THE THOUSAND DAYS WAR:
At the end of the century XIX Colombia lived many armed conflicts because of the confrontation between liberals and conservatives for the power.For 1899 the Conservatives was divided into two streams:
-the nationalists who wanted to govern without the intervention of the Liberals. Within their representatives were Rafael Nunez and Miguel Antonio Caro.
-the historics that shared the possibility of working together with the Liberals.
The Liberals were also divided. There were those who wish to gain power legitimately and those who wanted to get through armed confrontation. Rafael Uribe Uribe was a leading liberal leaders of the lasted branch.
Finally the Liberals tried to obtain power by force. This conflict, historically known as the Thousand Days' War, was between the October 17, 1899 and on 21 November 1902, under the government of the conservative President Manuel Antonio Sanclemente.
Actually this conflict lasts for 1100 days. Heavy fighting left a hundred thousand Colombians dead.
On October 24, 1902 the Treaty of Neerlandia was signed and on November 21 of that year the Treaty of Wisconsin, giving the end of the war The Conservatives, with the support of the United States, won this war.
One of the main consequences of this war was the separation of Panama. The country was plunged into a deep economic and social crisis
SEPARATION OF PANAMÁ:
Since middle of the nineteenth century, the United States had been studying the possibility of building a canal in the Isthmus of Panama. The entire American continent, the isthmus was the geographical place with less distance between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, which would facilitate the transport of merchandise and people around the world, including the east and west coast of the United States.
Responding to their own expansionist interests, the United States supports the small army of the department of Panama that was looking the separation of Colombia. This added to the socio-political instability that lived Colombia by the Thousand Days' War, leads to the separation of Panama in 1903.
Under President Theodore Roosevelt, United States manages to become the exclusive construction and operation of the Panama Canal.
With this, America is positioned as one of the great world powers.
From that moment the Latin American countries were subject to US imperialism.
MASACRE DE LAS BANANERAS:
The United Fruit Company (UFC), a USA company based in Santa Marta, dedicated to the exploitation of bananas had more than 25,000 indirect workers in Colombia.
This indirect contracting exonerate him a huge benefits burden and law enforcement
Labor conditions which these workers had were terrible:
-miserable salaries
-bad health services
-No Sundays off
-the rooms that they offered were inadequate and dirty
-He gave them a part of their salary in vouchers, which must be changed in commercial establishments of the company.
-extensive labor hours
These labor problems led the workers to join and develop a list of demands. It was the year 1928.
At the refusal of the UFC to negotiate, the other workers decide to strike.
On December 4, 1928, workers march to Santa Marta to seek help from the Colombian government.
The governor refuses to support them and in response he sends the army to break the strike. On December 5 in Cienaga, the army fired on the unarmed workers and their families. It was a real slaughter. There is no definite number of deaths.
This episode in the history of Colombia has several versions, each of which responds to particular interests.
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NATURAL DISASTER IN COLOMBIA:
TUMACO 1979
On December 12, 1979, an earthquake measuring 7.9 degrees on the Richter scale struck Tumaco (Nariño) and other municipalities of Cauca and Choco. The earthquake caused a tsunami that destroyed six villages. The most affected were El Charco, San Juan, Mosquera and Salahonda. 259 people died.
POPAYAN 1983
On March 31, 1983, at 8:15 am, occurred an earthquake of 5.5 in the Richter scale, which affected Popayan and 11 tows more.
That Holy Thursday, 300 people died and 10 000 were left homeless. All the historical center of the city was devastated.
ARMERO 1985
On November 13, 1985 at 11:30 pm an eruption of Nevado del Ruiz volcano caused an avalanche of rocks and mud that buried the town of Armero. Almost all of their 25,000 citizens died. Colombia found out about it six hours after the tragedy succeeded.
The town of Armero had been warned by a priest of the imminent eruption of the volcano. Almost no one believed him. the same volcano began to show signs of what was coming.
Omaira Sanchez was the symbol of this tragedy. His body got caught in the rubble of her own house . For more attempts that were carried out, they failed to release her. Her slow death was televised.
CAUCA 1994
On June 6, 1994 an earthquake with its epicenter in Toribio, Cauca caused an avalanche of the Paez river that left 800 dead and more than 50,000 indigenous Paez affected.
EJE CAFETERO 1999
On January 25, 1999, an earthquake of 6.4 degrees on the Richter scale destroyed Armenia, La Tebaida and Montenegro and other locations of Quindio, Risaralda and north of the valley. this left 2000 dead and 250 million of people affected.
