Colombia 1830-1870 Colombia 1918-1948







Colombia 1870-1918



A.) Colombia 1870-1903

The new federal constitution of the UNITED STATES OF COLOMBIA (1863-1886) did not bring the political stability longed for. Another civil war erupted in 1885, after which a new centralized constitution was passed (1886) under president RAFAEL NUNEZ (1884-1894). After his departure, the country went through another civil war (1895).
From 1886 onward, the Conservative Party dominated the presidency; the Catholic Church exerted considerable influence on the party, to such an extent that it was rumoured the Archbishop of Bogota had 'named' every president from 1886 to 1930 (Gunther 1967 p.456).


B.) The Secession of Panama

French engineer FERDINAND DE LESSEPS failed in his attempt to construct a canal across the isthmus of (Colombian) Panama. Tropical diseases killed the workers in large numbers, and the company went bankrupt. Early in the 20th century, the United States of America planned to take up the project again, as a PANAMA CANAL would shorten the searoute from New York to San Francisco considerably. Colombia, since 1899 going through yet another civil war, was unwilling to permit the construction. The US indicated that it would support an independent Panama and the provincial administration, suspicious of the centralist government in Bogota, declared it's independence in 1903.
President RAFAEL REYES (1904) was a vigorous reformer, striving to develop the country's economy. His rule was dictatorial rather than democratic, frequently changing the constitution.
In 1904/1907 the border with Brazil was fixed by treaties, to the disadvantage of Colombia. The town of Tabatinga became Brazilian, such as large stretches of jungle north of tha Amazon.


C.) Colombia in World War I (1914-1918)

During World War I, the Entente urged the South American nations to formally declare war on the Central forces, in order to deny the German fleet harbours. The declaration of war would later be rewarded with a share in the booty, such as ships from the German navy. Also, German/Austro-Hungarian property within the country could be confiscated.
Colombia, still deeply suspicious of the United States of America over the secession of Panama, resisted the temptation and stayed neutral.






EXTERNAL
FILES 		Country Study : Colombia, from Library of Congress
Colombian History, from the Univ. of the Andes
Articles from Infoplease : Colombia, Rafael Nunez, Rafael Reyes
DOCUMENTS List of Colombian Presidents etc., from World Statesmen by Ben Cahoon
Historical Population Statistics - Colombia, from Population Statistics, by Jan Lahmeyer
H.R. Lemly, Santa Fe de Bogota, from Harper's New Monthly Magazine, June 1885, pp.47-59; Ricardo Becerra, The Republic of Columbia, ditto, Nov. 1889, pp.920-928, from Cornell Digital Library Collection
REFERENCE John Gunther, Colombia : The Background of the Violencia, in : John Gunther, Inside South America, NY : Harper & Row (1964) 1967, pp.431-480 [G]
Article : Colombia, in : Britannica Book of the Year 1913 pp.1076-1079 [G]
Article : Colombia, in : Statesman's Year Book 1878 pp.528-533, 1889 pp.612-619, 1895 pp.433-438, 1898 pp.433-439, 1901 pp.497-504, 1902 pp.511-518, 1905 pp.544-551, 1907 pp.833-840, 1910 pp.706-712, 1918 pp.769-776 [G]
Article : Colombia, in : International Year Book 1898 pp.202-204, 1899 pp.207-210, 1900 pp.229-232 [G]
Article : Colombia, in : New International Year Book 1907 pp.181-183, 1908 pp.170-172, 1909 pp.172-173, 1910 pp.173-174, 1913 pp.178-180, 1914 pp.175-177, 1916 pp.156-157, 1917 pp.164-166, 1918 pp.148-149 [G]
Article : Colombia, in : Appleton's Annual Cyclopedia and Register of Important Events 1886 pp.189-193, 1894 pp.144-145 [G]



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted in 2001, last revised on September 13th 2008

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