Alternative History


Gran Colombia (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈɡɾaŋ koˈlombja], "Greater Colombia") officially Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America. It is bounded on the north by the Caribbean Sea, the northwest by Panama, the south by Peru, the east by Guyana, the southeast by Brazil, and the west by the Pacific Ocean. Gran Colombia is composed of 32 departments and the Capital District of Caracas, the country's largest city. It covers an area of 2,172,609 square kilometers (838,849 sq mi), with a population of 95 million. Colombia's rich cultural heritage reflects influences by various Amerindian civilizations, European settlement, African slaves, and immigration from Europe and the Middle East. Spanish is the nation's official language, besides which over 70 languages are spoken.

History[]

December 17, 1819: Gran Colombia is established.

April 27, 1830: Simon Bolivar resigns from office. Domingo Caycedo succeeds him.

December 17, 1830: Simon Bolivar passes away in Santa Marta.

Simón Bolívar 2

Simon Bolivar

April 04, 1831: Gran Colombia becomes a constitutional republic, moves its capital to Caracas.

July 21, 1839: Slavery is abolished in Colombia. Resistance breaks out in several parts of the country by anti abolitionists, starting a pro slave insurrection which lasted for four months.

Tumbes Border War

  • May 28, 1845: Colombian forces invade and occupy Tumbes which is located in a disputed territory of Peru.
  • May 29, 1845: Peru sends in the army to recapture the city, sparking a battle.
  • May 31, 1845: Peru recaptures Tumbes, pushing back the Colombians all the way back to Zarumilla.
  • June 3 - 4, 1845: Peru recaptures Zarumilla, and occupies the Colombian city of Huaquillas.
  • June 7, 1845: Colombia starts a battle to liberate Huaquillas from the Peruvians, losing the battle.
  • June 10, 1845: Peru and Colombia sign a peace treaty, ending the war.
Oscar Vasquez

Oscar Vasquez

February 8, 1859: Oscar Vasquez overthrows President Jose Modiano in a coup d'état, subsequently starting a dictatorship.

August 12, 1861: An independence movement for Cundinamarca (our timeline's Colombia) turns into an insurrectionist civil war when protesters are massacred by soldiers.

December 31, 1861: Colombian troops massacre 500 civilians in Tunja in retaliation to a massacre of soldiers by separatists.

1862IglesiaSagustinBogota

Bogota after the Siege 1862

March 20 - March 24, 1862: Separatists capture the city of Bogota, starting a five day siege of the city by Colombians which they eventually captured.

December 19, 1863: The Cundinamarca Insurrection is over after Colombians capture the last rebel stronghold.

August 22, 1865: Oscar Vasquez is overthrown, installing a democratic government.

Campesino Uprising 1877

Campesino Uprising, 1877

May 29, 1877: A group of peasant farmers (campesinos) protests over better pay in the Venezuela Department. After the protesters were shot at by soldiers, they start a revolution called the Campesino Uprising.

August 9, 1879: An attempted coup almost overthrows President Gilberto Garcia Vila but fails due to low support.

December 25, 1881: the Campesino Uprising ends with the rebels defeat.

1895: Colombia supports Cuban rebels fighting independence by supplying them with weapons.

1903 Colombian Riots

Riots in Caracas, 1903

August 1903: Differing opinions within the government causes multiple party splits, inciting riots all over the country

September 1903: A separatist group forms in Panama to fight the government for independence, with support from the United States of America.

November 6, 1903: Using the chaos in Colombia as an opportunity, America sends gunboats to Panama and secures the isthmus with their intentions to build a canal across the country, using the support for separatists as an excuse.

1903 Panama War

A battle during the Panama Conflict, 1903

November 7, 1903: Colombia, realizing what had just happened, quickly mobilizes its troops to try and recapture the isthmus. The Colombian Navy fight off American ships near Panama City, sparking the Panama Conflict.

