Andrés Gómez-Barrera
a-gomezb@javeriana.edu.co
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
Abstract:
By looking to written and oral sources, this paper identifies: firstly, the political relations between the elite and the grass-roots sectors in Villavicencio in the period 1948-1950; secondly, the existence and influence of the Gaitanist movement in Villavicencio; and thirdly, insurgent movements that arose in the capital city at the department of Meta, as forms of resistance to the repression applied by Conservative government against Liberalism between the years 1948 through 1953. By looking at the history of Villavicencio, we get a wide view of Violence and the socio-political system, both in the regional elite and the Colombian grass-roots sectors by the mid 19th century. Thus, when relating violence in Villavicencio to the whole (Colombia), we get to build historic knowledge, and to understand and comprehend such historical process which is known in Colombia as the Violence.
Keywords: gaitanism, bandit, violence, gang, insurgent movements.
