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La Violencia (literally "The Violence", in Spanish) is a term that refers to an era of civil conflict in Colombia between supporters of the Colombian Liberal Party and the Colombian Conservative Party , a conflict which took place roughly from 1948 to 1958 (exact dates vary). ORIGINS Alternate orgins Some historians disagree about the dates: some argue it started in 1946 when the Conservatives came back into government, because at a local level the leadership of the police forces and town councils changed hands, encouraging Conservative peasants to seize land from Liberal peasants and setting off a new wave of bi-partisan violence in the countryside. But traditionally, most historians argue that La Violencia began with the death of Jorge Eliécer Gaitán . DEVELOPMENT During "La Violencia", several members of the Colombian Liberal Party and of the Colombian Communist Party organized self-defense groups and guerrilla units, which fought both against those of the Colombian Conservative Party and among each other. END A minority of these groups did not demobilize during the amnesty declared by General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla after he took power in 1953. When Rojas was removed from power in 1958, civilian rule was restored after moderate Conservatives and Liberals, with the support of dissident sectors of the military, agreed to unite under a bipartisan coalition known as the National Front, with included a system of presidential alternation and powersharing both in cabinets and public offices. HISTORICAL INTERPRETATIONS From the point of view of members the FARC and the Colombian Communist Party , the Liberal and Conservative elites, though they had instigated the violence, soon grew to fear the consequences of it, and thus formed a loose alliance to preserve their shared desire for political hegemony from possible revolutionary challenges. NOTES SEE ALSO FURTHER READING |
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