La Granada Dulce del Gran General - A Colombian Timeline

[ItsMeAutopilot]

"Libertad Y Orden", Liberty and Order​

Notes From Me, the Author

Hello there gentlemen and gentlewomen! My name's Autopilot, but you can also just call me Auto. Today, I want to present y'all a project I've been thinking about for quite a while now. While I am not new to this website, and in fact, I've made a (rather unfinished) timeline in this forum, I've always wanted to make a timeline related to Latin America, my home region, specifically, the country of Colombia, which I very much love and appreciate. While I am not Colombian (I'm Mexican), I've seen many timelines that focus on the so-called "Gran Colombia", Simon Bolivar's nation-building project which ended in failure in 1831, and while that is a very interesting topic on its own that has the potential for many interesting scenarios, for this project of mine, I do not want to focus on Bolivar, Santander, or any of the other Granadine Heroes of Independence, and instead, I want to focus on a period of Colombian history known as the "Olimpo Radical", the Radical Olympus, a period in Colombian history spearheaded by Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera (who was nicknamed "El Gran General", the Great General) which was marked by Liberal policies, a significant decentralization of the country, a major cultural and intellectual revival, secularization, and an opening to foreign nations, but was also marked by significant fighting between states due to the weakness of the central government. In OTL, The United States of Colombia ended in 1886, after the "Regeneracion", the Regeneration, a Conservative and Unitarian revolution that ended the Liberal Olympus and instituted a new, more conservative Constitution in 1886. These events eventually led to a hegemony of Conservative politicians in Colombia who centralized power around Bogota, the 1000 Days War between rebellious Liberals and the Conservative government, the subsequent separation of Panama, and "La Violencia", one of the most chaotic periods in Colombian history marred by political assassinations and economic turmoil. However, I want to change all of this in this ATL, and make Colombia a fully Westernized and developed nation on par with countries like Canada or Australia in terms of strength and geopolitical influence, and I believe that a fairly reasonable and realistic PoD that would help us achieve that is an alternate "Guerra Magna"/Granadine Civil War of 1860-62 between the Liberals led by Mosquera and the Conservative Granadine Confederation led by Mariano Ospina Rodríguez and a much stronger 1863 Rionegro Constitution which would not have the same problems of a weak executive position that led to constant infighting between states and political factions. I hope y'all enjoy this and, without further ado, let us begin!

“Your Eminence, I have no enemies since I shot them all.”
-Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera, First President of the United States of Colombia​

 

[ItsMeAutopilot]

Chapter 0, Part I: A Troubled Prelude
Back in the year 1854, a Civil War would begin in the Republic of New Granada between the so-called Democratic Societies led by José María Melo, who had just instigated a coup against the "Draconian Liberal" administration of José María Obando, and the "Constitutional Coalition" led by Tomás Herrera, Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera, José de Abadía, and Agustín Codazzi. The division between the factions inside the Liberal Party can be traced back to 1848, when the party itself was founded. The Draconians and the Democratic Societies, who advocated policies of protectionism and were more aligned with the needs of artisans, their main supporter base, were fiercely opposed by the Golgothans, who were a cabal of intellectuals who advocated for free trade, federalism, industrialization, and even had some socialists inside their ranks, and were supported by richer and more opulent members of Colombian society. This conflict started showing its chaotic nature during the administration of President José Hilario López. Lopez, who was, according to many, quite radical and was inspired by the 1848 Revolutions which rocked the European continent, instituted policies such as a complete separation of church and state, the abolition of slavery in 1851 (which led to a revolt in the State of Cauca led by Julio Arboleda Pombo, a Conservative, which he was able to put down), a freer press, and some amounts of decentralization and economic liberalism. Lopez's policies of economic liberalism and free trade were quite unpopular with some sectors of the population, who believed the government was after them and wanted them completely gone in favor of foreign investors and big businesses. One of Lopez' more controversial policies was the second expulsion of the Jesuits from Colombia and the dissolution of the "resguardos", institutions similar to the US' Native American Reservations. However Lopez was not invincible, and he constantly had to compromise with the Democratic Societies. For example, when Artisans demanded more protectionist policies towards imports, Lopez imposed slightly higher tariffs, but when the same Artisans demanded better protections and rights, Lopez did not budge and repressed their protests.
In 1853, elections were called, and Lopez's candidate of choice, José María Obando, comfortably won against Tomás Herrera, who was supported by Panamanian regionalists and General José María Melo. Obando's administration, due to its Draconian background, was initially supported by the Democratic Societies. Obando, however, had a tough time during his short presidency which only lasted one year. He had a minority in Congress due to a shocking alliance between the Golgothans and the Conservative Party, and when he suddenly and radically veered towards the Liberalism of the Golgothans so as to appease them and create a new Magna Carta for the country which would impose a Federalist system, further weaken the Church, and enfranchize the struggle of 1851 against slavery, he completely lost support with the artisans and the Democratic Societies, who were the only remnants of his supporter base. Fighting in the streets at the time between young Golgothans, Draconians, and Conservatives in the streets of Bogota became increasingly common, and the country rapidly fell into instability and political chaos, which was certainly not helped by a Congress that constantly stunted any of the means Obando had at his disposal so as to continue his presidency.

