http://travel-to-colombia.blogspot.com/2011/10/short-history-of-colombia-and-culture.html
Short History Of Colombia and Culture
Travel tips for your trip to Colombia Hotel Maps Famous Places in Colombia helps you to make your trip to Colombia in the holiday a Splendid One
Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, the territory that is now Colombia was inhabited by the highly developed and sophisticated Chibca Indians.
Spanish occupation began in the 17th century; it was consolidated in the viceroyalty of New Granada, which covered the northern part of South America, during the early 18th century.
Discontent among various parts of the population - indigenous inhabitants, lower-class Spanish immigrants and mixed-race Creoles - with the arbitrary nature of colonial rule, eventually led to the 1819 rebellion under the legendary figure of Simon Bolivar.
New Granada became Gran Colombia, divided into four provinces (roughly equivalent to the four present-day countries of Colombia, Panama, Ecuador and Venezuela). Colombia separated from the others soon after Bolivar's death in 1830.
The Republic of Colombia was formally established in 1855, four years after the abolition of slavery. Over the next 100 years, Colombian politics were dominated by the Conservative-Liberal feud, which often broke out into warfare.
There were occasions, however, when the two parties were able to unite to see off a common threat. This occurred in 1970, when they joined forces to prevent a bid for power by the Alianza Nacional Popular (ANAPO), led by former dictator, General Rojas.
Disaffected members of ANAPO then formed a guerrilla movement known as Movimiento 19 de Abril (M-19), initiating a 15-year-long guerrilla campaign against the government.
They were joined by two other left-wing groups, Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC, Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces) and the Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional (ELN, National Liberation Army).
The 1980s saw drug traffickers become a potent force in Colombia: large sums of money turned into political power, and leading politicians increasingly became tainted by their connections with drug money. Successive American governments, having marked Colombia down as the principal source of drugs flowing into the USA, put increasing pressure on the Colombians to prosecute the 'war on drugs'.
In 2000, the US Clinton administration unveiled 'Plan Colombia', a massive military support programme, valued at US$1 billion, for the Colombian armed forces.