Colombian Soldiers 1903

Colombian Soldiers in Panama, 1903

Panama Conflict

  • November 1903: Thousands of Colombian soldiers cross through the Darien Gap to get to Panama. Multiple soldiers die of disease and exhaustion crossing through the thick forest.
  • November 24, 1903: An attempted beach landing near Colon fails as American troops defeat the landing Colombian Army
  • December 1, 1903: First Battle of Metei: Colombian troops fight off Panamanian rebels occupying the city of Metei but are subsequentially pushed back.
  • December 1, 1903-January 4, 1904: the Battle for Panama City: Colombian troops successfully land near Panama City and starts a month long battle for the city against the Americans. The Colombians fail to gain ground in the city and due to low morale, they retreat afterwards.
  • January 8, 1904: Second Battle of Metei: The Colombians attempt a second capture of the city from Panamanian rebels and succeed.
  • January 10 - January 15, 1904: Battle of Higueronal: Colombians fight off American troops near the village of Higueronal. They are defeated and later retreat back to Colombia
  • January 20, 1904: Colombia signs a peace treaty with America, giving Panama control to the Americans and gaining Panama's independence from Colombia.
BAP Almirante Grau en mar ecuatoriano (1941)

Colombian ship during the Peru-Colombian War, 1941


July 4, 1941 – October 14, 1941: Peru and Colombia go to war over a border dispute with Peru invading the southern portion. Colombia wins the war.

Miguel Santander

Miguel Santander

December 30, 1953: Due to anti-American sentiment after the Panamanian Conflict and the growing Cold War, sympathy for the Soviets increase. Culminating with the election of a socialist leader named Miguel Santander who promise to help the poor.

Jose Pastor

Jose Armando Pastor

1954 Coup D'etat

Tanks in Caracas during coup, 1954

March 25, 1954: Americans fearful of a pro-Soviet leader near the border led a CIA backed coup against Santander. Installing a pro-American leader named Jose Armando Pastor.

November 1954 - July 1956: Pastor starts a Reign of Terror against communism, killing over 50,000 civilians.

August 25, 1955: Pastor creates a secret police force called the Fuerza Nacional de Inteligencia (FNI) to spy and subjugate the population.

1961 Protests

Protests in Caracas over Pastor's Authoritarian Rule, 1961

October 21, 1961: Large scale protests break out over Pastor's authoritarian rule which results in the police and military brutally cracking down on protestors killing 10,000 civilians, kickstarting the Colombian Civil War

EPLC Rebels 1960s

EPLC Rebels

November 1, 1961: A leftist rebel group called Ejército Popular de Liberación de Colombia (EPLC) take over parts of towns and villages across the Cordillera Oriental region in the Cundinamarca Department

March 11, 1964: Colombian Civil War: Colombian soldiers massacre 20 civilians in Paipa

July 1, 1965: Colombian Civil War: Battle of Bucaramanga: rebels capture the city of Bucaramanga

December 29, 1965 - January 12, 1966: Colombian Civil War: rebel groups surround the town of Bogota and besieges the city, starting the Siege of Bogota which lasts for 15 days. the Colombian Army take back control of the city.

July 7, 1966: One of the founding leaders of the EPLC, Juan Iglesias, is caught by the Colombian Government and is later executed

Roberto del Rosario

Roberto del Rosario

May 19, 1967, Jose Pastor passes away, is replaced by his successor Roberto del Rosario

August 5, 1970: Colombian Civil War: Colombian soldiers capture the key rebel city of Cucuta

November 14, 1971: A Cundinamarcan separatist rebel group called the Cundinamarca Luchadores Por la Libertad (CLL) is formed

May 19, 1972: the CLL attempt to take Medellin, resulting in brutal street fighting, but are ultimately thwarted by the Colombian Army

PTC Rebels 1977

PTC Rebels patrolling the jungle, 1977

December 2, 1973: A leftist group splits from the EPLC, forming the Partido de los Trabajadores de Colombia (PTC), fighting in the Amazon jungles

1977 Assassination

Roberto del Rosario's assassination in Maiquetia, 1977

December 23, 1977: Roberto del Rosario is assassinated via a bomb by an EPLC member while riding in Maiquetia