In 1854, Obando was on the verge of being removed from the Presidency by his opponents after the imposition of the new Constitution. On April 17th, many artisans, who were supported by General Melo, mobilized and demanded Obando dissolve Congress, become a dictator, and rule by decree, or else face destitution. Obando obviously declined, and was forcefully removed from power in a coup and was immediately put under arrest. Melo then dissolved the Legislative branch of the government, declared himself "Supreme Chief of State of the Republic of New Granada", reinstated the old Constitution of 1843, and jailed the old government in the Church of San Francisco. He then called for a Constituent Assembly for the creation of a new Constitution, but this Assembly never achieved anything of note. After being transferred to the San Francisco Church, some of the arrested members of the old government managed to flee and sought asylum in embassies and other international hubs of diplomacy. The day after, on April 18th, Melo launched a decree which weakened liberties and persecuted his opponents. He ordered men under sixty years of age to register as soldiers within twenty-four hours. He declared freedom of the press as long as nothing seditious or alarming was said, for in such a case, imprisonment, expulsion, or confinement would be applied. He ordered a forced loan to the citizens, payable in a short period of time, and those who did not do so were ordered to be imprisoned. In addition, he disregarded governors and mayors throughout the country, appointing others from the capital.

After the creation of this brutal and unfair dictatorship, both the Liberal and Conservative Parties rallied their respective supporter bases and launched an armed campaign against General Melo. Parliament, which had been dissolved, fled to the city of Ibague and created a government in exile, which started handing out de facto judgments towards the coupists and their allies. Melo's government, on the other hand, succeeded in linking social sectors, such as artisans, but was unable to consolidate alliances with other social sectors or with other regions of the country. The Colombian Civil War of 1854 had officially started, and its winners would determine the Constitutional future of the nation.

A portrait of Supreme Chief of State José María Melo

 

[ItsMeAutopilot]

