Between 1899 and 1902 a civil confrontation took place in Colombia. This episode went down in history as the Thousand Day War. There were two sides to the clash: the conservatives led by the government army against a group of liberal guerrillas.
Conflict background
Conservatives intended to consolidate a strong centralist state , while liberals advocated a federalist approach to the nation.
From the Constitution of 1886 an agreement was established with the Vatican. According to him, the education of Colombians should be managed by the Catholic Church. This initiative generated deep discontent among liberals. Thousand Day War
From a political point of view, the country was in a situation of permanent instability and there was a social atmosphere of hostility between the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party.
In 1899, the Colombian economy collapsed as a result of low coffee prices on international markets.
The electoral triumph of the conservatives in the 1899 elections was questioned by the liberals.
Beginning and development of war
Some generals close to the Liberal Party rebelled in October 1899 in the town of Socorro. Days later began the battle on the Magdalena River where liberal troops were defeated.
Despite conquering some isolated victories, the liberals gradually weakened militarily, which led to their division into two factions, as some defended the pacification of the country and others wanted to continue the armed struggle. Among the conservatives there was also a division: the historics and the nationalists. Thousand Day War
In addition to the confrontation between Colombians, it should be noted that other nations supported each of the parties involved. Liberals had the active collaboration of liberal sectors in Venezuela, Ecuador, Guatemala and Nicaragua, while conservatives received help from the United States and Venezuelan conservatives or Andradistas. Thousand Day War
Finally, the troops linked to the Conservatives prevailed because their army was more numerous and efficient, but also because of the collaboration of the US Marines.
Conflict consequences
The Thousand Day War ended with approximately 100,000 deaths. In the following years there was a period of economic instability with high rates of inflation.
In 1903 Panama managed to secede from Colombia, with the new nation becoming an independent republic supported by the United States. Thousand Day War
