THE BOGOTAZO: ANTECEDENTS, CAUSES, FACTS, CONSEQUENCES - HISTORY - 2025

The Bogotazo was an outbreak of violence that took place in the Colombian capital and ended up spreading to other areas of the country. The reason for these revolts was the assassination of the liberal political leader Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, candidate for the presidency of the government.

Since its very proclamation as an independent country, Colombia had suffered several civil wars led by its main parties: the Liberal and the Conservative. Both political forces had alternated in power, always in the midst of great tension and with frequent armed confrontations.

Jorge Eliécer Gaitán - Source: Credencial Historia Magazine,

www.colarte.com/colarte/foto.asp?ver=1&idfoto=259247

The 1946 elections brought the Conservatives back to power, in part due to internal division in the Liberal Party. Within this there were two different currents, one led by Alberto Lleras Camargo and the second by Gaitán, further to the left than the previous one.

Gaitán prepared for the following elections and won the support of the most popular classes. His murder at the hands of Juan Roa Sierra caused his supporters in Bogotá to take to the streets in a violent manner. Although the government managed to repress those who protested, the Bogotazo became the beginning of the period known as La Violencia.

Background

Two major parties, the Liberal and the Conservative, had dominated Colombian political life since the 19th century. The first was born as a representation of the mercantile class and proposed a decentralized organization of the country, the separation between Church and State and a free market economic system.

For its part, the Conservative Party was made up of the most privileged classes, as well as the landowners. Ideologically, they were supporters of the centralized and hierarchical state, in addition to defending the participation of the Catholic Church in political life.

Over time, internal currents began to appear in both parties, which further multiplied tensions and clashes.

Alternation in power

Liberals and conservatives had alternated in power, with prolonged periods of government in each case. Between 1886 and 1930 the so-called Conservative Hegemony took place, with a government of that sign. During this stage the War of the Thousand Days took place that faced both sides.

Several factors, including the Banana Massacre, caused a change in favor of the liberals as early as 1930. That year the elections were won by Enrique Olaya, who sought to end the partisan confrontations by forming a government with members of both parties.

Four years later, López Pumarejo prevailed in the elections and formed a totally liberal government. That was the beginning of the so-called Revolution on the Move, during which numerous laws were passed that tried to reform Colombian society and economy.

Although the changes were not radical, the more conservative sectors strongly opposed it.

Division in the Liberal Party

López Pumarejo's presidency ended in 1938 after a period of tension within the Liberal Party. The lack of a leader to replace the former president sparked a fight to gain control of the organization.

The two liberal sectors in dispute were the moderates, representing the commercial elites, and the radical, led by Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, more to the left and with great popularity among the most disadvantaged classes.

1946 elections

After two presidential terms (1938 - 1942 and 1942 - 1946) won by the Liberals in the absence of a Conservative candidate, the 1946 elections were much more complicated for the party.

The main cause was the growing internal division it presented. Thus, there were two different candidates: the officer, Gabriel Turbay, and the dissident, Jorge Eliécer Gaitán.

This circumstance allowed the conservatives, led by the moderate Ospina Pérez, to rise to the presidency. Ospina, however, made a speech that called to forget the partisan confrontations.

The new president appointed a cabinet with liberals and conservatives, but very soon the confrontations between the two parties began. These clashes led to episodes of violence and, by 1947, 14,000 people had died from them.

Legislative elections of March 16, 1947

On March 16, 1947, legislative elections were held in Colombia. Gaitán's supporters were clearly victorious. The Liberal Party, faced with this, recognized the politician as the sole head of the party.

That victory and Gaitán's growing popularity made him the top favorite to win the 1950 elections.

Break with the government

On March 18, 1948, Gaitán decided that the liberal ministers should abandon the government of national unity presided over by Ospina. The reason was the lack of government response to the episodes of violence suffered by supporters of his party.

The government's response, in addition to appointing Laureano Gómez, a conservative, as Foreign Minister, was to veto Gaitán's presence at the IX Pan-American Conference that opened in Bogotá on March 30.

Causes

Although the trigger for El Bogotazo was the murder of Gaitán, historians claim that there were preconditions that contributed to the outbreak. Colombia had a society in which economic and social inequality was very pronounced. Furthermore, the popular classes considered that neither party had cared to solve their problems.

For this reason, a candidate like Gaitán, a dissident within his party and a supporter of issues such as agrarian reform, soon found great support within the less favored classes.

To the improvement of social conditions that Gaitán promised, we must add his great charisma, capable of allowing peasants and urban workers to join forces to support him.

