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History of Colombia

For thousands of years before Europeans arrived, Amerindians lived in what is now Colombia, some by fishing and hunting and others by farming. Bogota was founded in 1538. In 1810, most of Colombia declared independence from Spain but was later reconquered. Simon Bolivar later defeated the Spanish in 1819. The drug trade in Colombia in the 1970s and 1980s led to a great deal of violence. However, by the early 21st century, violence declined and the economy grew rapidly in Colombia.

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165 views

History of Colombia

For thousands of years before Europeans arrived, Amerindians lived in what is now Colombia, some by fishing and hunting and others by farming. Bogota was founded in 1538. In 1810, most of Colombia declared independence from Spain but was later reconquered. Simon Bolivar later defeated the Spanish in 1819. The drug trade in Colombia in the 1970s and 1980s led to a great deal of violence. However, by the early 21st century, violence declined and the economy grew rapidly in Colombia.

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adriana palacios
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© © All Rights Reserved
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SHORT HISTORY OF COLOMBIA

Early Colombia

For thousands of years before Europeans arrived Amerindians lived in what is now Colombia. Some lived by
fishing and hunting but some lived by farming. The first Spaniard to land in the area was Alonso de Ojeda in
1500. There was no permanent Spanish settlement then until 1533 when Cartagena and Santa Marta were
founded. Bogota was founded in 1538. In 1564 Colombia was made a captaincy-general. The colony thrived
and many African slaves were taken there.

In 1808 Napoleon made his brother king of Spain but many people in the Spanish colonies refused to accept
the new king. In 1810 most of Colombia declared independence. It did not last long. The Spanish reconquered
the area in 1815-16. Yet in 1819 Simon Bolivar defeated the Spanish at the battle of Boyaca. Subsequently a
new nation was formed consisting of Colombia, Panama, Venezuela and Ecuador. The new nation was called
the Republic of Colombia. Nevertheless, regional differences caused the new country to break up. Bolivar
became dictator in 1828 but he resigned in 1830 and Colombia (including what is now Panama) became
separate from Ecuador and Venezuela. By this time, Colombia was a troubled country and 8 civil wars took
place during the 19th century. Furthermore by 1849 there were 2 political parties, one conservative,
representing the landowners and the Catholic Church, the other liberal, representing the merchants and
craftsmen. Political instability continued through the late 19th century and in 1899 a terrible civil war called
the War of a Thousand Days was fought. Then in 1903 Panama broke away and became an independent
nation.

Modern Colombia

In the early 20th century Colombia was, generally peaceful and the economy developed. Exports of coffee
increased. However in 1948, another civil war broke out. It was called “La Violencia”. Colombia had always
been dangerously divided into liberals and conservatives but the assassination of liberal politician Jorge
Eliecer Gaitan on 9 April 1948 was the spark that lit the fire. The army was on the side of the conservatives
and in 1953 General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla became dictator.

In 1957 Rojas stepped down and the two parties, Liberal and Conservative agreed to share power. Between
1957 and 1974 they presidency alternated between them.

In the 1960s left wing guerrillas began operating in Colombia. Then in the 1970s cocaine production in
Colombia increased and it continued to increase in the 1980s. The drug trade led to a great deal of violence.
Meanwhile in the early 1980s Colombia was hit by a severe recession.

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Yet at the beginning of the 21st century the situation in Colombia improved. Violence in Colombia declined
after 2002. Furthermore the Colombian economy grew rapidly in the early 21st century and poverty and
unemployment declined. Colombia, like the rest of the world, suffered in the recession of 2009 but the
economy is now growing again. Colombia also suffered severe floods in 2010. However tourism in Colombia
is growing rapidly. Today Colombia is booming and it has a bright future. Today the population of Colombia
is 45 million.
Source: http://www.localhistories.org/colombia.html adapted by Karol Adrian Meza

Exercise

Answer the following questions based on the reading exercise “Short history about Colombia”

1. How did Amerindians live during early Colombia?


___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. When was Bogotá founded?


___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Who refused to accept the new King?


___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. When did Simon Bolivar defeat the Spanish?


___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. What did the drug trade lead to in Colombia?


___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. What happened to our nation at the beginning of the 21st century?


___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. How many civil wars took place during the 19th century?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. What were the names of the main 2 political Colombian parties?


___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. How many inhabitants does Colombia have until this very day?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10. What was the name of a terrible civil war that occurred in Colombia?
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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