PEDRO NEL OSPINA: BIOGRAPHY, GOVERNMENT AND ACHIEVEMENTS - HISTORY - 2024

Pedro Nel Ospina was the eleventh president of Colombia. The son of former Colombian president Mariano Ospina Rodríguez, he was also a general in the Colombian army during the Colombian civil war called the Thousand Day War, which lasted three years and faced the National Party (conservative) and the Liberal Party.

It was one of the most brutal wars in the history of independent Latin America, causing more than 100,000 deaths and a collapse of the Colombian economy. After his participation in the war, Ospina had an important influence in Colombia.

He obtained large amounts of hectares and a position as minister, to later become president and carry out works that strengthened both the infrastructure and the economy of Colombia. Among these works, the creation of the first stock market in the country stands out.

Biography

Pedro Nel Ospina was born on September 18, 1858 in the presidential palace ruled by his father in the Republic of Colombia.

He spent a large part of his childhood in exile in various Central American countries, especially in Guatemala, after the military uprising of Cipriano de Mosquera. The uprising had caused a civil war in Colombia that ended the presidency of Ospina's father.

After the presidential inauguration by Cipriano de Mosquera and the establishment of the United States of Colombia, Ospina's father was sentenced to death. However, he managed to escape with his family and remained outside of Colombia until 1882.

During his stay abroad, his primary education was carried out by a group of Jesuits. After finishing basic and high school studies, he and his brothers visited the United States, where Pedro Nel Ospina studied civil engineering and completed postgraduate and specialization programs in areas, among which mining stands out.

Returns to Colombia

When he returned to Colombia in 1882, he devoted himself to personal business and running the country's mining school. When the civil conflict exploded 3 years later, he joined the army and quickly rose to become a general, since it served him after the war to have political influence in the country.

When the war ended, he was appointed rector of the old Medellín Mining School. He then took over the leadership of a railway company, in which he devoted himself to improving irrigation systems and improving the cultivation of Colombian coffee by using techniques he learned abroad.

Definitive foray into politics and private works

After a successful military and personal career, having already created important links with conservative Colombian politicians, in 1892 he became a representative of the Chamber of Antioquia, where he fought against policies of the current regime.

While this event marked a clear start on his path to what would eventually become his presidency, he remained very attached to private businesses. He stood out as one of the most successful businessmen of the time, founding his own companies and improving Colombian manufacturing.

Cipriano de Mosquera banished him again in 1901, but Pedro Nel returned to Colombia the following year. After his return, he created a new cotton manufacturing factory, which had innovative mechanisms for the time and was the first of its kind in Colombia.

In addition, he founded four companies dedicated to the cultivation and production of coffee and created companies dedicated to livestock; all would turn out to be quite successful and were responsible for enriching the politician's capital.

During the government of Fidel Suárez he demonstrated his skills as an administrator while leading the Antioquia government. This position served him to gain the confidence of the conservative party, which would lead him to win the presidency of Colombia in 1922 as the only candidate of the party.

government

After winning the elections, he assumed power with the main objective of modernizing Colombia and increasing the number of industries of all kinds.

Being a great manager, he properly managed government money and used it to provide a needed balance in society, after years of instability after wars and divisive governments.

Unification

The work of his presidency consisted of the unification of the different sectors of government and their work in unison for the good of the country. One of his government policies was non-discrimination of beliefs, and he wanted to reach agreements with the liberals to be able to form a new Constitution that would please all the parties involved.

He had a period of full government, in which Colombia had one of the strongest economic growth in its history thanks to investment policies and the promotion of machinery and industrial modernization in the country.

The great problem of his presidency was the amount of loans that had to be requested to improve the country, which heavily indebted Colombia and caused a massive growth in inflation.

Achievements

Creation of the Banco Agrícola Hipotecario

Among the infrastructure improvements that were carried out under Pedro Nel Ospina's government, the creation of one of the most important banks in the history of Colombia stands out: Banco Agrícola Hipotecario. It was key to the economic development of the country.

Foreign missions

Not all the missions that Ospina brought to Colombia from abroad were successful. However, he used this resource to improve social and military aspects of the country with foreign advice. He led military officers to train in the scientific method by bringing specialized personnel from Switzerland.

In addition, he brought in German specialists to reform the educational system, but the clergy opposed the change.

Restructuring of ministries

Colombian ministries at the time revolved around the country's agricultural development. Ospina's industrialization policies were accompanied by an internal structural change in the makeup of all the ministries.

External relationships

The Ospina government was also influenced by the country's foreign relations: it defined the border with Venezuela, which had been discussed for years, and received several payments from the United States government after the separation of Panama.

References

1. COLOMBIA ELECTS OSPINA PRESIDENT, Associated Press, February 14, 1922. Taken from nytimes.com
2. The War of a Thousand Days, The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, (nd). Taken from Britannica.com
3. Pedro Nel Ospina, President of Colombia, (nd), February 2, 2018. Taken from Wikipedia.org
4. Biography of Pedro Nel Ospina (1858-1927), The Biography, 2017. Taken from thebiography.us
5. Ospina, Pedro Nel. (nd). Taken from worldcat.org
6. Pedro Nel Ospina, (nd). Taken from encyclopedia.banrepcultural.org