Gaitán's death

The murder of Gaitán was the most immediate cause of the inhabitants of Bogotá going out to protest violently in the streets. It was an outbreak led by the working class and aimed at the oligarchy.

Proof of Gaitán's ability to convene are the 100,000 people who attended the demonstration he called at the beginning of 1948. The protest, called the March of Silence, aimed to protest against the episodes of political violence that especially affected liberals.

Acts

Tram on fire in front of the National Capitol where the IX Pan-American Conference was taking place in the Elliptical Hall of the Capitol

The morning of April 9 began for Jorge Eliécer Gaitán with a meeting held in his office. At the end, he and the rest of his fellow party members decided to go out for lunch around 1:00 pm

When exiting the elevator, Mendoza Neira, one of Gaitán's companions, took him by the arm and both of them went ahead of the rest of their companions. As soon as the door of the building was opened, an individual who would later be identified as Juan Roa Sierra shot the liberal leader several times.

According to the chroniclers, Gaitán was hit by three bullets, although he did not die on the spot. The politician managed to reach the Central Clinic alive, where his death was certified.

Witnesses to the shooting tried to capture the murderer, who had to be protected by the police to avoid being lynched on the spot. The tension was such that the agents had to introduce him to a nearby drugstore. Right there they carried out the first interrogation, but all they got were the words "Ay, Virgen Santísima!"

Reaction of the population

Despite attempts by the police to protect Roa Sierra, a crowd managed to enter the drugstore. There they beat the murderer to death. Later, they were dragging the corpse until arriving at the National Capitol, in whose steps they left the body.

As the news became known, riots broke out throughout the city. On the first day, almost all the violence was concentrated in the center of the capital, but later it spread to the rest of the neighborhoods. Finally, several cities in the country joined the protests. The common request was the resignation of Mariano Ospina.

Those days there were numerous looting and burning of churches, shops and trams. At first, the police and the army tried to defuse the situation. However, some members of those bodies joined the protests and offered weapons to the population. Others, on the other hand, started shooting at the protesters.

In just one week, 3,500 deaths were recorded throughout the country. Finally, the government managed to crush the revolt, not without difficulty.

Consequences

Colombian press of the time

Although the authorship of Roa Sierra is not in question, there are numerous hypotheses about his motivations. Some historians claim that it was a political assassination for national causes and others accuse the United States of commissioning it. Finally, there is also a group that denies the political intentionality of the fact

Days of revolt

The riots and the ensuing repression lasted for three days. A group of armed protesters went to the National Capitol and demanded that Ospina resign from the presidency. Other groups limited themselves to burning everything they found. In the end, the city was destroyed.

Similar days were experienced in other cities in Colombia. In many of them, the anger of the population was directed against the headquarters of the Conservative Party.

Government repression

As a consequence of the Bogotazo, the government led by Ospina chose to increase the repression. Among the measures taken were the prohibition of public meetings and the dismissal of all governors of the Liberal Party. Finally, the Congress was closed.

The Liberals, in protest against these measures, presented their resignation from all the positions they held, both national and local. In addition, they resigned to present a candidate to the following presidential elections. This left the way clear for conservative Laureano Gómez to rise to power.

As soon as he became president, the new president took a series of repressive measures: reduction of civil liberties, abolition of laws favorable to workers, prohibition of unions and introduction of censorship in the press.

The violence

The Bogotazo, according to the opinion of almost all historians, marked the beginning of a bloody stage in the history of Colombia: Violence. This term designated an authentic civil war, although not declared, that caused between 200,000 and 300,000 deaths.

Just before the 1949 elections, the Liberals planned to seize power by force. However, its leaders were shot at in the capital. The repression unleashed by the government of Laureano Gómez caused the appearance of numerous guerillas throughout the country, both liberal and communist.

La Violencia lasted until 1958, when the two main parties reached an agreement to share power: the National Front.

References

1. News. What was 'El Bogotazo', origin of 'La Violencia' in Colombia? Obtained from notimerica.com
2. EcuRed. The Bogotazo. Obtained from ecured.cu
3. Manetto, Francesco. The shots that split the history of Colombia in two. Obtained from elpais.com
4. Minster, Christopher. The Bogotazo: Colombia's Legendary Riot of 1948. Retrieved from thoughtco.com
5. Davis, Jack. The Bogotazo. Retrieved from cia.gov
6. Begue, Michelle. Colombia, 1948: "Bogotazo". Retrieved from america.cgtn.com
7. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Jorge eliecer gaitan. Retrieved from britannica.com
8. Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture. Bogotazo. Retrieved from encyclopedia.com