Manuel Zapata

Manuel Zapata

December 24, 1977: Manuel Zapata takes over Rosario's role and starts a brutal crackdown against leftist groups and anyone associated with them which lasts until the end of his reign

January 29, 1979: an Equadorian seperatist group called the Frente de Liberación Ecuatoriano (FLE) successfuly captures the city of Quito

Colombian Soldiers 1979

Colombian soldiers at a checkpoint, 1979

August 14, 1979: Colombian soldiers massacre 25 civilians in Guerima for supposedly harboring rebels

February 25, 1980: EPLC rebels capture a Colombian military base near Chitaga

1984 Massacre

Aftermath of the Jerico Massacre

December 9, 1984: Colombian troops massacre 100 civilians in Jerico for supposedly sympathizing with rebels, the massacre brings condemnation around the world.

January 1, 1985: Colombian Army successfuly recaptures the city of Quito from FLE

January 13, 1985: EPLC take the city of San Cristobal

August 8 - August 14, 1985: EPLC and Colombian soldiers fight for the city of Merida, EPLC wins the battle

Barquisimeto Battle 1986

Rebels fighting in Barquisimeto, 1986

June 7 - July 14, 1986: Battle of Barquisimeto: EPLC fights for control over the city of Barquisimeto, the closest rebels ever got to Caracas. The Colombians won the battle.

October 1989: As the Cold War thaws and Soviet and American support ends, both leftist groups and Colombian government start seeking peace deals

November 27, 1990: Both the EPLC, PTC, and Colombian government sign a peace deal, ending the leftist guerilla front of the Colombian Civil War

Luz Dimas

Luz Dimas

August 4, 1991: The first democratic elections in Colombia since 1954 is held with Luz Dimas of EPLC winning the election, becoming the first female leader of Gran Colombia

June 1995: The cocaine trade, which was hindered by the Military Dictatorship start gaining prominence, with drug cartels eventually forming in the jungles of Colombia

December 8, 1996: The FLE captures the city of Ambato

May 21, 1999: Manuel Zapata is extradited from Spain and is charged with multiple violations of human right abuses during his reign

March 17, 2000: President Juan Plazas declares a War on Drugs

June 5, 2001: Manuel Zapata is sentenced to 50 years in prison

2006 Protests

Protests in Caracas, 2006

April 18 - June 24, 2006: Mass protests erupt all over the country in response to corruption in the government

October 4, 2018 - July 24, 2019: Low economy and high inflation causes large protests and riots in Colombia

David Gimenez

David Gimenez

August 4, 2019: David Gimenez of EPLC wins the election, making him the first black leader of Gran Colombia

Geography[]

The geography of Gran Colombia is characterized by its six main natural regions that present their own unique characteristics, from the Andes mountain range region shared with Peru; the Guiana Highlands shared with Brazil and Guyana; the Pacific Coastal region shared with Panama and Peru; the Caribbean coastal region shared with Panama and Guyana; the Llanos (plains); the Amazon rainforest region shared with Brazil, Peru, and Guyana; to the insular area, comprising islands in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It shares its maritime limits with Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.

Colombia is bordered to the northwest by Panama, to the east by Guyana, and to the south by Brazil and Peru; it established its maritime boundaries with neighboring countries through seven agreements on the Caribbean Sea and three on the Pacific Ocean. It lies between latitudes 12°N and 5°S, and between longitudes 81° and 59°W.

In the interior of Colombia the Andes are the prevailing geographical feature which includes the country's tallest peak, Chimborazo at 6,267 m (20,561 ft). East of the Andes lies the savanna of the Llanos, the Orinoco River basin, and the jungles of the Amazon rainforest. To the north the Caribbean coast generally consists of low-lying plains, but it also contains the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range, the La Guajira Desert, the Maracaibo lowlands and the Orinoco River delta in the east. By contrast the narrow and discontinuous Pacific coastal lowlands are sparsely populated and covered in dense vegetation with the exception of the southern portion.