Colombia: 20th Century Developments

Colombia entered the twentieth century governed by a two-party political system dominated by Liberals and Conservatives, a rivalry that would erupt into one of the country's most violent periods. Economic changes during the 1920s, including a coffee-export boom followed by rural displacement, added to long-simmering social tensions between the parties.

The assassination of Liberal leader Jorge Eliécer Gaitán in Bogotá on April 9, 1948, triggered rioting known as the Bogotazo and ignited a prolonged period of partisan violence remembered as La Violencia. Fighting between Liberal and Conservative factions spread through the countryside over the following years, and the conflict is estimated to have killed more than 200,000 people before it subsided.

The bloodshed contributed to a brief military coup in 1953, and the crisis was ultimately resolved through a power-sharing arrangement known as the National Front, under which Liberals and Conservatives alternated the presidency and divided government posts. The arrangement brought a measure of political stability, though it also left many social grievances unaddressed as the century progressed.