La Violencia

La Violencia was a period of intense partisan violence in Colombia, usually dated from 1948 to 1958, chiefly between Liberal and Conservative supporters.

Jorge Eliécer Gaitán: A Colombian Liberal politician and presidential candidate assassinated in Bogotá on April 9, 1948. His assassination triggered the Bogotazo and accelerated the country’s descent into violence.
Los Chulavitas: A Conservative-aligned force of police and armed men from Boyacá active during La Violencia. They became associated with state-backed repression of Liberal communities.
Gustavo Rojas Pinilla: A Colombian general who ruled as president from 1953 to 1957 after taking power in a coup. His government offered amnesties to armed groups and used force to restore order.
National Front (Colombia): A power-sharing agreement under which Colombia’s Liberal and Conservative parties alternated the presidency from 1958 to 1974. The pact ended direct party competition for national office while excluding other political forces.
El Bogotazo: A common name for the mass uprising and disorder in Bogotá after Gaitán’s assassination in 1948. The urban explosion is often conflated with the much longer national period of La Violencia.
Bogotazo: A 1948 Bogotá uprising sparked by Jorge Eliécer Gaitán’s assassination. The urban revolt was the immediate eruption that marked La Violencia’s beginning.
Los Pájaros: Conservative-aligned gunmen who attacked Liberal opponents in parts of Colombia during La Violencia. Their assassinations and intimidation extended partisan violence into local communities.
Laureano Gómez: A Colombian Conservative politician who served as president from 1950 to 1953. His presidency coincided with intensified repression and partisan conflict.
Colombian internal armed conflict: A prolonged armed conflict involving the Colombian state, guerrilla groups, paramilitaries, and criminal organizations. La Violencia preceded later phases of Colombia’s wider internal conflict.
El Tolima: A department in central-western Colombia that experienced extensive rural violence during La Violencia. Its countryside became a major arena for partisan armed struggle and displacement.

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