RADICAL OLYMPUS: CAUSES, CHARACTERISTICS, CONSEQUENCES - HISTORY - 2024

The Radical Olympus was a period in the history of Colombia that took place between 1863 and 1886. During this historical stage, the country was ruled by radical liberals, who promulgated the Constitution of Riotinto, which involved a great political, administrative and cultural transformation.

This Constitution, approved in 1863, confirmed the change of name of the country that Tomás de Mosquera had already carried out two years earlier. Thus, the United States of Colombia was born, with a totally federal organization.

Shield of the United States of Colombia. Source: Travail personnel - Ivanics / Shadowxfox

Likewise, the radicals undertook a series of economic reforms that established the free market and liberalism in the country. This liberalism was also applied to education, which became secular and totally detached from the Catholic Church. Finally, they promoted freedom of the press, freedom of worship, and freedom of association.

The instability caused by the federal system, in addition to the opposition of the landowning oligarchy and the Church, caused the Radical Olympus to enter into crisis in 1861. That year, a new civil erupted, whose end, two years later, is considered the end of this historical period.

Causes

From the moment of its independence, Colombia, with its various names, had failed to achieve political stability. Among the most frequent causes of this instability was the struggle between supporters of a federal state and those who were committed to centralism. Likewise, liberals and conservatives tried to impose their criteria.

In 1859, Cauca declared its independence and war against the government of the then Grenadian Confederation. Two years later, with Tomás Cipriano Mosquera at the head, the Cauca troops entered Bogotá in triumph.

Mosquera was named the new president and decided to rename the country as the United States of Colombia. However, the civil war continued until 1863.

After the conflict ended, the radical liberals drew up a new Constitution in the town of Rionegro, in Antioquia. The so-called Radical Olympus began at that time.

Pretension to reform the country

The components of Radical Olympus had the intention of totally reforming the country. Its purpose was to modernize it, leaving behind the political and social structures that the Spanish had implemented.

To do this, starting with the Constitution of Rionegro, they enacted numerous laws that were to democratize the country. Likewise, they focused part of their efforts on implementing economic liberalism and developing Colombian infrastructures.

Commercial bourgeoisie versus classical oligarchy

One of the underlying conflicts in Colombian society was that which pitted the increasingly powerful commercial bourgeoisie against the classical landowners. The first were of liberal ideology and supporters of federalism against the conservatism of the landowners.

In addition, the bourgeoisie defended the need for the State to separate itself from the Church and even to expropriate its assets.

Federalism

Since their emergence, radical liberals had been supporters of a federal organization in the country. For them, it was essential that each state had great autonomy, and they did not even defend the need for a single national army.

Likewise, they were committed to reinforcing the fundamental rights of citizens, from freedom of expression to freedom of worship.

characteristics

The vast majority of the characteristics of the Radical Olympus already appeared in the Constitution of Riotinto.

Federal system

The radicals confirmed the change of name of the country and endowed it with a territorial system according to it. Thus, the United States of Colombia was constituted as a federal republic, ending the centralism that the Spanish had imposed during the colony.

The federal administration implemented by the radicals had a central president, although they made sure that it was a position without much power and, in addition, with a very short presidential term, of only two years.

The system for electing the president was not by direct vote. The country had been divided into nine states and each of them nominated a candidate for the central presidency. Later, those same States, with one vote each, selected the best of those proposed.

In case no one achieved an absolute majority, the president was chosen by Congress, but always from among the candidates proposed by the states.

Political instability

One of the characteristics of this period was political instability. The legal system caused that there were elections every so often, since the regulations of each State indicated different dates for their votes.

Similarly, the federal government had very little political and military power. On the contrary, each state founded its own army, which ended up causing numerous civil wars. During this period, some 40 regional conflicts and one national conflict were recorded.

Economic liberalism

The economic policy of the radicals was liberal in nature, following the ideology of classical liberalism. His intention was to strengthen private enterprise, as well as exports and imports.

Education and society

Historians highlight the transformative work of Radical Olympus in education and in society. In the first field, they reformed all levels, from elementary school to university. Education became secular, with the purpose of eliminating the influence of the Church in society, and freedom of teaching was proclaimed.

Likewise, the laws promulgated by the radicals decreed freedom of expression, freedom of work, freedom of the press and freedom of travel.

Church-State Relations

The power of the Catholic Church in Colombia was another of the legacies of the colonial era. The radicals, from the beginning, tried to reduce the influence that the ecclesiastical institution exerted in politics and in society.

Among the measures taken, he highlighted the effective separation between the State and the Church, with the primacy of the former in all aspects.

Consequences

The changes for Colombian society brought about by the Radical Olympus were remarkable. Despite the fact that some of the measures taken were later revoked, the liberal government managed to modernize some social structures and education.

Economic crisis

The introduction of an economy based on liberalism did not obtain the results expected by the radical rulers. In part, the cause of this failure was due to the fragility of the Colombian private sector, in addition to the small size of the domestic market. Without state intervention, the economy went into crisis.

Radical Olympus Crisis

In 1880, Manuel Murillo Toro, a politician who held the presidency of the country twice and was called "Father and supreme lord of the Radical Olympus" died. The lack of this reference and the subsequent arrival to power of Rafael Núñez, meant the beginning of the decadence of radicalism.

The differences between Núñez and the liberal leaders of Santander provoked the beginning of a new civil war. Despite coming from the liberal party, Núñez obtained the support of the conservatives, founding a new party, the Nacional.

The conflict ended in 1885 with the victory of Núñez. Seated in the presidency, he proceeded to draft a new constitution that ended the federal system. This Magna Carta put an end to the existence of the United States of Colombia and gave way to the Republic of Colombia.

References

1. Dániels García, Eddie José. The times of “El Olimpo Radical. Obtained from panoramacultural.com.co
2. Sierra Mejía, Rubén. History: The radical Olympus. Obtained from eltiempo.com
3. Pernett, Nicolas. Those "crazy" of 1863. Obtained from razonpublica.com
4. Tovar Bernal, Leonardo. Religious teaching and clerical power. United States of Colombia, 1863-1886. Recovered from scielo.org
5. Bushnell, David. The Making of Modern Colombia: A Nation in Spite of Itself. Recovered from books.google.es
6. Harvey F. Kline, James J. Parsons and Others. Colombia. Retrieved from britannica.com
7. Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress. The Founding of the Nation, 1810-1903. Recovered from motherearthtravel.com