Chapter 0, Part II: The Colombian Civil War of 1854 and its Consequences
The people and movements who rose up against General Melo were varied in their beliefs, but they all had one singular goal in mind: remove the illegitimate dictator and his government and restore democracy to New Granada. The Colombian Civil War of 1854 lasted approximately 8 months, killed around 4000 people, and was fought between two main armies: The Regenerative Army, led by General Melo, and the Constitutional Coalition, which was led by ex-presidents Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera (who was in the North and had his headquarters in the city of Barranquilla) and José Hilario López (who was in the South). Both sides had approximately 11k men each, but the rebels had a seriously great advantage: they had the support of most of the populace and most local governors. Battles took place all over the country, but the main ones were in Pamplona, Bucaramanga, Vélez, Tunja, Zipaquira, Tequendama, and Cali. In the Battle of Cali, Lopez managed to defeat armed artisans and other supporters of Melo and established a firm base over the city. In the Battle of Bucaramanga, Commander Clímaco Rincón defeated Martiniano Collazos after overrunning his barracks, killing him in the process after heavy gunfire. However, at Zipaquira, near Bogota, the Constitutionalists suffered a defeat at the hands of Colonel Manuel Jiménez, killing Manuel Maria Franco, one of Colombia's independence heroes and fighters. This defeat would prolong the Civil War for a few months. Joaquín París Ricaurte (a relative of Melo's first wife) commanded the Alto Magdalena division that with Antioquian troops crossed the Magdalena River at Honda (Tolima) and joined the troops of Julio Arboleda, who had taken the region of Guaduas. The three Constitutionalist armies eventually met in the Sabana de Bogotá and the former president Pedro Alcántara Herrán was in charge of the joint command. This joint command would surround the 7000 troops defending Bogota which were being led by Melo himself, and Bogota was attacked from three sides, defended by Melo with veterans of Cundinamarca and artisan volunteers. Mosquera attacked from the north and under the command of General Tomas Herrera took street by street, from San Diego to San Francisco Square where Melo's command was located. Lopez attacked from the south and Paris from the west through San Victorino. Herrán took the heights of the Egypt neighborhood. The three armies that reestablished the constitutional power converged in the main square. On December 4 of the same year, the victorious alliance entered Bogota, after defeating the Regenerative Army and its allies, the “Draconian” liberals and artisans. The latter presented tenacious resistance during the final assault on the capital, which is why the victorious party exiled hundreds of artisans to the area near the Chagres River in Panama so as to do forced labor, most of whom died during the journey on foot. The act of surrender was signed in what is now Santander Park.
The military coup perpetrators were erased from the military list and, consequently, expelled from the institution. General Melo was taken prisoner, and Mosquera requested that Melo be shot, but this was opposed by many and instead, he was sent into exile, although during the three trials that followed he was free because his bail was paid. On the other hand, President José María Obando was brought to trial for being considered responsible for Melo's seizure of power; thus, he was accused of the crimes of treason and rebellion.

Due to the Conservatives and their aid being one of the most important factors that led to the Constitutionalist victory in the Civil War, they would gain huge amounts of strength during the 1854 and 1856 Elections. This would lead to a provisional government being dominated by Conservatives, and figures such as Manuel Maria Mallarino and Mariano Ospina Rodríguez (keep this guy in mind for later!) would become presidents during this period of time. However, to the dismay of the Conservatives, due to the restitution of the 1853 Constitution and Panama becoming a State in 1855, Federalization by this point was an inevitability, and they simply had to hope for the best so as to structure it in a way that favored them.

During Mallarino's presidency, many important changes were implemented which would permanently affect the nation's internal matters. Mallarino was made president after a pact between Liberals and Conservatives, who were led by Manuel Murillo Toro and Carlos Holguín Mallarino respectively. According to the pact between Holguín and Murillo, the cabinet was split: Half of the government secretaries were conservatives and the other half liberals, which allowed for the exceptional case that his government was supported by all sectors of national politics, and the country enjoyed an unprecedented period of peace. Due to this peace, the Army was greatly reduced, which freed up some budget that was desperately needed for the reconstruction of the country. One of the most important things he did during his term was to move the capital from Bogota to Panama City. This was mainly done after the creation of several new states during the process of Federalization and the rapid industrialization of Panama. Panama and its city were given the most modern of amenities such as telegraphs and railways, and the entire city was redesigned in a style not too dissimilar from Georges-Eugène Haussmann's designs which started to be implemented in Paris at the time. Due to this, Panama City was nicknamed "The Paris of Central America", and experienced a massive population growth after all government institutions moved to the city. In addition to all of this, Mallarino handed over control of police, justice, and regional commercial activities to the states, and respected the independence of Congress. Important reforms in matters of education and finance were also implemented, which led to the stimulation and creation of new industries and institutions.

Overall, it could be argued that Mallarino, by the end of his short presidency, established some of the bases for Colombia to become a rising power. These bases would eventually be expanded upon by his successors, and would lead to the Colombian Golden Age of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.

Manuel Maria Mallarino, President of New Granada from 1855 to 1857

 

[fareales]

I am from Colombia and this story interests me

 

[Nivek]

Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera, First President of the United

First time someone use him here too

 

[ChrisTheCat]

Watched. Very keen to see a South American timeline! This seems good so far, though I'm interested in how much can be done to turn Colombia into such a powerhouse, and what the other countries around them (let alone the USA) have to say about it.