Editing History of Colombia (section)

== The Republic: Liberal and Conservative conflict ==
{{further|Thousand Days War|La Violencia|Colombian economy and politics 1929–58}}
{{History of the Republic of Colombia}}
{{multiple image|perrow=1|total_width=300|caption_align=center
| image1 = AGHRC (1890) - Carta XI - División política de Colombia, 1824.jpg|caption1=Map showing the shrinking territory of [[Gran Colombia]] from 1824 to 1890 (red line). Panama declared its [[separation of Panama from Colombia|independence from Colombia]] in 1903.
| image2 = United States of Colombia.GIF|caption2=Map of the [[United States of Colombia]] 1863–1886
}}

In 1863 the name of the republic was changed officially to "[[United States of Colombia]]," and in 1886 the country adopted its present name: "Republic of Colombia".

Two political parties grew out of conflicts between the followers of Bolívar and Santander and their political visions—the [[Colombian Conservative Party|Conservatives]] and the [[Colombian Liberal Party|Liberals]] – and have since dominated Colombian politics. Bolívar's supporters, who later formed the nucleus of the Conservative Party, sought strong centralized government, alliance with the [[Roman Catholic Church]], and a limited franchise. Santander's followers, forerunners of the Liberals, wanted a decentralized government, state rather than church control over education and other civil matters, and a broadened suffrage. During the mid-19th century, Colombia embraced a vision of "American republican modernity,"<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sanders |first=James |title=The Vanguard of the Atlantic World: Creating Modernity, Nation, and Democracy in Nineteenth-Century Latin |date=October 3, 2014 |publisher=Duke University Press Books |isbn=978-0822357803}}</ref> which emphasized democratic republicanism, universal male suffrage, and civil rights as markers of progress, positioning the country as a leader in the Atlantic World. This period saw Colombia enact significant political reforms, such as the 1853 Constitution, which eliminated property and literacy requirements for voting, making it one of the most democratic nations of its time. However, by the 1880s, Colombia shifted toward Western industrial modernity, prioritizing economic development and state centralization over the earlier focus on political rights, leading to the adoption of the 1886 Constitution and the end of its republican experiment.

Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, each party held the presidency for roughly equal periods of time. Colombia maintained a tradition of civilian government and regular, free elections. The military has seized power three times in Colombia's history: in 1830, after the dissolution of Great Colombia; again in 1854 (by General [[José María Melo]]); and from 1953 to 1957 (under General [[Gustavo Rojas Pinilla]]). Civilian rule was restored within one year in the first two instances.

Notwithstanding the country's commitment to democratic institutions, Colombia's history has also been characterized by widespread, violent conflict. Two civil wars resulted from bitter rivalry between the Conservative and Liberal parties. The [[Thousand Days' War]] (1899–1902) cost an estimated 100.000 lives, and up to 300.000 people died during "[[La Violencia]]" of the late 1940s and 1950s, a bipartisan confrontation which erupted after the assassination of Liberal popular candidate [[Jorge Eliécer Gaitán]]. [[United States]] activity to influence the area (especially the [[Panama Canal]] construction and control) led to a military uprising in the [[Isthmus Department]] in 1903, which resulted in the [[Panama–Colombia separation|separation]] and independence of [[Panama]].

A military coup in 1953 toppled the right-wing government of Conservative [[Laureano Gómez]] and brought General [[Gustavo Rojas Pinilla]] to power. Initially, Rojas enjoyed considerable popular support, due largely to his success in reducing "[[La Violencia]]." When he did not restore democratic rule and occasionally engaged in open repression, however, he was overthrown by the military in 1957 with the backing of both political parties, and a provisional government was installed.