History of Colombia
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In the past, Colombia has fought in six civil wars. The most murderous and merciless battle was called La Violencia. It started in 1948 and ended in 1957. This was a political quarrel between Liberals and Conservatives. Certain people were in favor of social change while others were not. When General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla became president in 1953, he tried to end La Violencia and to restore the economy. In all, about 200,000 people were killed.
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2.1984-1987 |
When the drug industry took charge in the 1970s and 1980s, the civilo wars and conflicts increased rapidly. FARC and AUC are both guerillas (small independent groups who fight against larger forces) that provided protection for drug cartels in Colombia. In return, they would gain money to pay for weapons and new recruits. However, three thousand candidates of FARC were murdered. Because of this, the guerillas went back to uproar and creating chaos.
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3. April 2014
In more recent news, farmers and miners go on strikes because they do not support privatization and free trade policies that the government has put in place. The government promised people in August 2013 that they would try to take these policies away, but nothing has happened concerning the policies.