Republic of Colombia

Flag of the Republic of Colombia

The **República de Colombia** (**Republic of Colombia**) is a country in South America. Its borders are shared to the north by the Caribbean and Panama, to the east by Venezuela; to the south by Brazil and Peru; and to the west by Ecuador.

The Republic of Colombia is a member of the **Organization of Free Nations**.

## History

### Before The Conflict (1930 - 1948)

In the early 1930s, Colombia was undergoing a period of political and social upheaval. The country was led by a series of conservative governments that were marked by corruption, violence, and economic stagnation. In response, a new generation of political leaders emerged, calling for democratic reforms and social justice. These leaders, who were often associated with the Liberal Party, advocated for greater political participation, improved working conditions, and land reform.

One of the most prominent of these leaders was Jorge Eliecer Gaitán, a charismatic and populist politician who championed the rights of the working class and the poor. Gaitan was a powerful orator who spoke out against corruption and inequality, capturing the hearts and minds of millions of Colombians.

At the same time, however, the conservative establishment remained firmly in control of the government and the economy. The country's elites were largely resistant to change, and they used violence and intimidation to maintain their grip on power.

Despite his popularity, Gaitán faced fierce opposition from the conservative establishment, which remained firmly in control of the government and the economy. The country's elites were largely resistant to change, and they used violence and intimidation to maintain their grip on power. They viewed him as a threat to the existing order. In 1948, as Gaitán was campaigning for the presidency, he was assassinated on the streets of Bogotá, sparking a wave of violence and unrest that would come to be known as "El Bogotazo."

News of Gaitan's assassination quickly spread throughout the city, and angry mobs took to the streets, setting fire to buildings and attacking police officers and government officials. The violence soon spread to other parts of the country, with riots and protests erupting in cities and towns across Colombia. The people of Colombia took up arms and a period of unrest and violence, "La Violencia", the violence in english, began in the nation.

### La Violencia (1948 - 1966)

The violence and unrest continued to escalate, fueled by deep political divisions and widespread social inequality.

Over the next two decades, Colombia was wracked by civil conflict, with various groups vying for power and influence. Fascists calling themselves New Granada emerged as a major force, seeking to impose their authoritarian vision on the country. Meanwhile, the despotic remnants of the Republic of Colombia clung to power, using violence and repression to maintain their grip on the country.

In opposition to these forces, a new coalition emerged: the Colombian Revolutionary Union. Made up of a diverse group of leftists, socialists, communists and progressives, promising to carry on Gaitán's legacy. The Union was supported by Venezuela and the United States and was committed to bringing about meaningful social and political change in Colombia.

The conflict between these three groups culminated into a ceasefire being signed by the three sides. However, this peace did not last, as various border skirmishes and conflicts continued to happen as the frontlines between the three armies solidified. This period of false peace would last a few years before in 1965, an open civil war began in the Colombian territory as a fourth faction revolted in Barranquilla, the Second Patriotic Army, following an ideology of racial superiority, believing that anyone not part of the "Ariocriollo" race, or white Colombians descendants from Europeans, needed to be exterminated in order for Colombia to prevail.

Ultimately though, an thanks to the large support provided by Venezuela and the Organization of Free Nations, the Colombian Revolutionary Union, despite most of its territory being conformed of rural countryside, emerged victorious in the brutal conflict.

### La Reconstrución (1966 - 1980)

La Violencia was finally over, and so came a period known as La Reconstrución, the reconstruction in English, when a wartorn ravaged Colombia had to be rebuilt from the ground up. The Union's victory marked a turning point in Colombian history, ushering in a new era of social justice that would transform the country for generations to come. Guadalupe Salcedo Unda, leader of the Union, had stepped down following the civil war to allow democratic elections to be conducted. However, an unexpected electoral grindlock occured, with the Gaitanistas quickly seizing power and suspending the revolutionary cabildo put in place.

It seemed that authoritarianism was once again coming to Colombia with Alfonso López Michelsen's government, characterized by purging opponents in the party and hints of political repression around the country. However, reforms for social justice began to be imposed and a slow process of reversion of the collectivization and of communist policies commenced, with a capitalist economic system being slightly approached and a western styled democracy system being implemented.

Not everyone was happy however, as those opposing López Michelsen began a guerrilla warfare against the government, with two organizations arising called the **ELN,** or Ejército de Liberación Nacional (*National Liberation Army*), and the FARC, or Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (*Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia*), mostly made of communist and marxist-leninist remnants of the party and other revolutionaries from the people.

This would soon stop being López Michelsen's problem however, as the 1970 elections came and Indalecio Liévano Aguirre was elected the new President of Colombia. Under him, Colombia pursued a focus on diplomacy with the rest of the western world and secured an alliance with its neighbor, Venezuela, as well as marking a period of cooperation with the United States and the OFN, even sending volunteers to fight in the Angolan Civil War for the MPLA. However, the lack of action from the government allows the ELN and the FARC to expand and become stronger, as well as the founding of a third minor organization called the **EPL**, or Ejército Popular de Liberación (*Liberation People's Army*).

In the 1974 elections, Belisario Betancur Cuartas was elected to lead Colombia. Although his leadership saw education improve across the entire country and a diplomatic approach to the guerrillas, agreeing on a ceasefire with the Acuerdos de la Uribe y Corinto, Hobo y Medellín (Uribe & Corinto, Hobo & Medellín Agreements), it also saw a huge increase in inflation and debt, forcing the government to raise taxes and lower public spending and causing widespread riots and protests, marking a period of social unrest, with some people even stating that Colombia had left altogether its social justice values.

IN 1978, Luis Carlos Galán was elected President, a popular figurehead, and the first President of Colombia since the civil war had ended to not be part of the MRL. Coincidentally, the Narcos Era in Colombia had begun around this time, with Galán becoming a firmly anti-narco President, causing a rivalry to arise between the government and the cartels, and so, the period known as "War Against The State" would begin.

This was a process marked by crackdowns on the cartels, with skirmishes between the Colombian military and the cartels becoming a regular thing, and laws being used to supress drugs use. On the other hand, the cartels would implement a strategy called narcoterrorismo by kidnapping and holding family of politicians hostages, corruption, assassinations and generating chaos and anarchy in the population and government to destabilize the country. To add onto all this, the guerrillas were waging armed conflicts against both sides, with factions in said guerrillas and commandos getting created by both the cartels and the government to fight with their respective enemies. This period would even be called by some as "La Segunda Violencia".