Colombia THE PERIOD OF RECONCILIATION, 1903-30
Villa de Leyva, Boyacá Department
Courtesy Embassy of Colombia, Washington
The Reyes Presidency
The devastation that resulted from the War of a
Thousand Days
discredited the factions of each party that had instigated
the
conflict. The moderates who assumed power in each party
had similar
economic interests; they recognized the need for the two
parties to
reconcile their differences and rule together in peaceful
coexistence to ensure the survival of the country and the
economy.
For the first time in Colombian history, the Liberals and
the
Conservatives sought to share power rather than exclude
the
opposition party from it. Although Conservatives were
nominally in
control during this period, they formed coalition
governments
incorporating minority Liberals into the cabinet and other
important political bodies. Rejecting the practice of
excluding the
Liberals from political participation, as had been done by
the
Nationalists, the moderate Conservatives removed the key
element
that had prompted so much political violence in the past
and laid
the foundation for economic progress in the country.
At the end of the civil war, the country needed a
leader who
was strong enough to rebuild the nation after the loss of
Panama
and the ravages of civil strife. General Rafael Reyes,
elected
president in 1904 with the support of moderate
Conservatives,
showed a determination to unify the republic, renew the
nation's
economy, and prevent any obstacle--constitutional or
otherwise--
from standing in his way. Reyes's policies were a
contradictory
combination of political reconciliation and
authoritarianism, which
forced minority Liberal representation in government on
the elected
Conservative majority in Congress. His economic programs
included
a protectionist trade policy, which represented a major
intervention of the state into economic activity. This
trade policy
encouraged domestic industrial growth, which in turn led
to the
growth of cities and the need to develop an urban
infrastructure.
To ensure the passage of his economic reforms, Reyes
greatly
strengthened the executive and thereby centralized power.
He
abolished Congress and replaced it with a National
Assembly
composed of three representatives from each department,
selected by
department officials appointed by Reyes. This action
ensured the
adequate representation of the Liberal support he needed
in the
legislative branch. This extraconstitutional body was
designed to
approve his decrees and to pass constitutional amendments.
The
National Assembly allowed Reyes to implement policies that
sometimes were at odds with orthodox economic theory and
therefore
would not have been tolerated by a Conservative Congress.
Through
these measures, Reyes established a sound fiscal
administration,
stabilized the monetary system, initiated a return to the
gold
standard, restored Colombian credit abroad, attracted
foreign
capital, improved transportation, encouraged export
agriculture,
and aided domestic industry. At the same time, however, he
aroused
a great deal of political opposition.
Reyes realized that the soundest path to economic
development--
based on trade and foreign investment--required normalized
relations with the United States, an unpopular idea at
that time.
In 1909 Reyes unsuccessfully tried to force legislative
approval of
the Thompson-Urrutia Treaty with the United States, which
was to
reestablish relations with that country and recognize the
independence of Panama. The issue of the treaty's
ratification,
however, provided a focal point for opposition against
Reyes, even
though the treaty was ratified under a subsequent
administration.
In June 1909, the Republican Union, a bipartisan group of
Liberals
and Historical Conservatives who opposed Reyes, won a
majority in
the congressional elections held to reestablish the
Colombian
Cngress. In acknowledgment of the political current
against him,
Reyes secretly resigned later that month and left the
country.
Carlos E. Restrepo, a Conservative who had been
instrumental in
founding the Republican Union, assumed the presidency
after Reyes.
The Republican Union represented a transformation in
Colombian
politics. The Liberal merchants and Conservative
agriculturists
found a common interest in coffee exports, which was
quickly
beginning to dominate the Colombian economy. Their mutual
economic
interest allowed the moderate factions of each party to
join in a
bipartisan coalition that gained political control at the
end of
the civil war. Although Conservatives retained nominal
control of
political institutions until 1930, they accepted and
applied the
principle of Liberal representation and participation in
government. Conservative presidents appointed Liberals to
their
bipartisan cabinets and thus included them in political
decision
making. Although party conflict and rural unrest remained,
the
coalitions that the two parties formed provided a basis
for
political stability.
Data as of December 1988
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