assassination of a liberal presidential candidate (Bushell, 1993, p. 202). This was the primary event that triggered “The Bogotazo” (Bushell, 1993, p. 202). However, another significant factor that set the stage for this assassination and therefore contributed to this key event was the political tensions between the liberal party and the conservative party that had lasted for decades (Larosa & Mejía, 2017, p. 93). These two factors combined, can be seen as the reason for “The Bogotazo”. The first factor contributing to “The Bogotazo” was the growing political tensions and disputes between the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party as well as their supporters beginning in 1930 (Bushell, 1993, p. 181). The Liberal Party won the election in 1930 after nearly fifty years as the opposition (Bushell, 1993, p. 181). This led to a growing disagreement about government intervention in the economy immediately after the change of government (Kline, 1995, p. 41). The Liberals supported intervention, while the Conservatives did not support it (Kline, 1995, p. 41). Thus, a conflict arose and violence between supporters of the two parties began to increase (Bushell, 1993, p. 181). Additionally, the Liberal government acknowledged the right of workers to establish trade unions (Kline, 1995, p. 41). This contributed to increase the conflict as the conservatives did not support this acknowledgement (Kline, 1995, p. 41). As a result, there were increasing tensions from 1930 between proponents of the Liberal Party and proponents of the Conservative Party in Colombia (Larosa & Mejía, 2017, p. 93). These political tensions between the supporters of the Liberal Party and the supporters of the Conservative Party led to a growing conflict and dispute (Larosa & Mejía, 2017, p. 93). This shows that there has long been a bad atmosphere between them, which has grown. Additionally, these growing political tensions and disputes can be seen as a reason for the assassination of the liberal presidential candidate as it created a hostile relationship between 2

them. In this way, the political tensions, and disputes between these two main parties can be seen as an important cause of the key developing moment, “The Bogotazo”. The second factor and most central cause of “The Bogotazo” was the assassination of the charismatic Liberal Party leader and presidential candidate, Jorge Eliécer Gaitán (Bushell, 1993, p. 202; Larosa & Mejía, 2017, p. 93). The Liberal Party was in government for a long period since 1930 (Bushell, 1993, p. 202). As mentioned above, this period was filled with conflicts (Bushell, 1993, p. 181). However, in 1946, the Conservative Party won the election and because of this, many proponents of the Liberal Party were irritated and felt that they had been misled (Larosa & Mejía, 2017, p. 93). As a result, violence began to spread in some cities, and reliance and confidence on Gaitán became central to the Liberals after their unexpected election loss (Bushell, 1993, p. 201). Gaitán soon became the leader of the Liberal Party as well as their presidential candidate (Bushell, 1993, p. 202). After the change of government, there were still a hostile dynamic between the Liberals and Conservatives, and violence continued to spread (Bushell, 1993, pp. 201-202). Thus, in April 1948, Gaitán was fatally shot in Bogota, the capital of Colombia (Bushell, 1993, p. 202). A change of government from the liberals to the conservatives combined with prolonged political tensions was deeply frustrating for many Colombian citizens (Larosa & Mejía, 2017, p. 93). The assassination of Gaitán can be considered the final straw as there were already growing tensions between the supporters of the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party. The assassination can therefore be viewed as what triggered “The Bogotazo” where deadly mass riots and violence spread across the entire nation, not only in the large cities but also in small towns that was dominated by liberal supporters (Bushell, 1993, p. 202; Kline, 1995, p. 44). A combination of the political tensions and the murder of Gaitán is therefore the reason for “The Bogotazo”. 3

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The immediate and pivotal moment, “The Bogozato”, after the assassination of Gaitán had both positive and negative impacts on Colombia’s development (Bushell, 1993, pp. 202, 204, 208). Furthermore, it laid the foundation for a long-lasting period of violence known as “La Violencia” (Bushell, 1993, p. 204). Firstly, “The Bogotazo” caused an eruption of nationwide riots and protests (Bushell, 1993, p. 202). However, it also led to a brutal prolonged period in which violence spread across Colombia’s cities (Bushell, 1993, p. 204). This period of violence is commonly known as “La Violencia” (Bushell, 1993, p. 204). A total of 193,017 fatalities are estimated to be linked to "La Violencia" (Henderson, 2014, p. 424). Additionally, approximately 34,300 houses were burned down, and many businesses were looted (Bergquist et al., 1992, p. 105; Henderson, 2014, p. 313). As a result of this nationwide violence, protests and riots, Colombia experienced great destruction in several parts of the country and thus initiated a development plan and had to reconstruct the destroyed cities (Larosa & Mejía, 2017, p. 94). The United States contributed with substantial financial support, consisting of millions of dollars (Larosa & Mejía, 2017, p. 94). This shows how the riots, protests, and violence during “The Bogotazo”, but also “La Violencia” originating from “The Bogotazo”, resulted in a setback of the development of Colombia. All the destruction that took place in Colombia as a result of “The Bogotazo” caused a delay in the development (Larosa & Mejía, 2017, p. 94). However, as mentioned above, the United States provided financial support which can be seen as a factor that caused the setback in development to be smaller than it would have been without this financial support (Larosa & Mejía, 2017, p. 94). This key moment can therefore be seen as having a negative consequence on Colombia’s development. 4

