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General Knowledge :: HISTORICAL EVENTS BY COUNTRY :: COLOMBIA

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Colombia

Colombia: Historical Dates

AD 1538	Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada completed the Spanish conquest of the Chibcha and founded the kingdom of New Granada.
1717	Bogotá became the capital of the Viceroyalty of New Granada, which consisted of present-day Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela.
1780	Many people revolted against Spanish rule. The revolt was put down, but it served as a spark for the independence movement.
1810	Most parts of New Granada declared their independence from Spain. Spain sent troops to the colony in 1814, and a bitter struggle ensued.
1819	Simón Bolívar defeated Spanish troops near Bogotá and became the first president of the new republic of Gran Colombia.
1853	A new constitution separated church and state.
1886	Colombia became a republic.
1899-1902	A bloody civil war, known as the War of the Thousand Days, was fought.
1903	Panama revolted after the Senate refused to approve a treaty allowing for the construction of the Panama Canal. The United States intervened to help Panama win independence.
1922	Under the terms of the Thomson-Urrutia treaty, the United States agreed to pay Colombia for the loss of Panama. The treaty helped restore ties between the two countries.
1948	The assassination of the Liberal party leader triggered a period of violence and lawlessness known as La Violencia. The unrest continued sporadically until the 1960s.
1958-1974	A Liberal-Conservative coalition government slowly restored confidence in the government and economy.
1980s	Government attempts to crack down on Colombia's large drug cartels met with violent resistance. Many journalists and government officials were assassinated.
1993	The Colombian government made significant progress in combating the powerful Medellín drug cartel. However, the progress was offset by the rise of another drug cartel based in Cali.
1995	Colombia, along with Venezuela and Mexico, formed the Group of Three, a free-trade organization that intends to eliminate all tariffs and quotas on trade between members within a decade.
1996	After allegations that drug traffickers financed his campaign, President Ernesto Samper Pizano was indicted by government prosecutors on charges of illegal enrichment, electoral fraud, falsifying documents, and attempted cover-up. Congress then cleared Samper of all charges.