Secondly, the brutal riots during “The Bogotazo” that spread across Colombia and developed into a violent era are important for Colombia’s development history because it led to the implementation of the National Front (Larosa & Mejía, 2017, p. 94). The National Front was primarily a plan established to stop the violence and riots, however, it also aimed to achieve a political change. (Larosa & Mejía, 2017, p. 94). This political agreement stipulated that the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party would hold elections every four years where the winner would sit in government without intervention from the other party (Larosa & Mejía, 2017, p. 94). Furthermore, the National Front contained economic and social policies aimed at increasing the pace of Colombia’s development (Bushell, 1993, p. 231). This shows that “The Bogotazo” was important for Colombia’s development since it played a pivotal role in the establishment of the National Front. This plan succeeded in increasing democracy and lowering violence (Bushell, 1993, p. 231; Larosa & Mejía, 2017, p. 94). However, in addition to reducing the violence of “The Bogotazo” and achieving political change, the National Front succeeded in bringing back religious freedom in Colombia, while implementing economic policies that contributed to extending the economic growth in Colombia which the country had experienced for a long time (Bushell, 1993, pp. 227, 230; Henderson, 2014, pp. 325-326). Moreover, the social measures within the National Front strengthened women’s rights (Bushell, 1993, p. 240). This can also be viewed as a significant step for Colombia’s development. In this way, “The Bogotazo” had positive impact on the development of Colombia by causing the establishment of the National Front. Thirdly and finally, “The Bogotazo” led to increased urbanization (Bushell, 1993, p. 208). The Colombian government was weak in the rural areas which thus resulted in more violence in those areas than in the larger cities (Larosa & Mejía, 2017, p. 94; Kline, 1995, p. 44 ). In addition, Colombian companies grew substantially during the violent period after “The Bogotazo” (Henderson, 2014, p. 327). The Colombian industry increased by 89,5% during 5

this period (Henderson, 2014, p. 329). As a result, many Colombians were moving from rural areas into the cities (Bushell, 1993, p. 208). By the 1960s, the majority of Colombia’s population (62%) was urban (Bushell, 1993, p. 208). As mentioned above, the violence from “The Bogotazo” was highest in the rural areas and for that reason people had to escape the brutalities (Kline, 1995, p. 44). But since the companies grew, it would also be easier to get a job, which makes it even more attractive to move into the cities (Henderson, 2014, p. 327). These two factors can therefore be seen as what led to increased urbanization in Colombia in the aftermath of “The Bogotazo”. Urbanization is closely linked to economic growth and thus it appears that the urbanization may be one of the reasons for the extended economic growth Colombia experienced, which is mentioned above (Henderson, 2014, p. 326). “The Bogotazo” can therefore in this way be regarded as a factor contributing positively to the development of Colombia. Colombia’s contemporary society has suffered from crime, corruption, drug wars and several other negative factors (Palacios, 2006, p. 169; Larosa & Mejía, 2017, p. 99). However, what long-term effect did this key developing event have on Colombia and can these negative factors be consequences of “The Bogotazo”? “The Bogotazo” led to the establishment of a judicial system in Colombia filled with corruption and bribery (Palacios, 2006, p. 169). The brutal violence of “The Bogotazo” hindered the development of a trusted judicial system (Palacios, 2006, p. 169). As a result, in the situation when a reliable law enforcement was needed the most, the key government institutions accountable for this lacked transparency and honesty (Palacios, 2006, p. 169). Distrust of these state institutions was therefore developed among many Colombian citizens (Palacios, 2006, p. 169). Furthermore, the violence that spread throughout the country after “The Bogotazo” socialized the young Colombian generation to think that violence was natural and normal (Klint, 1995, p. 45). 6

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The weak judicial system that can be viewed as a hindering factor of development has reflected in high crime rates and corruption in Colombia decades later (Palacios, 2006, p. 169). High crime rates and corruption may threaten the social stability and economic growth and can therefore be seen to have a negative impact on development. The belief among young Colombians regarding that violence is normal can have spread to future generations and may thus also be the reason why Colombia experienced high crime rates, violence, and corruption in the modern society (Palacios, 2006, p. 169). These two elements reflect the substantial long-term implications “The Bogotazo” had on Colombian society. In conclusion, “The Bogotazo” which originated from the political tensions between the main parties and the assassination of the presidential candidate, had major consequences on the development of Colombia. There were negative consequences like nationwide destruction and increased crime rates (Larosa & Mejía, 2017, p. 94; Palacios, 2006, p. 169). However, positive consequences such as extension of the economic growth and increased democracy also resulted from this key development event (Larosa & Mejía, 2017, p. 94; Henderson, 2014, p. 325). Through understanding “The Bogotazo”, I believe we can learn from this through gaining valuable insight into the meaning of such moments and its influence on society. An interesting factor that is worth noting is that this brutal and savage event, “The Bogotazo”, which cost so many human lives, actually had positive effects on development in addition to the negative effects (Bushell, 1993, pp. 207-208; Palacios, 2006, p. 143; Henderson, 2014, p. 424). Furthermore, I believe that this historical episode functions as a reminder that historical moments can have significant long-term consequences which can be observed in today’s society. 7

Bibliography: Bushnell, David.1993. The Making of Modern Colombia: A Nation in Spite of Itself . Berkeley: University of California Press. Henderson, James. 2014. Modernization in Colombia: The Laureano G ómez Years, 1889 – 1965. Gainesville: University Press of Florida Larosa, Michael and Mejía Germ án. 2012. Colombia: A Concise Contemporary History. London: Rowman & Littlefield. Palacios, Marco. 2006. Between Legitimacy and Violence: A History of Colombia 1875-2002. Durham and London: Duke University Press. Bergquist, Charles and Peñaranda, Ricardo and Gonzalo Sánchez. 1992. Violence in Colombia: The Contemporary Crisis in Historical Perspective. Wilmington: Scholarly Resources Inc. Kline, Harvey F. 1995. Colombia: Democracy Under Assault. Boulder: Westview Press. 8